1806.] 
confult on the moft proper means for ob- 
taining this end, was rejected ; but in pro- 
boroughs, but by fome powerful man, who 
affumed or pretended to an hereditary pro- 
perty in what ought only to be the rights 
and privileges of the ele&ors. 
‘© There were other boroughs, which had 
now in faé& no aétual exiftence but in the 
return of members to that houfe. They had 
no exiftence in property, in population, in 
trade, or in weight of any kind. 
‘¢ Another jet of boroughs and towns 
claimed to themfelves the right of bringing 
their votes to market. They had no other 
market, no other property, and no other 
ftake in the country, than the property and 
price which they procured for their votes. 
Such boroughs were the moft dangerous of 
all others. So far from:confulting the in- 
terefts of their country in the choicé which 
they made, they held out their borough to 
the beft purchafer; and in faé&, fome of 
them belonged more to the nabob of Arcot, 
than they did to the people. of England. 
They were towns and boroughs more within 
the jurifdiftion of the Carnatic, than the 
limits, of the empire of Great Britain 5 and 
it was a fact pretty well known, and gene- 
rally underftood, that the nabob of the Car- 
natic had no lefs than feven or eight mem- 
bers in that houfe. 
«¢ There was no man in that houfe who 
pofleffed more reverence for the conftitution, 
and more refpeét even for its veftiges, than 
himfelf. But he was afraid that the rever- 
ence and enthufiafm which Englifhmen en- 
tertained for the conftirution would, if not 
fuddenly prevented, be the means of deftroy- 
ing it; for. fuch was their enthufiafm, that 
they would not even remove its defects, for 
fear of touching its beauty. But fo great 
was h’s reverence for the beauties of that 
conftitution, that he wifhed to remove thofe 
defects, as he clearly perceived that they 
were defe€ts which altered the radical prin- 
ciples of the conftitution. 
«¢ That a reform of the prefent parliamen- 
tary reprefentation was indifpenfably necef- 
fary, was the fentiment of fome of the firft 
and greateft characters in the kingdom 3 and 
he fhould alfo obferve that he well knew it 
to be the fentiment of his much honoured 
father, the late Earl of Chatham, who was 
firmly of opinion that a reform of the repre- 
fentation was abfolutely requifite for the fe- 
curity of the liberties of the people of this 
country.” He concluded with moving, 
“that a committee fhould be appointed to 
enquire into the ftate of the reprefentation in 
parliament, and to report to the houfe their 
obfervations thereon.” 
*¢ This propofition was feconded by Alder- 
man Sawbridge, and fupported by Sir George 
Saville. Mr. Fox, although thena minifter, 
{poke in favour of a reform ; and inftanced 
She county of Midglefex, which herfaig was 
Ademoirs of the Right Hon. William Pitt. 139 
portion as the fubject was canvafled, it 
obtained additional fupport, even in the 
houfe of commons. In retpe& to the na- 
tion at large, it was indeed fo exiremely 
popular that many of the counties and 
cities, efpecially Yorkfhire, Middlefex, 
Kent, Weftminiter, &c. aficwiated for 
the expre(s purpofe of obtaining a reform; 
and Mr. Pitt himfelf actually fat in a 
convention of delegates, convoked in the 
Vicinity of the very {pot where the acknow- 
ledged legulature held its fittungs. 
In the mean time, the Ameiican war 
was brought to a clofe; and the old pre- 
mier being hunted into the toils, the {poils 
of office became the reward of his oppo» 
ments. But they afpired to nobler dif- 
tinctions, and that fhort-lived admin#- 
fration; of which the Marquis of Rock- 
ingham was the head, and Mr. Fix one 
of the fecr-taries of ftate, put the feal te 
their integrity, by realifiig in part the 
expectations of the public. During its 
exiftence, contractors were excluded from 
the houle of commons; culiom and excife 
officers were dilqualifizd from voting at | 
elections ; the proceedings with regard to 
the Middlefex election were refeitideds 
and while a more liberal and enlightened 
policy was adopted in refpeét to ireland, 
a Reform Bill in England abolifhed a mul- 
titude of ufelefs officers, and thus clipt 
the wings of corruption. More, much 
more, would have been effected, 
the death of a diitinguifhed member* of 
the cabinet led to. great and fudden 
changes. 
In confequence of the new arrange- 
ments, Mr. Fox retired ; and Lord Shel- 
burne, on whom had now devolved the 
office of firft lord of the treafury, felected 
Mr. Pitt, who declared that he would ac- 
cept no inferior office, althcugh then only 
23 years of age, aschancellor of the ex- 
chequer. Pesce at any rate, and by means 
oF any facrifice, was now become defir- 
able; but the terms were objecied to, by 
an oppolfition rendered formidable in cone 
fequence of a coalition between two men 
hitherto confidered as mortal enemies, and 
Lord North and My. Fox (previoufly to 
fo little reprefented, that although it con- 
tained one eighth part of the whole number 
of the electors of Great Britain, although it 
paid one fixth part of the land-tax, and afull 
third of all other taxes, yet it had not more 
than a fifty-fiith part of the reprefentation. 
The motion however, on a divifion, was 
rejected 5 butthe majority was fmali, for it 
only confifted of 40, the numbers being 161 
te i2zk 
* Yhe Marguis of Rockingham. 
z whofe 
had not. 
