122 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



of their friends and adherents. — 

 What the circumstances were which 

 prevented its accomplishment, we 

 are unwilling too minutely to en. 

 quire. It appeared, from repeated 

 assertions made, in Mr. Pitt's vindi- 

 cation, both by himself and his 

 friends, that no man was more strc 

 nuous thar himself in declaring in 

 EVERY QUAllTER, that the for- 

 mation of such a government, com- 

 prehending, without any exclusion 

 whatever, all those who could best 

 contribute to its efilciency and 

 weight, was imperiously required 

 by the present necessities of the 

 country. But those who g\re him 

 the fullest credit for entertaining 

 and urging this opinion, remarked, 

 that by the constitution of this 

 country, a minister is answerable, 

 not for his private sentiments or 

 secret counsels, so much as for Jiis 

 public conduct; — tliat it is in the 

 a6ts of government, that the advice 

 given by ministers to their sovereigns 

 is to be looked for ; — that a public 

 nia)i, who accepts any part in an 

 administration, much more who un- 

 dertakes to form and dircdl it, 

 pledges himself to his country for 

 his own conviction of the, expedi- 

 ency and the rectitude of the prin- 



ciple on which it is established ; — • 

 and that all idea of public responsi- 

 bility would be overthrown, as well 

 as the dignity of the royal station 

 essentially compromised, if a minis- 

 ter were allowed to justify any part 

 of his conduct, either in forming or 

 conducting a government, not by 

 his own opinion and sense of right, 

 but by a submission to jiredilections 

 and prejudices, which he may al- 

 Icdge to have found in " the clo- 

 set," and to have in vain attempted 

 to combat. 



Under these circumstances the 

 public experienced the severest dis- 

 appointment, when they found, that 

 of the three parties to whose union 

 in their service it had looked with 

 so confident a hope, one only, that 

 immediately attached toMr.Fitt, com- 

 posed the new administration ; which 

 was thought to be little strengthen- 

 ed by the addition of two or three 

 individuals belonging to the govern- 

 ment which he had overthrown, 

 and in which they had held such 

 stations as had particularly exposed 

 them to the bitterness of his sarca"sm 

 and reproachful scorn.* 



By those who v.ished to justify 

 this step, it was universally said, 

 that it was not to be attributed to 



Mr. 



* Mr. Pitt was gazetted First Lord of the Treasury, and Chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer, on the 12th day of May, in the room of Mr A'idinn,ton. For the dates of 

 the other arrangements which took place, vide the " i'romotions" of this vdl. 



Of Mr. Addington's administration, the following Cabinet Ministers, viz. 

 The Dukeot" Ponlanfl, President of the Coiuicil. 

 Lord Eldon, Lord Chancellor. 

 Earl of Westmorland, Lord Privy Seal. 

 Earl ofChi'thaia, Master-General of the Ordnance. And 

 Lord Casdereagh, President of the Board of Control. 



Retained their several situations in the government fonned by Mr. Pitt t 

 Lord Hawkesbury, Secretry of State for Foreign Affairs, under the late minister, 

 also adhered to the present, but his office was changed to the home department, 

 vice Mr. Yorke. 



Tii« 



