120 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



four parties into wliirli the public 

 men of tlie day were chiefly divided, 

 namely, the supporters of govern- 

 ment, the friends of Mr. Pitt, the 

 *' old" and the " new" opposition, 

 were found nearly in the same rela- 

 tion to each other, as we have liere 

 stated. A common sentiment, how- 

 ever, of the inadequacy of the ad- 

 ministration, to whom, in the most 

 critical and alarming circumstances, 

 the safety of the British empire was 

 now confided ; confessedly to the 

 exclusion of so many persons of all 

 descriptions, distinguished both by 

 experience and talent, appeared to 

 have led to more intercourse tlian 

 had hitherto taken place between 

 the " old" and *■' new" opposition: 

 and it was generally understood, 

 that, without umj compromise of 

 their opinions, on points resjjccting 

 which they had formerly differed, 

 these parties were now disposed to 

 unite their efforts, for the accom- 

 plishing an object, on the necessity 

 of which the)' both perfectly agreed, 

 that of the substitution of as vigor- 

 ous and eflicicnt a government as (he 

 talents of the country could supply, 

 in order to meet a danger, against 

 A\hich no exertions could be consi- 

 dered as too powerful. 



The course of the discussions 

 which took place in the earlier part 

 of the session, will be found parti- 

 cularly stated under the head of our 

 parliamentary proceedings. From 

 most of these, Mr. Pitt was either 

 absent, or took in them only such a 

 part, as did not convey any distinct 

 pledge of his sentiments respecting 

 the great question en which the 

 public opinion was now so much 

 agitated — that of the sutheiency of 

 the government to meet the urgency 

 of so difficult a crisis. At length, 

 lievvevefj early in the spring of the 



present year, Mr. Pitt came for- 

 ward, with a more decisive avowai 

 of his sentiments on this important 

 subject; and not only declared his 

 total disap])robation of the particu- 

 lar measures for the national de- 

 fence, proposed by ministers, (and 

 then under the consideration of par- 

 liament) but also arraigned, in terras 

 of the bitterest sarcasm, and severest 

 invective, their general conduct of 

 the public interests, both at home 

 and abroad ; c:< pressing, at the same 

 time, Jiis absolute conviction, 

 grounded on experience, that the 

 safety of the country required the 

 formation of a more efficient govern- 

 ment. TJiis opinion, which had so 

 long been urged by the other parties 

 in op])osi(ion, was already very ge- 

 nerally prevalent in the public ; and 

 the dechiration now made, of th« 

 accession of Mr. Pitt and his friends 

 to the same sentiment, was at once 

 decisive, iii)on the existence of Mr. 

 Addington's administration. It be- 

 came now manifest, that, with the 

 exception of the immediate adhe- 

 rents of that administration, all 

 other parties were agreed, both as 

 to the necessity of a change, and as 

 to the means by which that change 

 might most speedily be effected — 

 namely, those of a strong opposi. 

 tion in parliament, avowedly di- 

 rected to produce, by constitutional 

 means, that great national object. 



The strength of the government, 

 on the one hand, and, on the other, 

 that of the tliree parties thus united 

 for the purpose of compelling a 

 change of administration, were 

 found, by repeated divisions in both 

 houses of parliament, to be nearly 

 balanced : but the weight of public 

 opinion, in favour of the latter, left 

 no doubt which scale must ulti- 

 mately preponderate. 



It 



