the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第24章

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e　Treasury。　　Pitt　noticed　the　discrepancy　with　much　force　and　keenness。　　Lord　George　and　Lord　North　began　to　whisper　together；　and　Welbore　Ellis；　an　ancient　placeman　who　had　been　drawing　salary　almost　every　quarter　since　the　days　of　Henry　Pelham；　bent　down　between　them　to　put　in　a　word。　　Such　interruptions　sometimes　discompose　veteran　speakers。　　Pitt　stopped；　and；　looking　at　the　group；　said；　with　admirable　readiness；　〃I　shall　wait　till　Nestor　has　composed　the　dispute　between　Agamemnon　and　Achilles。〃　After　several　defeats；　or　victories　hardly　to　be　distinguished　from　defeats；　the　ministry　resigned。　　The　King；　reluctantly　and　ungraciously；　consented　to　accept　Rockingham　as　first　minister。　　Fox　and　Shelburne　became　Secretaries　of　State。　　Lord　John　Cavendish；　one　of　the　most　upright　and　honourable　of　men；　was　made　Chancellor　of　the　Exchequer。　　Thurlow；　whose　abilities　and　force　of　character　had　made　him　the　dictator　of　the　House　of　Lords；　continued　to　hold　the　great　seal。　To　Pitt　was　offered；　through　Shelburne；　the　Vice…Treasurership　of　Ireland；　one　of　the　easiest　and　most　highly　paid　places　in　the　gift　of　the　crown；　but　the　offer　was；　without　hesitation；　declined。　　The　young　statesman　had　resolved　to　accept　no　post　which　did　not　entitle　him　to　a　seat　in　the　cabinet：　　and；　in　a　few　days　later；　he　announced　that　resolution　in　the　House　of　Commons。　　It　must　be　remembered　that　the　cabinet　was　then　a　much　smaller　and　more　select　body　than　at　present。　　We　have　seen　cabinets　of　sixteen。　　In　the　time　of　our　grandfathers　a　cabinet　of　ten　or　eleven　was　thought　inconveniently　large。　　Seven　was　an　usual　number。　　Even　Burke；　who　had　taken　the　lucrative　office　of　paymaster；　was　not　in　the　cabinet。　　Many　therefore　thought　Pitt's　declaration　indecent。　　He　himself　was　sorry　that　he　had　made　it。　　The　words；　he　said　in　private；　had　escaped　him　in　the　heat　of　speaking；　and　he　had　no　sooner　uttered　them　than　he　would　have　given　the　world　to　recall　them。　　They；　however；　did　him　no　harm　with　the　public。　　The　second　William　Pitt；　it　was　said；　had　shown　that　he　had　inherited　the　spirit；　as　well　as　the　genius；　of　the　first。　　In　the　son；　as　in　the　father；　there　might　perhaps　be　too　much　pride；　but　there　was　nothing　low　or　sordid。　　It　might　be　called　arrogance　in　a　young　barrister；　living　in　chambers　on　three　hundred　a　year；　to　refuse　a　salary　of　five　thousand　a　year；　merely　because　he　did　not　choose　to　bind　himself　to　speak　or　vote　for　plans　which　he　had　no　share　in　framing；　but　surely　such　arrogance　was　not　very　far　removed　from　virtue。　Pitt　gave　a　general　support　to　the　administration　of　Rockingham；　but　omitted；　in　the　meantime；　no　opportunity　of　courting　that　Ultra…Whig　party　which　the　persecution　of　Wilkes　and　the　Middlesex　election　had　called　into　existence；　and　which　the　disastrous　events　of　the　war；　and　the　triumph　of　republican　principles　in　America；　had　made　formidable　both　in　numbers　and　in　temper。　　He　supported　a　motion　for　shortening　the　duration　of　Parliaments。　　He　made　a　motion　for　a　committee　to　examine　into　the　state　of　the　representation；　and；　in　the　speech；　by　which　that　motion　was　introduced；　avowed　himself　the　enemy　of　the　close　boroughs；　the　strongholds　of　that　corruption　to　which　he　attributed　all　the　calamities　of　the　nation；　and　which；　as　he　phrased　it　in　one　of　those　exact　and　sonorous　sentences　of　which　he　had　a　boundless　command；　had　grown　with　the　growth　of　England　and　strengthened　with　her　strength；　but　had　not　diminished　with　her　diminution　or　decayed　with　her　decay。　　