PITT 



IOSG 



PITT 



The wars referred to aho\ < in known 



in Europe as the Succession Wars, and in Am 

 .-is the French and Indian Wars. Both B 

 described in these volumes under their i>t 

 headings. Consult Stanhope's Life of William 

 /'iff: Roseberry's William Pitt, in "Twelve Eng- 

 lish Statesmen 



William Pitt (1759-1806), the younger son of 

 tin' above, is considered by many historian.- to 

 Hue Minister England has 

 had H. waa born at 1: T Brom- 



ley, in Kent. and entered Pembroke Hall, Cam- 

 bridge, when but fourteen years of age. Of 

 delicate health and somewhat austere manner, 

 he made no friends at the university and took 

 no part in it.< social life, but he displayed a 

 maturity and a capacity for learning which 

 amazed his teachers. After his graduation in 

 1780 he studied law and was admitted to the 

 bar. but never practiced, for he began his Par- 

 liamentary career the following year. His very 

 first speech attracted favorable attention; it 

 not unworthy of the man who later took 

 rank as the superior of Burke and of Sheridan 

 and the equal of Fox. 



A Youthjul Premier. The first minor official 

 position offered him Pitt declined, because 

 nothing less than a Cabinet office could satisfy 

 him ; in 1782 he became Chancellor of the Ex- 

 chequer in Lord Shelburne's Ministry. Mean-, 

 while, he had shown his interest in Parliamen- 

 tary reform by introducing a bill in Parliament 

 which was defeated by but a few votes. This 

 interest was unabated until the stormy days of 

 the French Revolution compelled him to aban- 

 don his efforts. After the Shelburne Ministry 

 and the succeeding coalition government had 

 been defeated, Pitt became Premier in Decem- 

 ber, 1783, when not twenty-five years of age. 

 He had come to office at a difficult time, for 

 the majority in the House of Commons was 

 against him, and it was felt that he would soon 

 be forced to resign; but he persisted until by 

 his oratory and evident sincerity of purpose 

 he had won popular favor, and then, early in 

 1784, he appealed to the country. The general 

 election gave him a large majority, and save 

 for the interval between 1801 and 1804, he ruled 

 England till the close of his life. 



What He Sought to Accomplish. His first 

 problems were financial, and these he met most 

 successfully by many wise measures. He re- 

 formed the administration of the East India 

 Company, improved the loan system, abolished 

 scores of well-paid but useless offices, and in 

 1786 established a sinking fund for the reduc- 

 tion of the national debt. He also attempted 



to provide for free trade with Ireland and to 

 put through a reform bill, but in these efforts 

 \\:i> defeated. His heart wae in these economic 

 measures, for he was preeminently a peace Min- 

 ister, but he was forced to become a war Min- 

 ister <luring a very troubled period of his coun- 

 try's history. As long as possible he refrained 

 from interfering in the affairs of France, but in 

 February, 1793, the latter country declared war 

 against England. In the conflict which fol- 

 lowed Pitt's policy had two aims to defeat 

 France on land and to destroy its power on tin- 

 sea. Chiefly through the genius of Lord Nel- 

 son the latter object was accomplished, but the 

 English army was weak and the war on land 

 had to be conducted by allied nations who wen 

 aided by large English subsidies. These allies 

 frequently failed to carry out Pitt's plans, to 

 England's deep disappointment. 



His Second Ministry. In 1800 Pitt brought 

 about the Parliamentary union of Ireland and 

 England, but to Roman Catholic emancipation, 

 which he had intended to couple with the meas- 

 ure for union, King George III obstinately 

 refused to give his consent. Pitt therefore re- 

 signed in 1801 and was succeeded by Adding- 

 ton, whom he supported as long as he conscien- 

 tiously could. The war with France, brought 

 to a close for a time by the Peace of Amiens, 

 was reopened in 1803, and in the next year Pitt 

 was again asked to take charge of the govern- 

 ment. He formed a coalition with Russia and 

 Austria against France, but the two allies were 

 defeated at Austerlitz in December, 1805, and 

 Pitt, already worn with the struggle, did not 

 long survive the disaster. He realized fully the 

 ambition and the powers of Napoleon and what 

 they would mean to Europe, and exclaimed 

 shortly before he died, "Roll up the map of 

 Europe; it will not be wanted these ten years." 



His Character. Pitt lacked the warm-hearted, 

 sympathetic qualities which distinguished his 

 great rival, Charles Fox, and showed in all his 

 acts a pride and aloofness which frequently 

 made him disliked. But this very pride was the 

 sign of the intrepidity, the uprightness which 

 won him the trust of king, Parliament and peo- 

 ple. He never stooped to anything low, and 

 his ambition was far above mere cupidity. Ti- 

 tles and honors were offered, but he declined 

 them, though always ready to bestow such 

 favors on others. Morally he was pure and up- 

 right to a degree, which won for him ridicule 

 from the laxer spirits of his day. A.MC c. 



In addition to references above, see GREAT 

 BRITAIN, subtitle History, relating to this period : 



