52G 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



the period of his administration. 

 Abroad, he had to struggle with 

 the most gigantic power, which 

 ever raised itself in opposition to 

 the greatness of his country ; while, 

 at home, he had to support, at the 

 same time, commercial and national 

 credit, to allay the turbulent spirit 

 of mutiny, to extinguish the ra- 

 ging flames of rebellion, to provide 

 even for the importunate calls of 

 famine. The energies of his mind 

 were most eminently exerted upon 

 those important occasions ; and, in 

 spite of internal distractions, he 

 carried the power of the nation to 

 a greater height than ever it had 

 attained at any former period. 



It will not soon be forgotten 

 with what industry and effect he 

 applied himself to the manage- 

 ment of the revenue, and how 

 speedily he restored order to the 

 confused state of our finances. By 

 simplifying the public accounts, 

 he rendered a subject easily intel- 

 ligible, which had before been in- 

 volved in extreme intricacy; and, 

 by pointing out the defects of 

 former plans, and suggesting new 

 and more approved systems, he 

 carried with him the sense of the 

 nation in providing for that heavy 

 expenditure which the peculiar 

 exigency of the times brought 

 upon the state. Nor was he less 

 fortunate in removing, upon diffi- 

 cult occasions, those embarrass- 

 ments in which the trade of the 

 country was involved, and which, 

 at one period, threatened it with 

 total stagnation ; and when they, 

 •who, from their habitual pursuits, 

 might have been thought best 

 qualified, and most likely to sug- 

 gest a remedy for these evils, were 

 lost in astonishment, distrust, and 

 dismay, he dispelled their fears, as 



it were, by a charm, — revived the 

 confidence of our merchants and 

 manufacturers, and restored our 

 commerce to its accustomed acti- 

 vity and enterprize. The plan of 

 commercial exchequer bills, the 

 establishment of the sinking fund, 

 the suspension of cash payments 

 at the bank, the system of war 

 taxes, were measures which origi- 

 nated exclusively with himself ; and 

 were calculated, with profound 

 ability, to meet the various exigen- 

 cies to which they were applied. 

 Even his enemies, who were dis- 

 posed to deny him almost every 

 other merit as a minister, acknow- 

 ledged him to be the. ablest finan- 

 cier whom the nation had ever 

 produced ; and, while they made 

 this acknowledgment, they did full 

 justice to the pure disinterested- 

 ness, and the inflexible integrity 

 with which he conducted that 

 branch of the public business. 



As a parliamentary orator, his 

 powers were various. In statement 

 he was perspicuous, indeclamation 

 animated. If he had to explain a 

 financial account, he was clear and 

 accurate. If he wanted to rouse a 

 just indignation for the wrongs of 

 the country, he was rapid, vehe- 

 ment, glowing, and impassioned; 

 and, whether his discourse was ar- 

 gumentative or declamatory, it 

 always displayed a happy choice of 

 expression, and a fluency of dic- 

 tion, which could not fail to delight 

 his hearers. So singularly select, 

 felicitous, and appropriate was his 

 language, that it has often been 

 remarked, a word of his speech 

 could scarcely be changed without 

 prejudice to its harmony, vigour, 

 or effect. He seldom was satisfied 

 with standing on the defensive in 

 debate ; but was proud to contrast 



