NON TAM SOLERTIA QUAM DEORUM IRA IN REM BRITANNICAM. PITT'S GHOST. [From the Telegraph.]. THE moft dreadful confternation prevails about Downing Street and Whitehall, in confequence of the re-appearance of the late Prime Minifter in that neighbourhood. This alarming apparition is faid to have been first feen about eight days ago by Robert Smith, who had ferved the Minifter feveral years in the capacity of coachman. At first his report was but little attended to, as he is unfortunately addicted to drinking; but, now that the fact is put beyond all doubt, we think it our duty to lay before the public the particulars he has given us. The poor fellow, who is ftill extremely agitated, relates, that on the 10th of this prefent September, af ter fmoking his pipe at the Bunch of Grapes, he walked home, and went to bed in the hay-loft as ufual. He had not been long asleep, as he supposed, when he was awakened by a dreadful trampling of the horses in the ftable. But, on looking up, who can defcribe his ter ror, when he beheld the revered image of his deceafed mafter standing before him! A blueish light proceeded from every part of him, but particularly from the nose, by means of which Robin was enabled to mark his deplorable plight, as he ftood fhivering, wringing his hands, and crying in all the bitterness of anguifh. His body was bare, and his hands feemed ftained with blood; the drops of which, as they fell on the floor, were transformed into hideous fpectres, that C 4 glared glared on the difmayed Minifter, and vanifled, each in its turn, with a frown of indignation. They feemed to be the ghofts of men, women, and children, of various nations; all of them bearing the marks of deadly wounds or of famine. The Premier often turned round, as if to avoid the horrid fight, and as often fhewed his back, all gafhed and torn with ftripes. But whichever way he turned, the horrid phantoms flill continued to rife and torment him. At length, he feemed addreffing himself to fpeak: but a fudden noife arofe, and a mighty hand, feizing him by the hair, removed him in an instant, leaving the coachman petrified with horror. Though this account may be heightened by the imagination of the relater, yet we have no reason to doubt the truth of the groundwork of it, because it is confirmed in moft points by the teftimony of feveral refpectable individuals, who were witneffes to the like appearances, in Downing Street, last night and the night preceding. What we have collected, by a diligent inquiry, is, that the apparition has paid feveral vifits to the differ-ent offices about the Treafury, alarming fome of the elerks, and impofing on others, who believe it to be. the Minifter himfelf. But Rofe, and others, who faw his body committed to the ground, are fatisfied that it must be his perturbed fpirit, fuffered to walk the earth for a while, to contemplate the benefits it has derived from his happy adminiftration. They are fatisfied he cannot have burft his cearments" to point out any thing "rotten in the State;" because in this State there is nothing rotten, except the rotten boroughs, which (like the blue mould in chefe) are deemed by the intelligent the choiceft portion of the whole mafs. It has been remarked, however, that thofe philofophical gentlemen have lately appeared much dejected, and avoid all converfation with the fhade of their former coadjutor; afraid, perhaps, that he might "a tale unfold," not fuitable to the ears of fleth and blood. What follows may explain this matter farther. The gentlemen, who were witneffes to the first appearance of the fpectre in Downing Street, all agree that he wore a red night-cap. In other refpects, they concur pretty nearly with the coachman. They know not from whence he came; but he feemed extremely weary, and would have lain down in the ftreet, had not a tremendous figure, who walked behind, continually goaded him on with a pitch-fork.. The reluc tant Minifter carried a burden on his back, of enormous. bulk, which his tottering legs were hardly able to fuftain. It confifted of a number of packages, which were entitled War, Corruption, Deception, Perfidy, and the like; the weight of which, to appearance, would have funk a navy. He had alfo a rope fastened round his body, by which he dragged after him many large weights of iron, inferibed Taxes, Poor-rates, Oppres fion, Excife, and National Ruin. Whilft he moved along in this woful condition, he met no pity from the crowd of apparitions that furrounded him, who feemed, by their frequent fhouts, rather to take pleafure in beholding his fufferings.. Some