Memoirs of the Life of the Right Hon. Win. Pitt. 



He expressed an earnest desire to con- 

 vince the house, that what lie was ahout 

 to suggest, was not an innovation, but 

 perfectly conformable to the practice of 

 our ancestors in the purest days. To 

 prove that it was an indisputable doc- 

 trine of antiquity, that the state of re- 

 presentation was to be changed with 

 the change of circumstances, he stated 

 that from the reign of Edward the 

 Fii-st, the earliest period in which dis- 

 tinct descriptions of men could be 

 traced in the representation to that of 

 Charles the Second, there were few 

 reigns in which the representation vvas 

 not varied. The successive kings ex- 

 ercised a power of suninioiiing, or not 

 summoning, as they pleased; acting 

 always upon this principle, that the 

 places should have such a population 

 us entitled them to send, or ratiier sub- 

 jected them to the duty of sending 

 members to parliament. As one bo- 

 rough decayed, and another arose, the 

 one was abolislied, and the other invest- 

 ed with the right of choosing members, 

 not however, in such a manner, that 

 the House of Commons always con- 

 sisted of the same exact number : for 

 upon that point, there was no ancient 

 law or custom ; nothing, in fact, even in 

 these limes, preventing the executive 

 branch of the legislature from adding 

 to, or diminisiiing the present number, 

 but the act of Union. So great, indeed, 

 had been the variation, that in the 

 seventeenth century, the crown had 

 ceased to call upon seventy-two bo- 

 roughs to send burgesses to the House 

 of Commons ; thirty-six of which, 

 after the restoration, petitioned to be 

 reinstated in the enjoyment of their 

 ancient franchises. Their petition was 

 granted : but the other thirty-six re- 

 mained disfranchised. It was therefore 

 evident that change was perfectly conge- 

 nial to the original principle of represen- 

 tation, and consistent with the practice 

 of former times. The excellence of the 

 British constitution was the fruit of 

 gradual improvement ; and had a resis- 

 tance to all reform, from apprehension 

 of the bad consequences which might 

 possibly ensue, prevailed in former 

 times, Englishmen would never have 

 enjoyed their present boasted privileges 

 and blessings. Upon these authorities, 

 and upon these grounds, he felt himself 

 warranted in proposing, thivtlhirty-six 

 decayed boroughs, each electing two 

 members, should no longer send bur- 

 gesses to parliament ; and that in their 

 room, the dift'erent counties and the 

 M0NTUI.Y Mag. No. 3i3(>. 



629 



metropolis should elect seventy-two ad- 

 ditional members, which would con- 

 stitute a just proportion between coun-. 

 ty and borough representatives, without 

 increasing the number of the House of 

 Commons ; and he farther proposed, 

 that copyholders should vote for coun- 

 ties as well as freeliolders ; the dif- 

 ference of tenure not justifying in those 

 days, the distinction in respect of vo- 

 ting, which at present subsisted. In 

 the lapse of time, and fluctuation of 

 human affairs, other boroughs might 

 become decayed, the members of which 

 were to be transferred to populous and 

 flourishing tovv'ns, previously sending 

 no members to parliament ; and to pre- 

 vent any doubt, a definite number of 

 houses were to be the criterion of a de- 

 cayed borough. Disavowing, however, 

 all idea of compulsion, he proposed that 

 no old boiough should be disfranchised, 

 and no new place authorised to elect 

 membeis, except upon its own spon- 

 taneous application. Boroughs being, 

 in many instances, a species of valua- 

 ble inheritance and of private proverty, 

 a voluntary surrender of their rights 

 was not to be expected, without an 

 adequate consideration ; and therefore 

 he proposed the establishment of a fund 

 for the purpose of purchasing these 

 franchises, which being of different 

 descriptions, the consideration-mouey 

 would of course vary. 



Such, he said, was the general out- 

 line of his plan, the operation of which 

 would be gradual. The provisions of 

 the act would be called in to action from 

 time to time, as cases arose. A clear 

 and permanent rule for peipetual im- 

 provement in the representation, would 

 be established, equally applicable to 

 the present and all future periods, but 

 giving no sanction or countenance to 

 vague and chimerical schemes of refor- 

 mation. He conceived it, indeed, to 

 be free from all sei-ious objection, and 

 at the same time, calculated to create 

 that union and sympathy between the 

 constituent and representative which 

 was the surest foundation of liberty to 

 individuals, and of strength and glory 

 to the nation, and the best means, as 

 far as human foresight could extend, 

 for rendering the British constitution 

 immortal. Leaving the detail of the 

 execution to be hereafter discussed, he 

 concluded by moving " That leave be 

 given to bring in a bill to amend the 

 representation of the people of England 

 in parliament." 



Mr, Pitt had the mortification of 

 4 K finding 



