| sures of administration. 
} 
in both houses of parliament, was 
| not brought forward as a motion, 
on account of the indisposition of the 
| person, who was at ence most deeply 
interesied in the defence, and best 
| qualified to vindicate the mea- 
Mr. Pitt, 
as it afterwards appeared, was, at 
| that moment, on hisdeath-bed. A 
report had been circulated in the 
morning of the 2ist, that he was 
dangerously ill, and this had in- 
duced opposition to give up their 
intentions of moving the amendment 
they had prepared. But, the very 
dangerous state to which he was 
reduced, was far from being sus- 
“pected ; and that very evening, in 
the house of commons, some of his 
most intimate friends gave it out, 
that he was no longer in danger, 
but in a fair, though slow way of 
recovery. . 
_ He had left Bath. January 10, 
and on his arrival in the neigabour- 
hood of London, he took up his 
residence at his own house on Put- 
ney-heath. His »health had been 
for some time in a most alarming 
state. He was reduced to the 
greatest possible weakness and ex- 
tenuation, andas the functions of 
his stomach were greatly impaired, 
there seemed to be little hopes of 
his speedy re-establishment. A 
Suspicion having been entertained 
that his complaints proceeded from 
some organic disorder of the sto- 
mach or liver, a consultation of 
_physiciaus was held on his case, and 
he expressed great satisfaction at 
being told that they saw no reason to 
adopt such an opinion. He was 
‘then advised to seclude himself en- 
_ tirely from business, and to aban- 
don eyery other care but that of 
his health, and upon these terms 
he was flattered with hopes of re- 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
11. 
covery. Whether he would have 
submitted iong to this prescription, 
cannot be known, for a few days 
thereafter he was seized with sym- 
ptoms of fever, of thatsort called ¢y- 
phus by physicians. His pulse rose 
to 130, and his tongueand lips were 
dry and furred. He was occasion- 
ally delirious, and he taiked teo- 
herently on various subjecis, but in 
general he was drowsy and lethir- 
gic. When spoken to, he gave 
a pertinent answer, but relapsed 
immediately into rambling or in- 
sensibility, and he. was, quite inca- 
pable of any rational or connected 
conversation ; nor, whatever stories 
have been circulated to the contra. 
ry, was he ever sensible of the dan- 
ger of his situation. A constitution 
so exhausted as his had previously 
been, sunk rapidly under the vio- 
lence of the fever, and early on the 
23d of January he expired. 
Thus died Wiliam. Pitt, in the 
47th year of his age, after having 
enjoyed greater power and popu- 
larity, and held the first. place in 
the government of his country, for 
a longer course of years, than any: 
former minister of England. It is 
not our province to enter at large 
into his character and merits. That 
he was a person of the most rare 
and splendid qualities, a powerful 
orator, a skilful debater, an expert 
and enlightened financier, his great- 
est enemies must admit. That he 
was disinterested with regard to 
money, and sincerely and ardently 
attached to the honour and welfare 
of his country, can as little be 
doubted. But, whether. the appel- 
lation of illustrioys statesman has 
been justly applied to himy is a 
question on which men may reasenu- 
ably differ. The French revolution 
was the great event of his time, apd 
his 
