66 
Mr. Fox defended himfelf againft 
the affertions or charges which had 
beeq brought againft him on that and 
the preceding night, by feveral ad- 
hereats of the Minifter, who had in- 
finuated that he and his party had not 
the confidence of the people: he faid 
if he were to imitate the example fet 
before him, he could fhew how much 
more the charge was applicabie to his 
Majefty’s Minifters. Hf petitions of 
diftruft from feveral of the moft re- 
fpectable diftricts of this kingdom were 
proofs that they had loft the approba- 
tion and fupport of the country, it 
was certain that many fuch petitions 
had been prefented to the throne. He 
had had frequent occafions to go tothe 
Levee to prefent {uch petitions: it was 
the fafhion of the day, that the public 
fhould be derided it was the King’s, 
Lords, and Commons Houfe of Par- 
lHiament, not the Commons of. Great 
Britain, not the voice of the people 
that was now tobe regarded—now that 
the Bill of Rights was deftroyed, the 
public voice was to be nothing. Thus 
an Alderman of London had prefumed 
to fay, that his conffituents were for 
the meaiure of this Bill, direétly in 
oppofition toa refolution of the Livery 
in Common Hall, in which they had 
declared their difapprobation of its 
‘principles. In reply to fome illiberal 
reflections of Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. 
Fox exclaimed, ‘* Why is the Honour. 
able Gentleman fo violent againft me, 
but that he is ready to /exd himfelf as 
a. ready inftrument of the. Minifter, in 
order by thefe ingenious mifreprefenta- 
gions to divert the public attention from 
the fubject that pretfes hard upon his 
inftruétors; juft as in 1784, he. lene 
himfelf as a pr inftrument to fpread in 
the county of York the report “ that 
¥ was defirous to feize upon all power, 
and feat myfelf on the Throne.” Yor 
fuch an office he is eminently qualified. 
Mr. Fox next fpoke in extenuation of 
2a charge, which fome of the Mimf- 
ter’s friends had brought again{ft-him of 
aling ambiguous and dangerous ex- 
preffions, when he had fpoken of a 
Radical Retorm in Parliament. - To 
prevent future mifreprefentation, he 
daid what he meant was, ‘* that ara- 
dieal reform both in the reprefentation 
of the people in Parliament, and of 
the abufes which had crept into the 
practice of the conftitution, together 
with a cdmplete change of the fyftem 
of adminifiration, was the fole ground 
epon whichhe could be prevailed upon 
: : 
Debate on the Affeffed Tax Bill. 
[Jan 
to take any refponfible office in his Ma- 
jefty’s °Councils.’? Was explanation, 
faid he, neceffary to this? If it were, 
he fhould anfwer in other words, 
‘that inftead of governing on the 
principle of the prefent Minifter, which 
went to increafe the influence of the 
Crown, and to abridge the rights of 
the people; he wifhed to fee both re- 
ftored to that juft balance which the 
eonftitution required, and which was 
eflential to the happinefs bothof king 
and people.” In fhort, he meant ex- 
attly what Lord Chatham meant, when 
he faid “¢ that by a change of fyftem, 
it was not merely the removal of Mi- 
nifters, but a thorough dereliction of 
the principles upon which their -ad- 
miniftration had been carried on.” 
He meant what Lord Camelford meant, 
when he declared he would vote againft 
“granting the fupplies. Huis declara- 
tion was, that he would not vote for 
granting a fupply until a pledge was 
given him, not merely tor the removal 
of Minifters, but alfo for a complete 
and total change in the fyftem of both 
foreign and domeftic government. 
This declaration had been attributed 
to the prefent Chancellor of the Ex- 
chequer, but improperly. 
Mr. Fox next:alluded to the letter 
which had been publifhed a little time 
before, faid to be from Earl Moira 
relative to a change of adminiftration, 
to. which reference had been made 
in the former part of that debate. 
He declared, that. he had no more 
concern in, or knowledge of what had 
pafled upon the occafion to whichit 
referred, than the Hon. Secretary. An 
application he underftood had. been 
made to the nobie Earl, for whom he 
had avery high perfonal.refpect, in- 
viting him to form a new adminiftra- 
tion: he knew not who they were, he 
had never been let into that fecret; but 
the publication of that letter had made 
known a faét of-a very important na- 
ture to the country, viz. that shere was 
a number of members of that boufe whe 
ave their fupport to the Minifters, 
though at the fame time they thought that 
they were utterly unfit for therr ftua- 
tions, and that there ought to be a 
change. ‘‘ if I had given any advice 
to the noble Earl upon the fubject, 
faid Mr. Fox, 1-can effure the. Hon. 
Secretary, that it would have been @_ 
very difinterefted one, notwithftanding 
the infinuation he has thrown out— 
_T fhould have daid, my Lord, ‘take 
cares 
. 
