876 
the house of commons against him ; 
and he was placed in the peculiar 
situation of a minister acting with a 
minority, and that in opposition 
fo the strongest union of talents 
ever combined against any adminis- 
tration, He, however, remained 
firm in his seat amidst a general 
confusion; and though the house 
had petitioned, his majesty to dis- 
miss him and his coadjutors, our 
young premier ventured to inform 
the representatives of the nation, 
that their petition could not be 
complied with! 
‘This struggle between the com- 
mons and the crown was of the 
greatest importance ; but the people 
at large were of opinion, that the 
former encroached upon the regal 
prerogatives; and on the question 
being, in a manner, thrown into 
their hands by a dissolution of par- 
liament, a new one was returned, 
which changed the majority in favour 
of the premier.; who had again 
repaired in confidence to Cam- 
bridge, where he was received with 
open arms by the heads of the 
university, and now carried his 
election, in conjunction with lord 
Euston, who was supported by 
the interest of the duke of Graf. 
ton, chancellor of the university, 
To notice the various public mea- 
sures brought forward by this active 
minister, would far excced the 
bounds of a memoir so limited in its 
object as the present. ‘They are 
incorporated in the history of his 
country, and at prevent familiarly 
recollected by his contemporaries. 
—The following, however, are 
some of the dates of the principal 
incidents in his life, which, as they 
form part of our history, are par- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
ticularly detailed in the Annual Re- 
gister of the times. ‘They will be 
sufficient to guide the inquiry of ou 
readers. 7 
‘He came first into parliament for 
the borough of Appleby, 23d Ja- 
nhuary, 1781, upon the interest of 
sir James Lowther; and on the) 
10th of July, 1782, being two) 
months more than twenty-three 
years of age, he became chancellor 
of the exchequer, lord Shelburne 
being first lord. of the treasury.) 
March 31, 1803, he announced his | 
resignation, and the coalition mi- 
nistry was formed. On the 18th 
of November, 1783, Mr. Fox pro- 
duced his celebrated India bill, and 
in consequence of the contest upon 
this subject was defeated by Mr. 
Pitt, who met the parliament as mi- 
nister a second time, Jan. 12, 1784, 
Mr, fox and lord North being dis- 
missed, Dec. 18, 1783. On the 
26th of January, 1784, a meeting 
at the St. Alban’s ‘Tavern, of the 
most independent members of par- 
liament, proposed an union of par. 
tices to Mr. Pitt and the duke of 
Portland, which it was found impos. 
sible to effect upon equal teris, 
On the 9th of March, 1787, he 
voted for the impeachment of Mr. 
Hastings. The important debates 
on the regency commenced Dec. 
10, 1788, and his letter to the 
prince of Wales on that subject, 
was written December 30, but the 
necessity for coming to cxtreme 
measures was prevented by thefortu- 
nate recovery of his majesty. Shortly 
after, Nootka Sound became an ob- 
ject of contention with Spain, and 
we were involved in a shor contest 
with Russia respecting Oczakow, 
The French revolution, which has 
Nearly 
