end to it, he propofed the following question to the minifter:Whether he could pledge bi felf that the Houfe bould meet there in Parlia. ment on Monday next? After a fhort paufe, Mr. Pitt got up, and said, that he faw no reafon for receding from his refolution of refufing to pledge himself as to any advice he might or might not, under any poffible circumstances, think proper to give his majefty; but with regard to the prefent question, he thought he might venture to fay, that he had no intention to advife his majefty to prevent that houfe from meeting on Monday.

Having received this affurance, Mr. Powis moved, that the Houfe fhould immediately adjourn to Mon. day, in hopes that before their next meeting fome means might be in vented of healing divifions that threatened the country with anarchy and contufion. This motion was accordingly agreed to.

26th Jan. On that day his majefty's anfwer to the addrefs of the Houfe being read by the clerk, the following motion was made by Mr. Eden, with a view to give the Houfe a more permanent fecurity than the precarious mode of exiftence it then enjoyed only from day to day:

"That it appears to this Houfe, "that his majesty's faid moft gra"cious answer contains affurances upon which this Houfe cannot "but moft firmly rely-That his "majefty will not, by the prorogation or diffolution of parlia"ment, interrupt this Houfe in "their confideration of proper "meafures for regulating the af"fairs of the East India Company, " and for fupporting the public "credit and revenues of this coun

To a mo.

As foon as the motion was read, Mr. Pitt declared, that his majefty had indeed pledged himself in his anfwer rot to interrupt their meeting again after their adjournment; but he faw not how it could be inferred, that the royal word was pledged any further. tion therefore affixing an unlimited conftruction to the king's anfwer, he muft give his diffent; and that' for the strongest reafon that could poffibly be adduced, namely, becaufe he knew when he advised his majefty to use the words in which the answer was framed, he never had fuch an indefinite fenfe of them in his contemplation. In the prefent fituation of affairs, he thought a diffolution could not but be attended with great detriment and mifchief, and therefore he should not advife any fuch exercife of the prerogative.

The minifter was then called upon to fulfil the engagement he had entered into with the Houfe, of giving them fome fatisfactory reafons for his continuing in office after the repeated refolutions that had paffed against him. In compliance with this requifition, Mr. Pitt began by afferting, that though the fituation of a minifter maintaining his poft, after the Houfe of Commons had declared him undeferving of their confidence, was novel and extraordinary, yet it was in his opinion by no means unconftitutional. He conceived that, by the conftitution, neither the immediate appointment or removal of a minifter refted with [F 3]

that House; that he neither could nor ought to remain long in fuch a fituation, he was ready to confefs; but he was bound to ufe his own difcretion, in preventing the mifchievous confequences that might attend an inftant refignation. He might meritoriously continue in of. fice, if he were perfuaded that his refignation would leave the country without any executive government at all. It behoved him to confider who were likely to be his fucceffors; and he was bound, in honour and in duty, fo far to fupport the prerogative of the crown, as not to quit a fituation, because it was become difficult or dangerous, till he faw fome profpect of its being filled in a manner more acceptable to all the parties concerned,

About this time a ridiculous circumftance, brought forward by the precipitate zeal of the friends of the new ministry, for the purpofe of retorting on their adverfaries the charge of undue influence, engaged the attention of the Houfe of Commons.

On the 24th of this month, Mr. Yorke acquainted the Houfe, that he had matters to communicate, in which their privileges were deeply concerned the firft was, that an offer had been made to a member of the House, of a place of £.500 a year, provided he would change fides, and give his vote in oppofition to the prefent miniftry; the fecond, that .500 had been fent to Scotland by the fame party, and lodged in the bank of Edinburgh, for the purpose of defraying the travelling expences, and thereby quickening the pace of the Scotch members; and that the lord advocate of Scotland, Mr. Henry Erskine, was the perfon to whom the difpofal of

Mr.

the money was entrusted. Yorke having further acquainted the Houfe, that the member, Mr. Dalrymple, from whom he received this intelligence, was then prefent, and ready to give the Houfe any further fatisfaction they might require, he was called on by oppofition to mention the particulars. He accordingly related, that a Mr. Hamilton, of Bargeny, formerly a member of the Houfe, had offered him a place, on the conditions before ftated, of £.500 a year from the duke of Portland, or the Portland adminiftration. With regard to the fecond story, he had been affured of the fact in a public company, by Mr. Charteris, a member not then in his place.

