553 
PITT. 
power on the ceflation of his malady ; and he was enabled 
to pafs a bill, greatly re Hr idling the power of the Regent, 
which his majefty’s timely recovery in the beginning of 
the year 1789 rendered unneceflary. But Mr. Pitt had 
received, during thefe difcuffions, very decifive tokens of 
efteem from many of the moll refpedtable public bodies in 
the kingdom ; and lie had the fatisfadlion of knowing, that 
the firm and Heady conduft which he obferved, on a 
queftion peculiarly calculated to try the firmnefs, lleadi- 
nefs, and confiHency, of a public character, had obtained 
for him, in a very marked manner, the confidence of their 
majefiies,and greatly increafed his popularity throughout 
the nation. 
The next great event in which he was to take a leading 
part was the French Revolution, an event the moll mo¬ 
mentous in its confequences that modern hifiory. records ; 
and by the fyflem of policy adopted in relation to it, his 
character as a Hatefman will finally be judged by poHerity. 
The influence of this vafi convulflon will be viewed by 
the politician in a double light, as exerted upon the 
nation itfelf, and upon the neighbouring nations. Its 
principles and progrefs could not but be watched with a 
jealous and anxious eye by all who were engaged in the 
fervice of exifiing governments. A conflitution like the 
Britifh would, however, feein to have lefs to fearthan almoH 
any other, from the keen refearches into the nature and 
authority of focial inflitutions which preceded and accom¬ 
panied fuch a mighty change. Yet the pertinacious 
rejection of various propofed reforms, and the number of 
fubfifling abufes and corruptions, had given birth to dif- 
contents which rankled in the minds of a confiderable 
proportion of Britifli fubjefls. To obviate the dangers 
which might arife from this fource was probably the firH 
point of the miniflerial policy; for, with refpeft to 
France herfeif, no idea could at the early period of the 
revolution be entertained of her acquiring Hrength from 
civil difcord. The war was therefore firit declared againft 
French principles; and, in the contefi, government was 
aided by all the great powers and authorities of the 
nation ; by the magifiracy, the law, the church, the army, 
the tnafs of property hereditary and commercial. The 
democratical party, however, was numerous in the 
capital and in fome other places; they were actuated by 
a zeal bordering on enthufiafm, and had adopted a regular 
organization. The views of the wifer and more moderate 
extended only to fuch temperate reforms as had been 
already propofed, particularly that of the reprefentation 
of the people in parliament; but there were others, 
though certainly very few, (unlefs actuated by the hope 
of plunder,) who went much farther, and anticipated a 
revolution in this country fimilar to that in France. 
Under fuch circumfiances, a vigilant eye and a Heady 
hand were obvioufly neclflary to Heer the veflel of the 
Hate. By his own zealous adherents, Mr. Pitt obtained 
for the time the epithet of “ the pilot that weathered the 
Horoi;” but the manner in which he exercifed the almoH 
unlimited power entrufled to him will not juHify the ap¬ 
plication of this epithet. He had few of the qualities of 
a good pilot; he was more eager to engage in the battle, 
and to hurl the thunder of war, than to direft the motion 
of the veflel. To found alarm as loudly as pofllble through 
the nation ; to encourage the diflemination of high prin¬ 
ciples of government, and involve in common obloquy 
all meafures of oppofition, and all projefts of reform ; to 
augment, according to the apparent or pretended urgen¬ 
cy of circumflances, the reflriftions upon political liberty; 
and make facrifices of the fpirit of the conflitution to what 
was denominated, by the government party, the public 
fafety ; appears to have been the fyflem of his domeftic 
policy. For fome time he probably had no participation 
in the plans for interfering in the internal concerns of 
France, which was theoecafion of the firft hoftilities; for, 
in the year 1792, when laying before parliament a very 
flattering ftatement of the national reventie, he did not he- 
fitate to prognofticate a long continuance of peace and 
Vol. XX, No. 1390. 
profperity. Before, however, the year was clofed, the 
militia was fuddenly called out, parliament fummoned at 
the fliortefl poflible notice, and war was eventually de¬ 
clared by this country, by withdrawing our ambaflador 
from the court of France. The depolition and execu¬ 
tion of the unfortunate Louis XVI. added to the circum¬ 
stances juft referred to, rendered the war in which Mr. 
