WHITBREAD. 



be derived from foreign travel, and felefted for his tutor 

 and companion the prefent archdeacon Coxe, well known 

 by a variety of valuable publications. Having travelled to- 

 gether through France, Germany, and Switzerland, they 

 afterwards feparated with profeffions of mutual regard. 

 Mr. Whitbread, foon after his return, formed, in 1788, a 

 matrimonial connexion with Mifs Grey, the fifter of his 

 Eton afibciate, who afterwards, by the advancement of her 

 father, general fir Charles Grey, to an earldom, became 

 lady Elizabeth Whitbread : his lifter alfo, in procefs of 

 time, married the prefent fir George Grey, bart. then a 

 captain in the navy. Having acquired every necelFary qua- 

 lification for occupying a feat in the great council of the 

 nation, and interefted by an ample fortune either in poflef- 

 fion or in profpeft, as well as by genuine fentiments of pa- 

 triotifm, in its deliberations and refolutions, Mr. Whitbread 

 offered himfelf, on the difTolution of parliament in 1790, as 

 a candidate for Bedford, a borough which had been repre- 

 fented by his father, who at the fame time offered himfelf 

 for the borough of Steyning. Both eleftions were contefted; 

 but both father and fon finally obtained their refpeftive 

 feats. Mr. Whitbread, junior, commenced his political 

 career in parliament with an animated fpeech againfl the 

 unconftitutional doftrine of " confidence," alTumed on the 

 part of minifters, who claimed an entire reliance on their 

 wifdom and integrity. The occafion of this claim was a 

 propofed war againft Rufiia, for which the minifler (Mr. 

 Pitt) urged the houfe of commons to vote money, without 

 previous and fatisfadtory information of the neceffity, and 

 much lefs of the juftice or policy of this war, the objeft of 

 which was the refloration of Oczakow to the Turks. The 

 meafure was unpopular ; and though the miniiler obtained 

 a majority, when the qucftion was debated, he thought it 

 mod prudent to give up his objeft, and a pacification en- 

 fued, which prevented much calamity to the nation. About 

 this time the abolition of the flave-trade occupied the public 

 attention, and this was a meafure to which the member for 

 Bedford had always avowed himfelf a fteady and zealous 

 friend. In parliament he fupported it not only by his vote, 

 but by a difplay of eloquence which commanded univerfal 

 applaufe. As an aftive magiftrate, he directed his particular 

 attention to the occurrences that took place in confequence 

 of the fcarcity in the year 1795 ' ''"'^ '" devifing means of 

 relief, he propofed that as the magiftrates were empowered 

 to fix a maximum of wages, fo far as refpefts the hufband- 

 man, a minimum fhould be alfo preferved by law, in order 

 thus to ellablifh a more accurate proportion between the price 

 of labour and that of the means of fubfiltence. With this 

 view he introduced into the houfe a hill, which was ap- 

 proved by Mr. Fox and many other members ; but as it 

 was oppofed by Mr. Put, his efforts were unavailing. The 

 minifler was no Icfs unluccefsful in his plan for amending 

 the poor laws, and meliorating the condition of the peafan- 

 try and working clafs. His plan indeed was much more 

 extenfive and compHcated than that of Mr. Whitbread, 

 which was fimply calculated to enable the labourer to main- 

 tain himfelf by his wages, without the degrading as well as 

 difpiriting neceflity of feeking parochial relief. 