As foon as the intelligence was thus ftated, the friends of the duke of Portland infifted that it fhould be taken down in writing by the clerk, in order to be fully inveftigated. A meffage was fent privately to the duke, to acquaint him with what had paffed; in confequence of which he immediately repaired to the lobby, and defired the Houfe might be acquainted that he was ready to come within their bar, and anfwer fuch queftions relative to the fubject as they might chufe to put to him. Several mem. bers fufpecting that the whole matter might have originated in a jeft, expreffed their wishes that it might be dropped; but the members who had brought forward the charges, refuling their confent to a motion, in which it propofed to ftate, that the faid charges had been wholly abandoned by them, an order was made for the attendance of Mr. Hamilton.

"That it appears to this Houfe, that the charges contained in the faid information [the fame having been previously read by the clerk] refpecting the Duke of Portland and the late administration, were groundless."

As the grounds, on which the minifter endeavoured to defend his continuance in office, after three feveral votes of difapprobation had paffed the Houfe of Commons, amounted in fact to nothing more than that he was of opinion his remaining in power was ferviceable to the country, though the Houfe chofe to think otherwife, it is fcarcely neceffary to add, that they appeared to the majority wholly unfatisfactory. The next ftep therefore, which in the courfe of parlia mentary proceedings ought, regu. larly to have been adopted, was an addrefs to the throne, to remove him from his majefty's councils; and fuch a measure, by bringing the content to an immediate decifion, would, at all events, have refcued the government of the country from the difgraceful fituation in which it then flood. But as, on the one hand, the ftrong and decided oppofition of the country gentlemen

to a diffolution of parliament feems to have overawed the minifter into the dereliction of a step fo neceffary on his part; fo, on the other hand, their general call for an union prevented the oppofition from purfuing those measures of vigour, which the conftitution of parliament, in concurrence with their own intereft, obviously required.

26th Jan. On the 26th of Janu

ary, a meeting of fuch members of the Houfe of Commons as were anxious to promote a coalition of parties met at the St. Alban's tavern. Their numbers amounted to near seventy; and an addrefs was immediately agreed to and figned, and ordered to be prefented by a committee of their body to the Duke of Portland and Mr. Pitt*.

The addrefs was expreffed in the following terms:

"We, whose names are hereunto figned, members of the House of Commons, being fully perfuaded that the united efforts of thofe in whofe integrity, abilities, and conftitutional principles we have reafon to confide, can alone refcue the country from its prefent distracted ftate, do join in most humbly entreating them to communicate with each other on the arduous fituation of public affairs, trufting, that by a liberal and unreferved intercourfe between them, every impediment may be removed to a cordial cooperation of great and refpectable characters, acting on the fame public principles, and entitled to the fupport of independent and difinterested men."

In answer to this addrefs, both

this meeting.

parties expreffed themfelves defirous of complying with the wishes of fo refpectable a meeting; but the duke of Portland conceived that he could not have any interview with Mr. Pitt, for the purpose of union, fo long as the latter held his fituation as prime minifter, in defiance of the refolutions of the Houfe of Commons. On the other hand, Mr. Pitt declined refigning, either actually or virtually, as a preliminary to negotiation.

In order to co-operate 2d Feb. with and affift the exertions of the meeting at the St. Alban's, it was moved by one of their members, and carried unanimoufly in the House of Commons, "That the prefent arduous and critical fituation of public affairs required the exertion of a firm, efficient, extended, and united adminiftration, entitled to the confidence of the people, and fuch as might have a tendency to put an end to the unfortunate divifions and distractions of this country."

In addition to this, a fecond refolution was moved by Mr. Coke, which had for its object the reprehenfion of Mr. Pitt's refufal to refign, declaring, "that the continuance of the prefent minifters in office was an obstacle to the forming a firm, efficient, extended, and united adminiftration."