Pitt engaged extremely popular throughout the nation. 
At that time, it w'as imagined the contefi would be very 
fhort; that the democratic party of France would be de- 
ltroyed; and either that the Bourbons would, in a few 
months, be reftored, or that the empire itfelf would be 
divided among the neighbouring nations. 
The ill luccefs which attended this confederacy could 
not certainly be charged upon the want of vigour in the 
Britifh minifter, who entered into it apparently with his 
whole heart, and lavifhed all the refources of the country 
upon its fupport. In a few months, the direful effects of 
war were felt over the whole of Europe. The calamities 
that attached themfelves to our own commerce and rna- 
nufailures, were great beyond example; but they were 
not peculiar to Britain. Bankruptcies fpread over the 
whole continent of Europe, through France, Holland, 
Germany, Poland, Ruffi.i, Italy, and Spain ; and almoft 
every where, in the year 1793, private as well as public 
credit was impaired, if not, for the feafon, totally de~- 
flroyed. 
We need not, in this place, enter into the details of the 
war with France, they having been already given under 
the articles England, France, and London ; but (hall 
content ourfelves with noticing a few of its confequences. 
Great Britain, on the whole, was triumphant on her own 
element; but the contefi on the continent went entirely 
in favour of France, who at length united in a confede¬ 
racy againft England fome of the powers who had been 
her allies in the commencement. She was now obliged 
to attend to her defence at home, and at the fame time 
was prefled by an accumulation of difficulties, which na¬ 
tive ftrength alone could have enabled her to furmount. 
In 1797, the bank of England was unable to anfwer the 
demands made upon it,and an a< 5 l of parliament was pafled 
to allow the,governors of that eftablifhment to fulpend 
their payments in cafh, and to fubllitute for gold and fil- 
ver, notes of every defcription, even to thole for two 
pounds and one pound. Another (hock to the credit of 
the country was a daring mutiny of the fleet; and thefe 
difafters had fcarcely been averted, before a molt formi¬ 
dable rebellion in Ireland broke out, and which was not 
extinguiflied without the employment of a large military 
force, and the adoption of fuch fanguinary meafures as 
were difgraceful to thofe who reforted to them. The 
public burthens went on accumulating in a vaft ratio; and 
Mr. Pitt was obliged to have recourfe to a triple aflefl- 
ment, and finally to an income-tax, for railing the necef- 
fary fnpplies. After the victories of the French had for 
fome time reftored peace to the continent, the pecuniary 
offers of England produced in 1799 a new confederacy, in 
which the numerous armies of Ruffia and Aultria were 
employed to overthrow the preponderancy of France; 
but its final ifl’ue was equally unfortunate with that of 
the former alliance. An attempted renewal of the north¬ 
ern maritime confederacy for fecuring neutral commerce, 
was however defeated by a fpirited attack on the harbour 
of Copenhagen, and by the death of the emperor Paul. 
In the mean time Mr. Pitt, in 1800, had brought toeffeifl 
the great and arduous nteafure of uniting Ireland with 
Great Britain into one national body, w'ith a common 
legiflature, ameafure, the true policy of which can fcarce¬ 
ly be qtteflioned. 
The war with France was now become fo hopelefs with 
refpedt to any objedl with which it might have com¬ 
menced, and the nation was fo wearied with protracted 
hoftilities, that Mr. Pitt, lenfible that he could make 110 
peace correfpondent to his high language, and that he 
was confidered throughout Europe as decidedly inimical 
7 B to 
