252 
tremities of empire: it is therefore, the 
sort of patronage which the prince may 
best resign to the state. 
The commutation of the duty on tea 
for a duty on windows, conduced much 
to the suppression of smuggling, and to 
the increase of the revenue. It was the 
plan of Mr. Richardson, late account- 
ant-general at the India-house ; but it 
was brought forward without any men- 
tion of him. It seems expedient, how- 
ever, and liberal, to name the projectors 
of considerable innovations at the onset, 
that a proper recompense may be con- 
ferred when they succeed. It is not the 
necessary province of a minister to pro- 
ject ; but to select the sound and prac- 
ticable projects of others. 
In 1785, the commercial propositions 
for an unrestricted intercourse with Ire- 
land, were brought before both parlia- 
ments. These propositions did honour 
to Mr Pitt: they seemed natural and 
obvious consequences of the maxims 
respecting trade, taught inAdam Smith’s 
Wealth of Nations; but after being ac- 
cepted in the British parliament, they 
were withdrawn in the Irish parliament, 
apparently out of a weak deference for 
the clamor of a combination of English 
manufacturers. It is worthy of remem- 
brance, that during the debate on this 
topic, Lord North expressed his wish 
for a complete incorporation of the two 
kingdoms, rather than a partial settle- 
ment. 
In 1786, a commereial treaty with 
France was concluded ; it resulted from 
the same liberal spirit of commercial po- 
lity as the Irish propositions. At first 
it was an equitable treaty ; but it was 
rendered an unfair bargain for France, 
by the subsequent and somewhat perfi- 
fidious diminution of duty on the wines 
of Portugal, which cheated the French 
of their expected market for wines in 
Great-Britain. Unfair bargains between 
nations are seldom permanent: hostili- 
ties are often got up tor the sake of 
breaking them. Unless reciprocal sales 
approach equality, the motive for con- 
fiscation in case of rupture is greater on 
the one side than on the other: and thus 
the party at first most benefited by the 
intercourse, is eventually the greatest 
sufferer by it on the termination. Let 
justice be done, and one may defy the 
gathering cloud. 
About the same period, a highly me- 
ritorious provision was made for the pro- 
HISTORY, POLITICS, AND STATISTICS. 
gressive extinction of the national debt: 
features of the plan had been devised 
by Dr. Price, but were adopted without 
acknowledgment. ‘The useful coloniza- 
tion of New South Wales was under- 
taken with insufficient preliminary sur 
vey. The Prussians were encouraged 
to invade Holland, for the purpose of 
propping the Stadtholder’s tottering 
authority; but as no constitutional 
changes were enforced, he became, on 
the retirement of the Prussian troops, 
weaker than before ;, and incurred the 
odium without the fruit of foreign in 
terposition. This interierence was ap; 
plauded in parliament, even by friends 
of liberty, although Great-Britain nei, 
ther obtained the Cape nor any other 
recompense for her indemnity; but Mr. 
Pitt was now in the perihelion of his po- 
pularity ; the mildest criticism of an 
adversary would have been mistaken for 
envy. 
In 1787, Mr. Pitt declared against the 
repeal of the corporation and test acts. 
Brought up by an ecclesiastic, without 
the advantage of a travelled education, 
and very ignorant of continental litera- 
ture, it was not surprizing that Mr. Pitt 
should betray in the face of Europe a 
narrow bigotry, and want the courage 
to dictate liberality to a bench of bi- 
shops he had nominated. In a legisla- 
tive point of view the innovation soli- 
cited was inconsiderable. Granted with 
speedy decision, it would have produc- 
ed little effect. Its importance resulted 
from the very large proportion of the 
people, especially of the middle classes 
who became partizans ‘in the controver- 
sy- There is scarcely a market town in 
the kingdom where the sectaries have 
not some hall of worship: in all such 
places an active circulation of pamphlets 
concerning toleration, was kept up by 
their ministers and congregations. All 
the solicitudes of petty promotion, 
which mightily interest the secondary 
classes, were aroused ; the computation 
began to be made in every corporation, 
in every excise-office, how many persons _ 
the dissenters would be able to put in; 
and thus an extravagant degree of zeal 
was kindled, both for obtaining and 
withholding the repeal. As the secta- 
ries do not exceed a tenth of the com- 
munity, it is honourable to the state of 
national culture, that they so nearly di- 
vided the general wish. In the educated 
classes their cause had a majority. The 
a lle eee 
i.e 
Sa ee 
et tee 
ee ee eee 
