Memvini hf the Life of the Right Uoii. Wm.Piet. 



T)msp ivlio^'by <«an<lkl and out of personal tp^avA to lum, 1; (ormrtil? 

 avoid g-iviiig' my opinion to any one^'.ou thiB' 

 opening tiie door to parliamentary rpl'omi^* 

 except to him ; thei-etofe, I am certain Mr.j 

 Pitt cannot suspect my having iufineuoed. 

 any one oij the occasion. It' others elioost^ 

 fui- base ends, to impute such a contiuctt^ 

 me, I must bear it as former false siugjfes^-, 

 tious. Indeed, on a question of sutU, 

 raag'nitude, I should think very ill of any, 

 man, who tool; a part on cither side, «itlw 

 ont the matnrest consideration, rind wlio 

 would suffer his civility to any one, fir 

 make him vote contrary to his own opinirt^i. 

 Tlie conduct of some of Mr. Pitt's most' 

 intimate friends on the Westminster scrn-' 

 tiny, shews there are f|UC9fious nton %*il) 

 iiot by friendship be bJafescdto adopt. 



In 17S2. Mr. Pitt had moAed for flic 

 appointment of a com m it tec, (o cojtsider 

 the state of the rcprestntation in- th(! 

 House of Commons; and iii tlie tol- 

 lowiiis; year, he brought I'onvard-sevi^^ 

 ral resointious as the basis of the pl»n 

 which he then wished to he ad(i(?led. 

 Having failci iu both these instances, 

 ho determined upon (lie jw-eseiil'ioccit^ 

 siou, to submit to the house -a piicftise 

 andexpUeit propositioa, andat'iince to 

 ap]>ly for leai o to bring in a biH, whieli 

 sliould contain the result of his f nil 

 consideration upon this impoitant snb- 

 jeet, and be in itself complete and final; 

 By this mode of pfoceedinw. he imped 

 to quiet (he alarm of those who were 

 fearful of touching tlie constitiitiotr irt 

 any one point, lest the alteration 

 should, under Ihe mask of reform, he 

 proixresijively carried to a danijeroMs 

 length. He again reproliated the wtW 

 and impractieaiile notion of univer.'^al 

 suffrage, and said, that in his judgment, 

 the just description of the pcptihir 

 branch of our legislature, at this ihiy, 

 ctight to be " an assembly fiilly electetl, 

 between whom and the mass of the 

 people, there was the closest union ami 

 most perfect sympathy.'" Such an 

 House of Commons it was the purpose 

 of the fraraers of our coastitution to 

 erect ; and he had no other wish, than 

 to restore the Hotise of Commons tp 

 that its orignal state and character, in- 

 stead of the corrupt and inadequate 

 system into which it had unfortunately 

 degenerated. Those who went farther 

 — those who were advocates for indivi- 

 dual ropresentation,dcluded (liemselvcs 

 with impossibilities, and diverted the 

 public from that plain anu practicable 

 path, iu which they might travel witli 

 safety and ease, to launch them into an 

 nnbouuded .sea, where they had no 

 pilot to ^tect. no star tb guide them. 

 ..':-.,;:■ "' He 



ft-tendFyeOT«n«micft(i6ii, were (o seltlc 

 tlie eonteiidrng claims of the different 

 candidates for office, could not be pre- 

 vailed tqion even to mee( in (he same 

 room, though conunanded by his Ma- 

 jesty;, (o'have a personal conference, 

 and called upon to tinife by the titta- 

 nimou-< vote of (he HoLise of Commons; 

 those v.ho were to agree upon points of 

 rtiie tftmost nicety and importauee, 

 Mpon the general principles of govern - 

 menf, and all tlie intricate detail of 

 foreign and domestic policy, could not 

 te\y upon eacli other's interjiretation of 

 ()lie of the conimouest words iu the 

 language. ' 



ilOVAt OBSBRVATIOKS ON THE MIN- 

 LSTERIAL PLAN OP A REFORM IN 

 ■ TUf. HOUSE OP COMMONS. 



* Mr. Pitt did not forget hisengagement 

 tb lningbnfoi(" the house, in the present 

 Session, (he bitsiness of parliamentary 

 rt'fitj'ln, ' This was indeed a favourite 

 dbjVet \v\t\i him. to which he devoted 

 much time and thought ; and he souglit 

 eyery opportunity of explaining in pri- 

 tiite his sentiments and views lespect- 

 lltg it, to Oioso members who had 

 tiitlierto opposed every motion upon 

 this subject. It is natural to suppose, 

 •♦hat bis present othcial situation would 

 {jive grent weight to his arguments ; and 

 fhat the j>PTSons who were in general 

 supporters of his admiiiistraticm, would 

 ftirt a desire to concur with him upon a 

 question, in which his opini( n was so 

 W(»cided, and his wishes so strong. He 

 prevailed with some, but the objections 

 «f others he was unable to overcome. 



He thought it his duty, also, to com- 

 mtinicate his plan to the King, whose 

 ))rivate sentiments he knew to be im- 

 friendly to any change in the construc- 

 tion of the House of Commons; and he 

 received the following answer from his 

 JMajesty, dated March 2f). 



1 have received Mr. Pitt's paper contain- 

 ing the heads of his plan, for a parliament- 

 •ary reform, which 1 look on as a mark of 

 i' attention. I should have delayed acknow- 

 ' ledsring the receipt of it till 1 saw him on 

 ^Monday, had not his letter expi-essed that 

 vtherc is but or.e issue of the business he 

 could look upon as fatal, that is, the pos- 

 sibility of the measure being rejected by 

 the weight of those who are supposed to 

 , be connected with gove:nment. Mr. Pitt 

 must recollect, liiat thoi'.gh I have ever 

 thought it unfortunate that he had early 

 engaged himself in this measure, yet that 

 T have ever said, that as he was clear of 

 the propriety of the measure, he ought to 

 lay his thoughts before the house; that 



