Land-forces, or Treasurer of the Army, and the Treasurer of the Navy, he meant to make mere offices of adminiftration, by transferring the Bank, from which the great and invidious profits of thofe offices arife, to the public. The great patent offices of the Exchequer he meant to reduce to fixed falaries, as the prefent lives and reverfions fhould fucceffively fall. The office of Secretary of State for the Colonies he propofed to abolish, as likewise the Board of Trade and Plantations, which latter establishment, he faid, merely ferved to provide eight members of parliament with a thousand pounds a year each. He pointed out how neceffary it was to review our military expences for fome years paft, and, if poffible, to bind up and close that bleeding artery of profufion. The House was greatly ftruck with the profound refearches and acute difcriminations, which appeared in every part of his grand and comprehenfive plan for a national reform. The Minifter declared, that he believed no other man in the kingdom could have investigated fo complicated and difficult a fubject with equal ability and success. Three days after this business had been opened, Colonel Barré proposed that a committee of accounts should be appointed, as a farther means of promoting the general plan of œconomy fo neceffary to the national fecurity. This was also approved by the Minister and his friends: but fuch appearances of concurrence were not long preferved, for Lord North himself foon after brought in a bill which appointed a commiffion of accounts, compofed of fix commiffioners, which fhould enquire into the paft expenditure of the public (1,226,5311. fterling) in annuities, known under the name of penfions of various kinds and denominations. He adds, "I much queftion, whether all the Sovereigns in Europe put together, lay out in penfions more than one half of that fum." money, money, as well as into the current accounts; and confult, prepare, and report to the Houfe what appeared to them to be a more easy and speedy mode of keeping those accounts, and fettling them, fo that their true ftate might, from time to time, as near as poffible, be laid before the House when called for. The bill exprefsly prohibited the Commiffioners from being members of the House of Commons. On the 6th of April, when the county petitions were to be taken into confideration by the Houfe of Commons, the bufinefs was opened by Mr. Dunning; and that the fentiments of Parliament might be confiftent with thofe of the people, he moved two propofitions, the firft of which was, that the influence of the crown had increased, was increafing, and ought to be diminished. The fecond; that it is competent to this Houfe to examine into and correct the abufes in the expenditure of the civil lift revenues, as well as in every other branch of the public revenue, whenever it fhall feem expedient to the wifdom of the House so to do. The first motion was carried 233 against 215; the second paffed without a divifion. The Minifter, on this occafion, was left in a minority, and the whole fabric of his power feemed to fhake. Mr. Thomas Pitt then moved a refolution; that it is the opinion of this Committee, that it is the duty of this Houfe, to provide as far as may be, an immediate and effectual redress of the abuses complained of in the petitions prefented to this Houf, from the different counties, cities, and towns in this kingdom. It was carried in the affirmative without any apparent diffent. When the Houfe was refumed, Mr. Fox moved, that the three refolutions should be immediately reported; which was agreed to, notwithstanding the ftrong oppofition made by the minifter. They were then read a first and fecond time, and agreed to, without a di vifion. vifion. The Speaker being fuddenly taken ill, the House was neceffarily adjourned for fome time, and when it was refumed, its temper was found to be much altered. No more popular refolutions were agreed to, and such as in the firft tranfports of zeal had been made, were rendered inefficacious, by recourse being had to the parliamentary forms of civil difmiffion. Members had done enough to fave appearances with their conftituents, and to have done more, would have been dangerous to the effential interests of individuals. All the component parts of Mr. Burke's scheme, were, in their turns, finally rejected, although many of them on their firft appearance were approved by a majority. The abolishing of the Board of Trade was carried; but no sooner had government found time to rally its broken and discomfited forces, than the whole was loft. This ftate-phyfician had indeed attempted the radical cure of a disorder, at a time, when even palliatives could be with difficulty adminiftered. But it had never been his practice to apply palliatives. Even the unfuccefsful attempt, however, ferved to establish two points: viz. the actual existence of very great abuses; and that their removal could only be effected by the gracious propenfities of the Sovereign to introduce a reform. In all the important concernments of the nation, for fome years paft, (and no period of its history have furnished a greater variety) Mr. Burke had rendered himself confpicuous as a patriot. When diffention and diffatisfaction were fpread over the nation fome few years before, he pointed out, in a forcible manner, the cause of the difcontents which prevailed. He had laboured to stop the progrefs of depravity in the eaft*, to avert the miferies which threatened the weft; to obtain diftributive justice for Ireland, and now, a reformation of abufes in England every one of which attempts difcovered the pro * See p. 92. found found politician and real friend to his country, yet could he not escape the imputation of being the partisan of a party. To fome he appeared dangerous, because he had declared himself no friend to triennial-Parliaments, and to others unpleafing, because he discovered a stubborn and unaccommodating virtue+; whilft those who pafeffed a time-ferving flexibility of mind, were inclined to exclaim, that such a man should be a patriot when public virtue is out of fashion! But neither narrowness, infenfibility, fordidnefs, nor ingratitude, could withhold from him the inward fatisfactions refulting from a public fpirited conduct, and what they are have been described by a fine writer. "A life dedicated to the fervice of our country, admits the full ufe, and no life fhould admit the abuse of pleasures; the leaft are confiftent with a conftant discharge of our public duty, the greateft arife from it. Neither Montaigne, in writing his Effays, nor Des Cartes, in building new worlds, nor Burnet in framing an antedi luvian earth; no, nor Newton, in difcovering and eftablishing the true laws of nature on experiment and a sublime geometry, felt more intellectual joys than he feels, who is a real patriot; who bends all the force of his underftanding, and directs all his thoughts and actions to the good of his country." The late Dr. Goldfmith, whom Mr. Burke honoured with his friendship, in a sportive vein of humour, drew a character of his friend, which concludes thus: Who too deep for his hearers, still went on refining, And thought of convincing while they thought of dining. In short, 'twas his fate, unemploy'd, or in place, Sir, Whilft the reformation of abufes in the ftate was fo earnestly fought by all ranks of people throughout the kingdom, that fome defcribed the nation as having run mad about public virtue, as being actuated by an innovating fpirit which formed notions of ideal perfection; as cherishing aufelefs difcontents which inflamed to turbulence and diffention; an unlooked for fource of civil commotion produced the most alarming effects. The partial relief which had been rendered to the fubjects of England who adhered to the Romish faith, had given no fort of offence to the nation; in Ireland, the principle had been adopted with great fuccefs, and no difgufts were teftified by any class of the people. Thefe appearances induced fome leading men in Scotland to promife to use their intereft in Parliament, for the purpose of extending the relief to that country; but the defign was no fooner named, than a few impetuous zealots, who were utterly unacquainted with the nature of the relief which was meant to be obtained, became alarmed at the danger to which they thought the Proteftant church was expofed, and made ufe of every method which a blind enthufiafm fuggefted, to inflame the people, to the most violent refentments.. Every active principle was employed in this caufe, whilft no effectual means were used to counteract these designs, by representing to the people at large, how groundless their apprehenfions were, and that nothing more was meant to be done than to repeal an unjust law, which, by a ftrange concurrence of circumftances, had become a law contrary to the intentions even of its first framers, and that a great number of penal ftatutés against Roman Catholics, would ftill remain in full force. It is highly becoming the leading and enlightened part of mankind, to make ufe of every means which argument, intermixed with good-humoured pleafantry, can fupply, to remove any falfe notions which are likely to prevail to the difturd A |