XIX. 1781. justice established in their province. Of this the BOOK chevalier Yorke had been formally apprised:-but what was the astonishment of their High Mightinesses, when the said ambassador, calling the said resolve illusive, flatly refused to transmit it to his court! This obliged their High Mightinesses to send it to count Welderen, their minister in London, with orders to lay it before his Britannic majesty, whose ministers had nevertheless returned it unopened to the ambassador. The war, thus rashly and haughtily commenced, was conducted in the bitter spirit of animosity and revenge*. But before the military operations of the year are entered upon, it will be proper to ter * It is a remarkable fact, positively affirmed by Rendorp, burgomaster of Amsterdam, in a political publication, called Memorien dienende tot Opheldering, and still uncontradicted, that sir Joseph Yorke, when he left the Hague, went to Antwerp, and instigated the inhabitants of that city to petition the emperor to insist upon the free navigation of the Scheldt. And it is notorious, that when this demand was, some years afterwards, actually made by the emperor, England, far from taking any alarm, looked on with calm indifference, or rather with pleasure. But when the same thing was, more recently, attempted by France, the balance of Europe was discovered to be in imminent danger of subversion: and England and Holland were, by the violence of men disdaining all explanation and concession, plunged into a most ruinous and destructive war, under the pretext of defending the violated rights of the Treaty of Westphalia. BOOK minate the civil and parliamentary history of the present session. XIX. Reform bill of Mr. Burke re agun re 1781. The famous Reform Bill of Mr. Burke was res vived soon after the recess: but, on the motion for viced, and the second reading, it was rejected in toto, by a ma jority of 233 voices to 190; though ably and power. fully supported by many of the most eminent mem bers of the house. jected. Amongst the speeches which attracted most strong ly the public attention, was that delivered with much grace and energy by Mr. William Pitt, second son of the late earl of Chatham, who in very early youth had been elected a member of the present parliament, and who now exhibited himself to an admiring nation as equally the heir of his talents and virtues. "One great object," Mr. Pitt said, "of all the petitions which had been presented, was a recommendation of economy in the public expenditure; and the design of the present bill was, to carry into effect the wishes of the people, by introducing a substantial system of economy. œconomy. Besides the benefits which would result from the bill in this respect, it had another object still more important, and that was the reduction of the influence of the crown--an influence which was the more to be dreaded, because more secret in its attacks, and more concealed in its operations, than the power of prerogative." Mr. Pitt adverted to the extraordinary objections which had been made to the bill; it pro XIX. 1781. posed to bring no more than 200,000l. per annum BOOK into the public coffers, and that sum was insignificant, in comparison of the millions annually expended. "What then is the conclusion we are left to deduce? The calamities of the present crisis are too great to be benefited by œconomy. Our expences are so enormous, that it is useless to give ourselves any concern about them; we have spent and are spending so much, that it is foolish to think of saving any thing. Such is the language which the opponents of this bill have virtually employed, It had also been said, that the king's civil list was an irresumable parliamentary grant, and it had been even compared to a private freehold. The weakness of such arguments was their best refutation. The civil list revenue was granted to his majesty not for his private use, but for the support of the executive government of the state. His majesty, in fact, was the trustee of the public, subject to parliamentary revision. The parliament made the grant, and undoubtedly had a right to resume it when the pressure of the times rendered such resumption necessary. Upon the whole, he considered the present bill as essential to the being and independence of this country, and he would give it his most determine and extra Early in March, the minister, lord North, brought Corrupt forward the annual statement of the public account. vagant loan The entire expenditure of the year his lordship cal- North. of lord XIX. 1780. BOOK stances, I could yet entertain a cheerful hope, and undertake again the commission with alacrity as well as zeal, if I could see any effectual steps taken to remove the original cause of the mischief: THEN THERE WOULD BE A HOPE. Till the purity of the constituent body, and thereby that of the representa tive, be restored, THERE IS NONE. I look upon restoring election and representation in some degree-for I expect no miracles-to their original purity, to be that without which all other efforts will be vain and ridiculous." For the accomplishment of this most important purpose, he concludes with expressing his earnest wish, "that whatever is thought of may be pursued with that true spirit of firmness and moderation which belongs to the cause of justice; and above all, that, by every means that can be devised, a good understanding and union may be insured amongst respectable men of all ranks and descriptions, who agree in the main principles of liberty, whatever differences may subsist in smaller points, or in matters not calling for immediate discussion." Meeting of At the meeting of the new parliament, (October parliament, 31, 1780) Mr. Cornwall was, for reasons which the new October Cornwall 1780, Mr. require no comment, chosen speaker of the house speaker. of commons in the room of sir Fletcher Norton, on a division of 203 voices to 134. The KING, in his opening speech, declared "his satisfaction in having an opportunity, by the recent election, of receiving XIX. 1780. the most certain information of the disposition and BOOK An amendment to the address, consisting in the |