1806.] 
The fubje&t of this memoir, as already 
obferved, had been bred a ftatefman, and 
the houfle of commons was confequently 
the goal whence he was to ftart in his po- 
litical career. At the requeft of fome of 
the many friends he had made while at 
Cambridge, he propofed himfelf as a can- 
didate for that univerfity, but failed from 
mere want “of influence. A noble M. a, 
and member of Trinity college, however, 
accomplifhed by accident what all the 
good defigns of his friends had been, un- 
able to achieve. Happening to meet the 
late Sir James Lowther (who died Earl of 
Lonidaly), the Duke of Rutland, after 
detailing the particulars of the late dif- 
comfiture, concluded by ‘‘afking him, 
as a favour, if he could poflibly make 
room in any of his boroughs to bring in 
his young friend Mr. Pitt, who had thus 
loft his eleéiion for Cambridge.’’ Sir 
James, onthis occafion, acted an honour- 
able part, for, fetting afide-a north coun- 
try attorney, he brought in the fon of the 
moft favourite, able, and upright minitier, 
that England had ever witnefled. It was 
thus owing to a ca{ual rencounter in St. 
James’s-ftreet, that the. future premier 
was returned by the influence of an opu- 
lent commoner for the borough of Ap. 
pieby* ; and it ought to be remarked, to 
the credit of Sir James, that as he brought 
in his friends without expence, fo he left 
them at full liberty in refpect to their pub- 
lic conduét, and acted with fuch an extra- 
ordinary depree of delicacy, that, with 
the exception of his immediate dependants: 
alone, their minds and votes were jet alike 
unfettered, 
The American war, at the period to 
which we allude, wasraging with unabat- 
ed violence, and the member for Apple-. 
by, following the generous counfels and 
exampie of his father, reprcbated it as 
one of the moft fhameful and difafirous 
confliéts ever witnefied in modern times. 
No one was more eager, at the fame time, 
than he to arraign the conduét of the 
minifter, and to attribute the worlt and 
moft interefted motives to all his actions. 
Fiaving thus taken the popular and 
conftituiional fide of this great queftion, 
his rifling powers were exhidited to so 
common advantage, and he foon began to 
be confidered not only as a promifing 
ipeaker, but as a man one day deliined to 
* Mr. Pitt, who wes never unmindfal cf 
political favours, with a princely munificence 
conferred an earldom onone, and a viceroyal- 
ty on another, of the two diitinguithed 
perfons who thus early contributed to his ad- 
Vancement, 
Memuirs of the Right Eon. William Pitt, 
137 
hold a confpicuous place in the councils of 
his country. This was no {mall degree 
of merit, ata period when, in one houle, 
a Rockingham, a Richmond, and a Shel. 
burne ; and in ancther, a Saville, a Dun- 
ning, a Burke, a Barry, anda Fox, oc- 
cupied, and almoft exclufively engroffed, 
the public attention. Yet there was ftill 
found a vacancy for this young orator, 
whe fo prematurely afpired to notice ; 
and the elocuence, the talents, the long 
and meritorious fervices of a father, ope- 
rated in the thape of fentiment, and con. 
tributed not a little to fix the attention of 
mankind on the condué& of a darling fon, 
who already promifed to rival him in pa- 
triotifm, and almoét in genius. 
The exrent of the regal power about 
this p-riod had engaged the attention of 
tne parliament and the public, and avote* 
of the Commons, moved by the great law- 
yer, afterwards known as Lord Athbur- 
ton, ** that the influence of the crown had 
encreafed, was encreafing, and ought to 
be diminifhed,”’ clearly poicted at an. ob- 
ject, the real or fuppofed exiftence of 
which occafioned a confiderable portion of 
difcontent. In the mean time, a mera 
bert, thea in the bloom of his popularity, 
had been encovraged by this and other 
fymptoms of jealculy to bring forward 
once more his plan of economy; which, 
as it was founded on a_progreflive re- 
trenchment, appeared admirably ca'cu-. 
lated to clip the wings of the prerogative. 
The bill for this purpofe was of courfe’ 
objected to by Lord North, the minifer 
of the day, when the morion was debated 
February 19, 1781; but it was ably fup- 
ported by Mr. Pitt, who, in his maiden 
{peech, very forcibly ridiculed the objec- 
tions made to it by certain perfons, who 
had obferved that ‘ it propofed to bring 
no more than 200,000l. a year into the 
public coffers, a (um inGgnificant in com- 
parifon to the millions expended.” 
After a Jong debate, the bill was re- 
jected by a trifling= majority ; but it was 
afterwards introduced at a more favourable 
opportunity, and carried partly into effect. 
On the r2th of June, towards the lat- 
ter end of the fame feifion, Mr. Fox made 
@ motion, “that the houfe fhould refolve 
itfelf into a committee, on purpole to 
confider of the American war;” and he 
meant, he faid, provided this fhould be 
carried, to follow ic up with another: 
“that his Majefty’s minifters ought im- 
* Aprilibe 1780. 7 Myr. Burke. 
{ It was loft by 43, the numbers in the 
Hegative fide being 233, and thofe for the 
afirmative, 190. | 
mediately 