This last motion occafioned much debate. The ground on which it was combated, was the growing po. pularity of the new adminiftration; and the Houfe was therefore adjured not to provoke the people to go to the foot of the throne, and implore the crown to rescue them from its tyranny. On the other fide, it was afferted that the popularity of the minifters was founded on a tempo

rary delufion, and fupported by art. ful mifreprefentations and grofs ca. lumnies. That the defign to create a diffenfion between the House and the people at large, was of a nature the moft alarming and dangerous to the conftitution, and a daring attack upon the privileges of the Houfe, which, if not firmly refifted, would terminate in the destruction of the liberties of the nation. Mr. Pitt threw himself on the candour and justice of the Houfe: but declared firmly, that he would not by any managements be induced to refign. To march out of his poft with a halter about his neck, change his armour, and meanly beg to be readmitted, and confidered as a volunteer in the army of the enemy, was an humiliation to which he would never fubmit. Some of the members, who ftill continued their endeavours to effect a coalition, wifhed the previous queftion to be put on the motion, with a view to try whether the House would confent to refcind the votes of cenfure they had before paffed, as a matter of accommodation; declaring, if this was not done, they fhould confider themselves as bound to fupport the prefent queftion: that thofe refolutions and the prefent adminiftration ought not to ftand together; that the authority of the House must be fupported, and that the pride of an individual ought not to ftand in the way of it. On the divifion there were 223 for the motion, against it 204.

The day following the refolu tions, after a long and warm debate, in which the fame ground was gone over as before, were ordered, by a majority of 24, to be laid before his majesty.

The step taken by the House of
Commons

Commons would probably have brought the conteft between the two parties to a speedy decifion, if the members, who met at the St. Alban's tavern, had not checked it by a declaration, which, coming from so powerful a body, almoft forced affairs again into a ftate of fufpenfe and indecifion.

On the 11th of Febru11th Feb. ary, Mr. Marsham read to the House, as a part of his fpeech, a refolution of the members of the meeting at the St. Alban's tavern, in which they declared, "that an adminiftration formed on the total exclufion of the members of the last or prefent administration would be inadequate to the exigencies of the public affairs."

This declaration gave occafion to the leading perfons on both fides to deliver their fentiments, refpecting the fo much de fired coalition. Mr. Fox, after expreffing his fincere wishes for an union, again infifted on the refignation of the chancellor of the Exchequer, or at leaft on his declaring that the prefent adminiftration was virtually and fubftantially diffolved, as an indifpenfable preliminary step. He did not fcruple, he faid, to avow his opinion, that the Houfe of Commons had, and ought to have, a real and subftantial negative in the nomination of minifters of ftate: the conduct of the right honourable gentleman militated directly against this pofition; and therefore, however defirable an union on almost any terms might be, yet he conceived it would be infinitely overbalanced by the mifchief of establishing a precedent, which, if purfued, would render the Houfe of Commons worse than ufelefs. This facrifice to the conftitution, which had been fo grofly vic

lated, muft be abfolutely required from him; all other points, Mr. Fox conceived, might be easily adjusted.

Mr. Pitt declared, that, for the reafons already, given by him, he could not recede from his former determination. He allowed, that no minifter could in fact continue long in office that did not poffefs the confidence of that Houfe; but he denied that there were any conftitutional means to force him to refign. The proper method of ef fecting his removal was by an addrefs to the crown; till in confequence of fuch a measure, the king fhould think proper to remove him from his office, he held it neither illegal nor unconstitutional to retain it. With regard to other and fubordinate confiderations, he confeffed that there might be perfons with whom he could not poffibly bring himself to act, without forfeiting that character of conftancy which other gentlemen he thought had too much undervalued. If fuch perfons there were, and they would confent to facrifice their views, and to remove themselves out of the way of union, he thought they would do themselves honour, and merit the thanks of their country.

Thefe allufions called up lord North, to whom they were manifeftly pointed. He faid, that though he did not feel in himself the leaft difpofition to gratify the caprice or the unjuft prejudices of any individual; yet what he should be unwilling to do for the right honourable minifter, he was willing and ready to do for his country. That if his pretenfions fhould be deemed any obitacle to an union, he should rejoice in removing it; but he apprehended that not himself, but the

chancellor