The fubjeft of this article was an undifguifed and uniform 

 oppofer of the French war in 1793, becaufe he thought it 

 to be unnecefTary and unjuft ; and yet he was a zealous ad- 

 vocate for meafures of felf-defence againft the fecret ma- 

 chinations and open attacks of a powerful and vindiftive 

 enemy. Accordingly he condemned the neghgence of mi- 

 niflers, on occafion of the French attempt at invafion in 

 '797i by means of a fquadron which appeared off Bantry 

 bay, and moved the houfe for a committee of inquiry into 



3 



their condud. His motion was evaded by the previous quef- 

 tiori. In every ftage of the conteft with France, and under 

 every varying form of its government, he was anxious for 

 peace, and an advocate for treating with its rulers in order 

 to terminate hoftihties, and to put a ttop to the wafte of na- 

 tional treafure and the effufion of human blood. His opi- 

 nion on the conduct of minifters in the profccution of this 

 war, and their reluttance to enter into treaty for terminating 

 it, was explicitly avowed in an eloquent fpeech, which he 

 delivered on occafion of a motion by Mr. Dundas ( then fecre- 

 tary of ftate ) for an addrefs to the throne in 1 800, for the 

 purpofe of approving the conduft of his majefty's govern- 

 ment. Anxious, however, as he was for peace, becaufe 

 he difapproved the war from its commencement, and becaufe 

 he thought it effcntial to the true mtereft of the country, he 

 was no lefs fohcitous to maintain the honour of the nation 

 in obtaining it. No man in this refpedl was a more noble- 

 minded patriot than himfelf; and if he confented to make 

 any facrifice, it was becaufe he thought it abfolutely necef- 

 fary to the permanent profperity of his native country. 

 Whilft he claimed and exerciied the privilege of pronounc- 

 ing his own opinion of public men and political meafures, 

 he was a zealous advocate for the liberty of others, and in- 

 terpofed with his moft vigorous exertions for the refcue of 

 thofe who fuffered imprifonment at home or exile to Botany 

 bay, for too freely and imprudently divulging their opinions. 

 During the fhort interval of the adminiftration of Mr. Ad- 

 dington, (the prefent lord Sidmouth, ) who fucceeded Mr. 

 Pitt in the year 1801, and made peace with Buonaparte, 

 feveral popular meafures were adopted, in which Mr. Whit- 

 bread cordially concurred; and in the year 1805 he diftin- 

 guilhed himfelf as the pubhc accufer of Mr. Dundas 

 (created lord Melville) for malverfations that had occurred, 

 whilft he had occupied the poft of treafurer of the navy. 

 His charges againft this nobleman were founded on a report 

 of the commiffioners of pubhc accounts, from which it ap- 

 peared that, during the exercife of his office, this noble lord 

 had violated the law, by conniving at mal-praclices and par- 

 ticipating in unwarrantable emoluments ; and that he was 

 refponfible for deficiencies amounting to 697,500/. Thefe 

 charges alfo implicated Meff. Trotter, Wilfon, and Sprott ; 

 and the former in particular, who was paymafter of the navy 

 department under lord Melville, and had taken out large 

 fums of money on his own private account. In the invefti- 

 gation of this bnfinefs, it was difcovered, that the fums 

 officially depofited in the Bank had been withdrawn, lodged 

 with private bankers, and applied to other purpofes befides 

 thofe that were properly naval. Mr. Whitbread founded on 

 feveral fafts which he llated, a variety of refolutions which 

 impeached the fidelity and honour of his lordftiip. To his 

 motion relative to this bufinefs, Mr. Pitt moved an amend- 

 ment, which was negatived by a majority of one (217 to 

 216), in confequence of the vote of the fpeaker. In confe- 

 quence of thefe proceedings, the vifcount refigned his office 

 at the Admiralty-Board, and his name was expunged from 

 the lift of privy-counfellors. Upon the fudden demife of 

 the premier, and a coahtion between lord Grenville and Mr. 

 Fox, the two latter came into office ; and Mr. Erflcine, being 

 raifed to the peerage, and appointed lord high chancellor, 

 was deftined to prefide at lord Melville's trial. This noble- 

 man having made his defence within the bar of the houfe of 

 commons was replied to by the member for Bedford ; and 

 an impeacliment being agreed upon, proceedings com- 

 menced in Weftminfter-hall, April 29th, 1806. The refult, 

 after a fhort trial, was the acquittal of his lordfhip by a ma- 

 jority, from all the charges alleged againft him. Notwith- 

 ftanding the unexpected termination of this trial, neither the 



friends 



