titled to full credit: and having faid this, it will not be imputed as any perfonal attack on that gentleman, if, contrarily to our ufual cufiom, we make a remark on a fpeech, the fubftance and tendency of which, only, it is our bufinefs, in the character of annalifts, to report. This obfervation, that the maflacres of France did not originate in the principles of the rights of man, though commonly reforted to by the defenders of innovation, is not worthy of the philofophical accuracy, and precifion of Mr. Sheridan, who knows the diftinction between efficient caufes, 、or rather the one EFFICIENT caufe, and natural caufes or occafions. Maf facres cannot arife out of mere abftractions, whether entertained in the brain, or reprefented by fymbols or writing; but notions concerning rights, mingled with, and brought into play, every evil paffion. An explofion is effected not by nitre alone, but by the action of fire on nitre mixed with fulphur.

Sir Francis Burdett, among a variety of pointed obfervations, faid, that without a reform of parliament, corruption would become the euthanafia of the conftitution. Corruption had reduced us, with all the advantages of our foil and climate, to a ftate, that no more resembled, in point of liberty, that

of our ancestors, than if we were the inhabitants of a foreign land. "Indeed, faid fir Francis, with all our boaft of wealth, the mean and hard lot of poverty falls to the share of the mass of the people: and that comfort, which ought to be the reward of honeft labour, is feized by the griping hand of a rapacious government. But all thele things are drawing towards a conclufion. That which was once a matter of choice, is now a matter of neceffity; and the chancellor of the exchequer, though an enemy to liberty, has, by his conduct, contributed to revolution." Sir Francis concluded a concife but energetic fpeech, glowing with the fire of freedom and the fentiments of humanity, with declaring, that the prefent motion fhould have his hearty fupport.

From the generous concern of fir Francis Burdett for the oppretted mals of the people, whole patient and filent fufferings feldom find a fincere advocate in fuch a place, we can neither with-hold nor fupprefs our fincere approbation and applaufe. Of what ufe is a flourishing revenue, if it cannot be applied, by political management, to the relief and comfort of the great body of the people?

*

Sir Richard Hill did not omit, on the prefent occafion, to harp on the common ftring of the minifters inconfiftency,

are divided, and create a general fpirit to bear up against the calamities by which we are furrounded.

Mr. Pitt obferved, that the queftion was not, whether fome alteration might be attended with advantage, but whether the degree of benefit might be worth the chance of the mischief it probably, or poffibly, might induce. It would not be prudent to give an opening to principles that aimed at nothing lefs than the annihilation of the conftitution.-But what he appeared to have most at heart, as was very natural, and what it was the principal tendency of his fpeech to refute, was, the alleged inconfiftency of those who had formerly fupported parliamentary reform, in oppofing it now. There was no inconfiftency, he faid, in foregoing a prefent advantage for a future benefit, or for the fake of avoiding impending evils. Could we believe that men, who remained unmoved by the difmal example which their principles had produced, whofe pretenfions rofe or fell with the fuccefs or the decline of jacobinism, in every part of Europe, were ever actuated by a fimilarity of motives and of objects with thofe who profecuted the caufe of reform as a practical advantage, and maintained it on conftitutional views. "From the period, faid Mr. Pitt, when the new and alarming æra of the French revolution broke in upon the world, I found that the grounds on which the queftion of reform refted were fundamentally altered. I do not believe that the temper of moderate reformers will lead them to make

common caufe with the irreconcileable enemies of the constitution." As to the fpecific plan of reform, propofed by Mr. Grey, he thought it was at once highly exceptionable in theory, and unfupported by experience.

Mr. Sheridan denied that the horrors of France were produced by the rights of man. Bloody calamities there had been, but they did not originate in those principles. There was not one individual who had been concerned in writing or publishing them that was concerned in any of the maflacres. Excefs was the natural confequence of all revolutions; when men fhook off their flavery, under the neceffity of recovering their liberty by force, they were naturally intemperate. If the queftion were put to him, who were the real authors and abettors of the French mafiacres, he would not hesitate to place certain defpots in the front of his accufation. The minifter had defired the public to look upon reformation as a latent mode of overturning the conftitution. He knew not why univerfal fuffrage had been brought into fuch contempt. He remembered Mr. Pitt's having figned his name, with the duke of Richmond, at fome meetings, in favour of reform and annual parliaments. Mr. Sheridan mentioned feveral circumftances of comfort and hope, in his own particular fituation, which rendered it incredible that he fhould entertain any design or wish to throw things into anarchy and confufion. For this, in our opinion, Mr, Sheridan is ep,

