unemployed stocks, which the new ministry found cut and dry, ready to begin trade upon; and this is, as I take it, what our author alludes to by the late adminiftration's "rendering the ways finooth and easy to their fucceffors." To be fure, it was rendering the ways eafy, to leave wherewithal to grease them; but why they did not employ these helps to fmooth the way for themselves, is indeed furprising. It may be faid, before they came in, they always declaimed against reverfions; but this is a poor excufe every body knows that profeffions of patriotifin are like treaties of peace-they only bind till we are strong enough to break them.

"I finish my criticisms on this fhort performance, with an obfervation on the harsh and unwarranted word the accountant employs in relating the difmiffion of his friends: he fays, "they left their offices at the exprefs command of their royal mafter;" thereby infinuating, that his My dismissed them spontaneously, and from a diflike to their measures. If their meafures were good and popular, (as he pretends) it is unjust to his My to say he disliked them. The truth is, that no letters of difmiffion were fent to those that attended court; and the countenance and behaviour of his My to the late first lord of the treasury marked the highest degree of esteem and personal favor: therefore, we may judge they were fet afide at the neverceafing importunities of an all-powerful Thane, to whom they never bended the knee; and for the conveniency of a new adminiftration, from whom (perhaps vainly) he expected more complaifance.

"This is the first time I troubled you or the public with my politics, though I have been thirty years in London in the tallowchandling way, and twelve a common-council-man, and, if the

bell

bell rings true, shall be lord mayor before I die. Therefore pray infert my letter directly, as you would oblige,

crown.

"Sir,

"Your moft humble Servant,

" WHITTINGTON."

It is almost incredible what a fhock this piece of irony gave to lord CHATHAM's popularity in the city. The original WHITTINGTON and his cat, could not, in their time, make a greater noife, or attract more general notice, than was raised by the fly, farcaftic epistle of his fuppofed defcendant and namesake, the tallow-chandler in Cateaton Street. Even BECKFORD, with all his influence, was unable to refift the impetuofity of the current, which was now turned against his illuftrious friend. Both thefe patriots fank alfo confiderably in the esteem of the real friends of the constitution, in confequence of their attempt, at the next meeting of parliament, to vindicate the difpenfing power of the The corn-harvest having been very much injured, not only in England, but all over Europe, by an uncommonly wet fummer, the privy council had, among other expedients, issued a proclamation, during the recefs, which laid an embargo on the exportation of wheat and flour, and prohibited the use of that grain in the distilleries. But as wheat had not yet reached the price under which it might be legally exported, no authority but that of the whole legiflature could lay a conftitutional embargo on it; and a bill of indemnity alone, according to the principles established at the revolution, could protect from punishment the framers, advisers, or executors of fuch an illegal act, however expedient or neceffary at the time. When a bill for that purpose was afterwards brought into parliament, most people were aftonished

K 2

nished to fee it oppofed by Mr. BECKFORD, and all the earl of CHATHAM's intimate friends in the lower house, and by the earl himself and lord CAMDEN in the upper houfe. They defended the late ftretch of prerogative as a matter of right, afferting that a difpenfing power, in cafes of ftate neceflity, was one of the prerogatives inherent in the crown. Lord MANSFIELD, lord TEMPLE, and lord LYTTLETON, very warmly efpoused the caufe of freedom and the conftitution; and reprobated in the ftrongest terms the plea of neceffity, that odious and long-exploded principle, which had been offered as an excufe for all the evil practices in the reigns of the STUARTS. "If," faid they," the plea of neceffity were admitted, and the crown allowed to be the fole judge of that neceffity, the power would be unlimited; because the discretion of the prince and his council might apply it in any instance, fo that difcretion would degenerate into defpotifm. For this reason the wisdom of the legislature has deprived the crown of all discretionary power over pofitive laws, and has emancipated acts of parliament from the royal prerogative. The power of fufpenfion, which is but another word for a temporary repeal, refides only in the legislature, the fupreme authority of the realm.---The recefs of parliament, or the inconvenience of affembling it, are distinctions unknown to the conftitution. The parliament is always in being :---its acts never fleep: they are not to be evaded by flying into a fanctuary---no, not even that of neceffity:---they are of equal force at all times, in all places, and to all perfons.---The law is above the king; and he, as well as the subject, is as much bound by it during the recefs, as during the feffion of parliament.---If the crown has a right to fufpend or break through any one law, it must have an equal right to break through them all.---No true diftinction can

be

be made between the fufpending power and the crown's raifing money without the consent of parliament. They are precisely alike, and stand upon the very fame ground. They were born twins, lived together, and together it was hoped they were buried at the Revolution, past all power of refurrection.-Were the doctrine of fufpenfion, under the pretence of neceffity, once admitted as constitutional, the Revolution could be called nothing but a fuccefsful rebellion, or a lawless and wicked invafion of the rights of the crown; the bill of rights would become a falfe and fcandalous libel, an infamous impofition both on prince and people; and JAMES II. could not be faid to have abdicated or forfeited, but to have been robbed of his crown."

By fuch arguments and others of the like spirit and tendency was the plea for difpenfing with the laws fuccefsfully combated; and by these alfo were the apologifts for the measure, however great their ingenuity and eloquence, reduced to the impoffibility of a reply. It was a new fpectacle for the nation to fee the late idols of the people, a CHATHAM, and a CAMDEN, on their acceffion to power, become at once the lofty affertors of prerogative; and a MANSFIELD, so long the notorious tool of court-influence, start forth the intrepid champion of liberty, and bear down all before him in her elevated car.

Neither Mr. BURKE, nor any of the marquis of ROCKINGHAM's friends, took a confpicuous part in those debates, perhaps from motives of delicacy, left their ardor might be imputed to disappointed ambition or perfonal enmity, rather than to their zeal for the conftitution. It is alfo probable, that, perceiving fuch a want of harmony in the cabinet as might be supposed to indicate a speedy diffolution of the new miniftry, they did not deem it prudent by any violent or intemperate proceedings to

throw

throw obstacles in the way of their own return into office. Almost every important measure, which was difcuffed in either houfe, afforded a strong prefumption that fome change must foon take place, when a difagreement of opinion was obvious between the oftenfible and the confidential fervants of the crown. A refolution for reducing the land-tax from four to three fhillings in the pound was carried against Mr. TOWNSHEND, the chancellor of the exchequer, by a confiderable majority; and was the more noticed as being the first money-bill in which any minister had been disappointed fince the Revolution. He was again deserted by the "mercenary Swiss of state" in his oppofition to a bill for reftraining the dividends of the East India company; but they all rallied round him with firm attachment on his propofing, among other expedients for the fupplies of the year, fome duties on glass, tea, paper, and painters' colours imported from Great

Britain into America.

This last measure, which was dictated by the fpirit of folly and of defpotism, implied not only a difregard but a decifive contempt of the earl of CHATHAM's principles and opinions. His. popularity without doors, and his influence within, seemed now to be at the lowest ebb. He had disgusted by his overbearing manner the most refpectable and powerful men of every party; and he had funk greatly in the public estimation by his acceptance of a peerage, and by his having first advised, and afterwards. defended, upon unconftitutional grounds, the exercife of the dif penfing prerogative. Feeling, though too late, the want of proper fupport, he made feveral attempts in the courfe of the winter,. by offers and conceffions not much to his honour, to gain over or divide the BEDFORD or the NEWCASTLE intereft. But the most that he could obtain from the former was a temporary neutrality.