dinary concurrence of circumftances; the loyalty of the people has been elevated to a pitch of ardor which courtflattery itself will scarcely hefitate to acknowledge at leaft commenfurate with the merits of the monarch.

Alarmed at the novel and dangerous circumftances of the nation, both parties seemed at length disposed to pause, and a judicious idea fuggefted by the independent interest in the house of commons of a new administration, founded upon the widest and most comprehenfive bafis, was liftened to with approbation; lord North, after all the mighty mischiefs of which he had been the occafion or the inftrument, declaring himself willing to retire, if confidered as the obftacle to a general union,

The king, by a meffage to the duke of Portland, expreffed his defire that an interview might take place between his grace and Mr. Pitt, for the purpofe of arranging a new plan of administration on fair and equal terms. The duke, previously to the interview, requested to be informed in what fenfe he was to understand the words fair and equal; and Mr. Pitt declining any previous explanation, the negotiation terminated. But it was fufficiently evident that the question had reference to the superiority of voices claimed by the ex-minifters in the cabinet-apoint which Mr. Fox still stood upon ground too high to concede.

The houfe of lords, hitherto the filent and paffive fpectators of this extraordinary conteft, now thought proper to come forward; and at the motion of the earl of Effingham their lordships refolved, " 1. That an attempt in any one branch of the legislature to fufpend the execution of law by separately affuming to itself the direction of a dif cretionary power vefted by act of parliament, is unconstitutional"-alluding to the resolution of the commons res pecting the non-acceptance of bills from India. "2. That by the known principles of the conftitution the undoubted authority of appointing to the great offices of the executive government

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government was folely vefted in the king, and that this house had every reafon to place the firmeft reliance on his majesty's wisdom in the exereife of this prerogative.' Thefe refolutions, in the form of an addrefs, were prefented to the king. In return, the house of commons (February 16) refolved at the motion of lord Beauchamp, "1. That the houfe had not affumed to itself a right to fufpend the execution of law; and 2. That for them to declare their opinion respecting the exercise of any difcretionary power was conftitutional, and agreeable to eftablished ufage."

The oppofition, who were yet the majority of the house of commons, found themselves daily in a more embarraffing fituation. The king, the house of peers, and the nation at large, were now evidently and openly united in fentiment against them; their numbers were continually diminishing, and there was good reafon to believe they would foon dwindle in a minority. Unfupported by the voice of the people, the house of commons can never appear great or refpectable; but when they are also unsupported by the power and influence of the crown, they must become infignificant and contemptible. Some farther efforts, however, to fuftain an apparently finking caufe, were yet with unbroken spirit attempted.

On the 20th of February an addrefs, carried by a majo+ rity of 20 volces only, was prefented to the king by the houfe, expreffive of "the reliance the house had on the wisdom of the fovereign, that he would take fuch measures as might tend to give effect to the wishes of his faithful commons, by removing every obftacle to the formation of fuch an adminiftration as the house of commons had declared to be requifite." To this the king again replied in terms happily adapted to the occafion-mentioning "his recent endeavors to unite in the public fervice, on a fair and equal footing, thofe whofe joint efforts might have a tendency to put an end to the unhappy divifions and dif→ tractions

tractions of the country; obferving, nevertheless, that there was no fpecific charge or complaint fuggefted against his prefent minifters, and that numbers of his fubjects haḍ expreffed to him in the warmest manner their fatisfaction at the late changes. Under thefe cirumftances he trufted his faithful commons would not wish that the effential of fices of executive government should be vacated until fuch a plan of union as he had called for, and they had pointed out, could be carried into effect."

On the ift day of March a yet ftronger addrefs was moved and carried, but by a ftill fmaller majority, in which the house humbly befought his majefty that he would be graciously pleased to lay the foundation of a strong and stable government, by the previous removal of his present minifters," To this the king replied in the fame mild and firm language-repeating, that no charge had been brought against his present ministers; and adding this remarkablę observation," that if there were any juft ground for their removal, it ought to be equally a reafon for not admitting them as a part of that extended and united administration which is ftated to be requifite."