titled to full credit: and having faid this, it will not be imputed as any perfonal attack on that gentleman, if, contrarily to our ufual custom, we make a remark on a fpeech, the fubftance and tendency of which, only, it is our bufinefs, in the character of annalists, to report. This obfervation, that the maflacres of France did not originate in the principles of the rights of man, though commonly reforted to by the defenders of innovation, is not worthy of the philofophi cal accuracy, and precifion of Mr. Sheridan, who knows the diftinc tion between efficient causes, 、or rather the one EFFICIENT caufe, and natural caufes or occafions. Malfacres cannot arife out of mere abftractions, whether entertained in the brain, or reprefented by fymbols or writing; but notions concerning rights, mingled with, and brought into play, every evil paffion. An explosion is effected not by nitre alone, but by the action of fire on nitre mixed with fulphur.

Sir Francis Burdett, among a variety of pointed obfervations, faid, that without a reform of parliament, corruption would become the euthanafia of the conftitution. Corruption had reduced us, with all the advantages of our foil and climate, to a ftate, that no more resembled, in point of liberty, that

of our anceflors, than if we were the inhabitants of a foreign land. “ Indeed, faid fir Francis, with all our boaft of wealth, the mean and hard lot of poverty falls to the share of the mass of the people: and that comfort, which ought to be the reward of honeft labour, is feized by the griping hand of a rapacious government. But all thefe things are drawing towards a conclufion. That which was once a matter of choice, is now a matter of neceffity; and the chancellor of the exchequer, though an enemy to liberty, has, by his conduct, contributed to revolution." Sir Francis concluded a concife but energetic fpeech, glowing with the fire of freedom and the fentiments of humanity, with declaring, that the prefent motion fhould have his hearty fupport.

From the generous concern of fir Francis Burdett for the oppreffed mals of the people, whole patient and filent fufferings feldom find a fincere advocate in fuch a place, we can neither with-hold nor fupprefs our fincere approbation and applaufe. Of what ufe is a flourishing revenue, if it cannot be applied, by political management, to the relief and comfort of the great body of the people?*

Sir Richard Hill did not omit, on the prefent occafion, to harp on the common ftring of the minifters inconfiftency,

Few

confiftency, in fetting his face against the prefent motion, though he had formerly made a motion in favour of reform. He thought the conftitution was not well; and if he faw a patient almoft expiring, he would naturally afk the doctor, "have you any experiments to try?" Phyficians we had, who had followed the plan of Dr. Sangrado, in bleeding too much. Some other plan ought to be followed. Though he believed there were but few on either fide of the house who had any religion, he believed there was much virtue in both, and he fhould like to fee them united to fave the country, which was, as it were, between two mill-ftones, almoft ground to powder. He wifhed well to reform, and he thought the best way to fet this on foot, was, for every man to reform himself. He withed we had paid more devotion to the will of him without whofe power we could do nothing. Yet, after all thefe obfervations, on the neceffity of felf-reformation, and our inability to do any thing of ourfelves, he trufted that he should not be thought inconfiftent in voting for Mr. Grey's motion.

Sir William Geary could not af fent to Mr. Grey's propofition, as it was fo nearly allied to universal fuffrage.

Mr. Milbank wifhed for a parliamentary reform, as the best means of deftroying that confidence in minifters which had produced fo many evils in this country.

Sir William Young, after arguing

against the motion, from the common topic of conceffions to the people, and encouraging and imbibing demands without end, made an obfervation on Mr. Grey's plan, which was new, ingenious, folid, and worthy of ferious confideration. Though it was intended, by that plan, to enlarge the reprefentation of the fmall boroughs, yet, he underftood, that the great cities and populous towns were to be divided according to their population; in which cafe, it was obvious, that the metropolis would have a preponderance over all the rest of the kingdom; and become the republic of England, as Paris was of France.

Mr. Barham, though he had been, through life, an advocate for parliamentary reform, objected to Mr. Grey's motion, becaufe, it was not, in his opinion, called for by a majority of the people; and, because, this was not the proper time for agitating the important question, The motion was also opposed by fir Gregory Page Turner, who " always felt for the conftitution, and nothing elfe, when he got up in the morning, and when he lay down at night." But it was fupported by Mr. Smith, Mr. Pollen, fir William Dolben, and Mr. Fox.

It would carry us far beyond our bounds to give even a brief analyfis of Mr. Fox's fpeech on this occafion. And it is the lefs neceffary to do fo, that his fentiments, on the fubject of a parliamentary reform, have again and again been fet forth in this work, on fundry occafions.