616 
rough of Grampound. _ 1 will go no fur- 
ther back than the general election of 
1780. At that time Grampound, with 
two other boreughs in the county of 
Cornwall, was under the influence of one 
patron; he was an opponent of the ad- 
ministration, and, as he wished te keep 
well with both parts of the opposition, 
he gave the nomination for two seats, to 
the Marquis.of Rockingham, und for two 
others to the Earl of Shelburne. The 
other two seats were kept by the patron 
for himself and a private friend. The 
price paid by the nominees for each seat 
was3000/. Tam unacquainted with the 
circumstances which took place at the 
elections which intervened between 1780 
and 1796. But in that year the elec- 
tors of Grampound discovered, that, al- 
thongh their patron only distributed 
30002. among the electors, he was inthe 
practice of receiving 6000/. at every ge- 
neral election from the two members 
relurned, ‘They therefore determined 
to sell through another patron, from 
whom they might receive the full sum 
paid by the two elected members. 
The return of members to parliament 
ought not 1o be obtained by bribery; but 
is. it more injnrious to the state when the 
electors appropriate the whole money to 
themselves, than it is when they are 
cheated out of one-half of it by their pa- 
trov?. The elector receives the bribe, at 
the peril of being convicted in a penalty 
of 500/.; but, at the period I allude to, 
the patron, not being an elector, was 
subject to no penalty. But the mis- 
chief tothe state is, much greater when 
an individnal peer has acquired the no- 
mination to many seats, Is it not known 
that there are at this time two noble 
carls, one of whom. names bine mem- 
bers, and the other eight? What poli- 
tical power might not be acquired by the 
confederacy of a few such individnals? 
We are compelled to acquiesce in the 
waste of the public money by the minis- 
ter, to enable him to resist the efforts. of 
such confederacies, 
BURKE AND THE WHIGS. 
The influence which Mr. Edmand 
Burke had acquired over the Marquis of 
Rotkingham, was great; but dhat which 
he afterwards possessed over the mind 
of the Duke of Portland was, still. more 
considerable. In fact, the Duke of 
Portland had no opinions of his. own; 
he spoke and acted under the direction 
of Mr. Burke. .. The India Bill, brought 
forward in November 1783, and the con- 
test which followed, left the party not 
ouly deprived of office, but also highly 
Nicholls’s Recollections and Reflections. 
unpopular. The peace had criabled the 
country to recover. much of its prospe~ 
rity; and perhaps Mr. Pitt drew. more 
credit from, this cireumstance than) he 
merited. The King’s: illness in 1788, 
and the conduct of the opposition on that 
occasion, while it conciliated compas- 
sion to the King, revived the anpopula- 
rity of the Whig families; . The French 
Revolution burst forth in. 1789.; Perhaps 
at the very commencement it excited 
alarm in the nobles, as well as in the 
King. They were misled by the simili- 
tude of names; but Mr, Pitt wisely re- 
strained this country from interfering in 
the affairs of France. Towards the close 
of the year 1792, Mr. Burke had snfii- 
cient influence over the great Whig fa- . 
milies, to induce them to concur with 
the King in clamouring for ia crusade 
against I’rench principles, Mr. Pitt was 
unable to resist; and, that he might re- 
tain his situation, as, minister, he was 
under the necessity of receiving the great 
Whig families into his cabinet, and sof 
embarking the country in the crusade, 
To say that this crusade has. failed, 
would not adequately express the con 
sequences which have followed from, it, 
It has established the principles of liber- 
ty through the greatest part of Europe, 
and of South America ; while Great Bri- 
tain exhibits itself to every eye, exhaust- 
ed by those efforts which it has been 
prevailed onto employ, Nor is the, con- 
test at an end ; Europe must suffer more 
paroxysms, before it is depurated. from 
the remains of feudalism, In this crisis, _ 
the great Whig families present them. 
selves to the people; they offer them- 
selves as the assertors of its rights; bat 
they are not trusted, The people -com- 
plain loudly of their sufferings, but haye 
little reliance on the great Whig fami- 
lies for their relief, 
LORD CLIVE. : 
Lord North had agreed to support the 
accusation brought forward in.the House 
of Commons against Lord Clive, I hap- 
pened tobe with Mr, Thurlow the morn- 
ing after the debate.. General Burgoyne 
came. in: he observed, that although 
Lord. North. had. professed to speak 
against Lord Clive, yet it was so mani- 
fest. from Lord North’s specch that. he 
wished bis friends, should vote for him, 
that during the debate Lord. George. 
Germaine got up, kissed his hand to 
General Burgoyne, and walked out of 
the house. General Burgoyne bad bees 
one, of the most aetive accusers; and 
Thurlow had supported the aceusation 
with sinecrity. I recollect Thurlow’s. 
; remark 
