20 
tainable by its exertions, a patriotic 
ministry would not, in such circum- 
stances, hastily embark in exten- 
sive plans of reform, when success 
was hopeless, miscarriage ruinous 
and destructive. But, if the public 
should be disappointed on these im- 
portant subjects, and shocked with 
any appearance of tergiversation or 
even of delay in the conduct of its 
favourites, it required no great sa- 
gacity to foresee, that the current of 
popular opinion, now so strong 
in favour of opposition, would change 
with proportional violence to an 
opposite direction. 
Influenced by sueh  considera- 
tions, anddeterred by the state of 
his party from adopting any hazar- 
dous resolution, lord Hawkesbury, 
after consulting with his friends, de- 
clined to take upon himself the go- 
vernment of the country. iis re- 
fusal, when made known to the 
pablic, communicated universal sa- 
tisfaction, and men were disposed to 
give him edit for forbearance and 
self denial as well as for prudence, 
till they were informed, that he had 
obtained for himself a grant of the 
wardenship of the Cinque-Poris, 
and had procured the warrant, 
conferring on him that lucrative ap- 
pointment, to be passed with unusual 
expedition through the public offices, 
as if he were afraid that it might be 
stopped and the propriety of the 
grant questioned by his successor. 
Such haste on his part, the public 
allowed, was not unwise, for much 
‘might have been urged against the 
grant of this sinecnre to a person in 
lord Hawkesbury’s situation. Sine. 
cure places of emolument, it was 
said, could be justified on no other 
principle, than as enabling govern- 
ment to supply the deficiency of 
salary in places of real business, or 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
to reward past services either in 
the person of him who performed 
them or of his representatives. 
Without the prospect of such a 
provision, mea of talents, unless 
possessed also of competent fortune, 
might be discouraged from embark- 
ing in theservice of the state; and, 
therefore sinecure places, when 
given away witha strict attention 
to these principles, were to be con- 
sidered, not as a lavish and useless 
expenditure of public money, but 
as a recompence for services, which 
would not otherwise be so well per- 
formed. But, which of these pleas, 
it was asked, could be applied to 
the case of lord Hawkesbury? By 
declining the danger and responsi- 
bility of the government, he took 
away all pretences to the first ; and 
with regard to the second, the 
public inguired, what had been the 
merits of lord Hawkesbury, or- of 
his family, that entitled him to one 
of the most valuable sinecures the 
crown had left to bestow ? Was it 
for having made, or for having 
broken the peace of Amiens? Was 
it for his own, or for his father’s 
services, that he was so well reward- 
ed? Was one large sinecureso in 
adequate a recompence for his ser- 
vices, that another and a greater one 
must be added toit ? His father, it 
was true, had been in office during 
the greater part of his life, but during 
the same period he had risen from 
the condition of a private gentleman 
with a moderate income, to asplen- 
did fortune and a peerage. The 
noble lord himself had been brought 
forward at an early period of life in 
the publicservice, and hadever since 
enjoyed high and lucrative situations 
under the crown. At the age of 
thirty he had been secretary of 
State for foreign affairs, and though 
3 removed 
