’ 
| This candid and manly letter, 
>so highly characteristic of Mr. 
Fox, was submitted to another 
meeting on the 11th, when the 
committee announced that the plan 
had been seconded with such spirit 
as to enable them to present Mr. 
Fox with an annuity neither unwor- 
thy of him nor themselves, 
It is difficult whether most to re- 
gret the necessity for this transac- 
tion towards such a man, or to ad- 
mire the manner in which, on’ both 
sides, it was conducted. Both 
parties, however, presented a useful 
example for the imitation of man- 
kind. 
On a resolution being proposed © 
by lord William Russel, and sup- 
ported by the friends of Mr. Fox, 
members of the whig club,-‘‘ that 
this club think it their duty, at this 
extraordinary -juncture, to assure 
the right hon. Charles James Fox, 
that all the arts of misrepresentation, 
which have been so industriously 
circulated of late, for the purpose of 
calumniating him, have had no 
other effect upon them than that of 
confirming, strengthening, and in- 
creasing their attachment to him,” 
forty-five noblemen and gentlemen 
withdrew from that body. This 
was a great and irrecoverable, 
_ though not an unexpected blow. 
In this year Mr. Hastings was pro- 
nounced by the high court of parlia- 
ment, not guilty, and Mr. Burke 
who had declared his intention of 
resigning on this occasion, retired 
from parliament. 
The subsequent career of Mr. 
Fox, is best learned from the his- 
tory of his country, and the debates. 
in parliament ; where he continued 
to oppose the measures of Mr. Pitt, 
with an energy, that nothing but 
CHARACTERS. 
903 
conviction of rectitude could have 
produced, ina mind ofsuch candour 
and urbanity as that of Mr. Fox, 
For the principle events of his poli. 
tical life, we must refer the reader 
to our preceding volumes: which 
have been so frequently illumined 
by the brilliancy of his eloquence, 
as it is recorded in our history of 
Europe. A few particular dates of 
leading events, will be all that it is 
necessary for us to set down; as 
marking the great points of his poli- 
tical history. In consequence of 
the state trials in 1794, and some 
disturbances, bills were brought 
into parliament by Mr. Pitt and 
lord Grenville for the prevention of 
seditious meetings ; which, certaia- 
ly went to consider the country in 
a state of insurrection, and were, 
in their nature, contrary to the con. 
stitution. 
It is not likely that Mr. Fox 
should suffer these bills to pass with. 
out his notice, if not his serious re- 
prehension. ‘* Should these bills 
pass,’’ said he, ‘* by the mere influ- 
ence of the minister, contrary to 
the sentiments of the great majority 
of the nation, and he was asked 
‘ without doors what was to be done, 
he would say: This was not now a 
question of morality,or of duty, but 
of prudence, Acquiesce in the bills 
only as long as you are compelled to 
doso. They are bills te destroy 
the constitution, and parts of the 
system of an administration aiming 
at that end. He was interrupted 
with some provocation, when he 
rejoined,—that, He knew the mis. 
construction to which these senti- 
ments were liable, and he braved it. 
Noattempt of the Stuarts called for 
more opposition than the present 
bills, and extraordinary times 
3M4 demanded 