of them would afk him, whether the French were all starved yet? others, how he liked the exifting circumftances, and what window-tax he paid for his new lodging? To all which he replied only with a grin of rage. One fellow afked him, why he had not brought a hamper of wine with the reft of his luggage? when another archly observed, that he fuppofed he had been refufed a permit! The wretched Premier, irritated by thefe multiplied indignities, would have made an appeali against them; but his guide reminded him, that, amongft fpirits, there was no Habeas Corpus. The dif mal proceffion advanced as far as his own houfe, when it difappeared. The ceremony was repeated last night, with fome alterations. His load confifted chiefly of ambiguous Acts of Parliament, Commiffions of Bankruptcy, and ponderous Lifts of Spies and Informers. Every few steps he was forced to eat one of his own fpeeches, which (if we may judge by the contortions of his face) mußt have been exceedingly unpalatable. Whether this protentous vifion is to be continued every night, we pretend not to conjecture. But what has been already feen, we truft, will ferve to convince the prefent and future Minifters, how dangerous it is to indulge too frequently in the fport of arming nations to cut each others throats, and (on pretence of religion and order) to fill the world with mifery and blood. SCARCITY OF IDEAS; AND A PLAN FOR PUTTING THEM IN REQUISITION. AT a meeting in Downing Street yefterday, Mr. Pitt declared to feveral of his friends, that he found himself entirely deftitute of any ideas to meet Parliament with, for the purpose of finance, peace, or war. It was held advisable to fend to the Duke of Portland's office, and inquire if any were to be had there. The clerks returned for anfwer, that they were totally unprovided: the laft two ideas that were left in the Treafury had been fent, by Mr. Cox, to the Emperor, on Saturday; which, it was confeffed, fhould not have been done without the confent of Parliament, but that it was thought the fafety of Germany depended upon it. Mr. Pitt then inquired, if the Right HonourableSylvefter Douglas * had brought any ideas with him, when The life of this gentleman has been of rather a fingular tenour :: he was originally bred to phyfic; and being reckoned a man of liberal accomplishments, when he fo lately took his feat at the board? and was informed, that the few he had were, by accident, packed up for the Cape of Good Hope, and had failed with Lord Macartney. Lord Mornington declared, upon his honour, he had put his whole stock into a pamphlet three years ago; and Lord Hawkefbury and Mr. Canning faid they loft all theirs, with a variety of speeches, and other light baggage, in a forced march to Paris. Mr. Rofe fuggefted a plan of putting ideas in requifition, which he had found very fuccefsful at a Verdurer's meeting on the New Foreft Bill; and propofed, as the most intelligible mode, the plan of the new Cavalry Act. "Gentlemen, who are fupporters of the miniftry and the war, might be claffed according to the number of ideas they poffeffed, or were fuppofed to poffefs, refpectively. Ten in a clafs, for inftance, where each gentleman had only one idea apiece; fo in pro-portion, if any fuch gentleman happened to poffefs more. That the gentleman on whom the ballot fell: accomplishments, was chofen to attend a youth of his own name, called by way of eminence the Douglas, in his travels on the Continent of Europe. When they refided at Paris, it fometimes frappened, that while the pupil was engaged in foft dalliance with one: opera girl, the tutor made it up a partie carrée by careffing another : fo, at least, it is faid. It is, at any rate, certain, that by fome kind of indifcretion he loft his occupation, and found a temporary retreat both decent and convenient. Accordingly he took up his abode in (mall chambers in the Temple, where he ftudied the law, and eked out his fcanty means by a tranflation of Beccaria's work, Su'lli Delitti é fulle Pene, and other literary labours. His focial talents, and the affurance for which his countrymen are noted, introducing him once more to genteel fociety, he found a richer harveft in a marriage with Lady Cecilia North-a lady by no means remarkable for her perfonal accomplishments. This was his firft ftep to eminence. The means by which he has rifen to a feat at the Treasury are lefs public, though. not difficult to divine.-It fcems rather unjuft to have given him a place in the above article. The want of ideas is not the greatest reproach that may be made to S-- D |