Addreffes having been unavailingly tried, Mr. Fox in the following week moved a REPRESENTATION to the crown, which at great length, and in energetic language, ftated" the dangerous and pernicious tendency of those measures and maxims by which a new fyftem of executive government had been fet up; which wanting the confidence of that house, and acting in defiance to their refolutions, muft prove at once inadequate by its inefficiency to the neceffary objects of government, and dangerous by its example to the liberties of the people." The motion was carried by a MAJORITY of ONe. And here the conteft may be faid to have terminated; for the mutiny bill being brought forward on the following day, March 9; Mr. Fox, perceiving himself deferted by many of his partisans, abandoned his original intention of moving its poftponement,

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as a fecurity against a fudden and premature diffolution. The universal sense of the nation in fav our of thenew ministers, which could no longer be denied, was afcribed to an unparalleled delufion; but Mr. Fox difclaiming any intention of obftructing the fupplies, a diffolution was faid to be in the highest degree indefenfible. Little regard, however, was paid to the arguments of the oppofition against a meafure fo evidently to the advantage of the prefent minifters; and on the 24th of March the parliament was prorogued, and the next day diffolved by proclamation, and a new parliament convened to meet on the 18th of May.

The influence of the crown being now combined with the inclination and independent intereft of the country, at the general election the effect produced was prodigious. The COALITIONISTS, even those who once ftood highest in the estimation of the public, were almost every where thrown out: lord John Cavendish for the city, Mr. Foljambe the heir of fir George Saville, for the county of York; general Conway, for Bury; Mr. Coke, for Norfolk; Mr. Halley, for Hertfordshire; Mr. Townshend, for Cambridge university; and Mr. Erskine, for Portfmouth. Mr. Fox himfelf, to the furprife of all, had a clear and great majority on the poll for Weftminster, though the high bailiff by a scandalous partiality refused to make the return in his favor for which an action was fubfequently brought by Mr. Fox, in the court of king'sbench, and a verdict with large damages obtained.

The king in his opening fpeech expreffed "great fatis. faction at meeting his parliament at this time, after having recurred in fo important a moment to the fenfe of his people. He entertained a just and confident reliance that they were animated by the fame fentiments of loyalty and attachment to the conftitution which had been so fully manifefted in every part of the kingdom. He recommended to their most serious confideration to frame fuitable provifions for the good government of our poffeffions

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in the Eaft Indies. Upon this fubject parliament would not lofe fight of the effect which the measures they adopted might have on our own conftitution, and our dearest interefts at home." The addrefs propofed on this occafion contained strong expreffions of approbation respecting the late diffolution, which lord Surry on the ground of unanimity moved to omit. But Mr. Pitt declared, "that much as he was convinced of the importance of unanimity, he would not purchase an hollow unanimity by paffing over a great conftitutional measure which the circumftances of the times had made neceffary and wife, and which had given the most entire fatisfaction to every part of the kingdom." On this point, therefore, the house divided, and the amendment of the earl of Surry was rejected by a majority of 76 voices; fo that the diffolution appeared to have completely anfwered its intended purpose, and from this period Mr. Pitt may be regarded as the constitutional and efficient minifter of the nation.

The established appellations of wHIG and TORT, as descriptive of the two grand political parties which under these or equivalent terms of diftinction will doubtlefs fubfift so long as the present conftitution of government shall remain, though greatly changed from their original fignification, it would nevertheless be faftidious to reject. The gradations of fentiment and principle which mark their progress it is however of indifpenfable importance occafionally to specify. The principles of whiggifm may indeed in this respect be faid to have gained a complete triumph over those of the antient tories, inasmuch as the once favorite maxims of toryifm-paffive obedience, non-refistance, and the divine and indefeasible right of monarchyhave fallen into general contempt. Nor can any doctrines bearing the most diftant analogy to these monftrous abfurdities be now maintained, without the use of fuch artificial and ambiguous phrafeology as, however magnificent in

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