On　this　occasion　he　was　supported　by　Fox。　　The　motion　was　lost　by　only　twenty　votes　in　a　house　of　more　than　three　hundred　members。　　The　reformers　never　again　had　so　good　a　division　till　the　year　1831。　The　new　administration　was　strong　in　abilities；　and　was　more　popular　than　any　administration　which　had　held　office　since　the　first　year　of　George　the　Third；　but　was　hated　by　the　King；　hesitatingly　supported　by　the　Parliament；　and　torn　by　internal　dissensions。　　The　Chancellor　was　disliked　and　distrusted　by　almost　all　his　colleagues。　　The　two　Secretaries　of　State　regarded　each　other　with　no　friendly　feeling。　　The　line　between　their　departments　had　not　been　traced　with　precision；　and　there　were　consequently　jealousies；　encroachments；　and　complaints。　　It　was　all　that　Rockingham　could　do　to　keep　the　peace　in　his　cabinet；　and；　before　the　cabinet　had　existed　three　months；　Rockingham　died。　In　an　instant　all　was　confusion。　　The　adherents　of　the　deceased　statesman　looked　on　the　Duke　of　Portland　as　their　chief。　　The　King　placed　Shelburne　at　the　head　of　the　Treasury。　　Fox；　Lord　John　Cavendish；　and　Burke；　immediately　resigned　their　offices；　and　the　new　prime　minister　was　left　to　constitute　a　government　out　of　very　defective　materials。　　His　own　parliamentary　talents　were　great；　but　he　could　not　be　in　the　place　where　parliamentary　talents　were　most　needed。　　It　was　necessary　to　find　some　member　of　the　House　of　Commons　who　could　confront　the　great　orators　of　the　opposition；　and　Pitt　alone　had　the　eloquence　and　the　courage　which　were　required。　　He　was　offered　the　great　place　of　Chancellor　of　the　Exchequer；　and　he　accepted　it。　　He　had　scarcely　completed　his　twenty…third　year。　The　Parliament　was　speedily　prorogued。　　During　the　recess；　a　negotiation　for　peace　which　had　been　commenced　under　Rockingham　was　brought　to　a　successful　termination。　　England　acknowledged　the　independence　of　her　revolted　colonies；　and　she　ceded　to　her　European　enemies　some　places　in　the　Mediterranean　and　in　the　Gulf　of　Mexico。　　But　the　terms　which　she　obtained　were　quite　as　advantageous　and　honourable　as　the　events　of　the　war　entitled　her　to　expect；　or　as　she　was　likely　to　obtain　by　persevering　in　a　contest　against　immense　odds。　　All　her　vital　parts；　all　the　real　sources　of　her　power；　remained　uninjured。　　She　preserved　even　her　dignity：　　for　she　ceded　to　the　House　of　Bourbon　only　part　of　what　she　had　won　from　that　House　in　previous　wars。　　She　retained　her　Indian　empire　undiminished；　and；　in　spite　of　the　mightiest　efforts　of　two　great　monarchies；　her　flag　still　waved　on　the　rock　of　Gibraltar。　　There　is　not　the　slightest　reason　to　believe　that　Fox；　if　he　had　remained　in　office；　would　have　hesitated　one　moment　about　concluding　a　treaty　on　such　conditions。　　Unhappily　that　great　and　most　amiable　man　was；　at　this　crisis；　hurried　by　his　passions　into　an　error　which　made　his　genius　and　his　virtues；　during　a　long　course　of　years；　almost　useless　to　his　country。　He　saw　that　the　great　body　of　the　House　of　Commons　was　divided　into　three　parties；　his　own；　that　of　North；　and　that　of　Shelburne；　that　none　of　those　three　parties　was　large　enough　to　stand　alone；　that；　therefore；　unless　two　of　them　united；　there　must　be　a　miserably　feeble　administration；　or　more　probably；　a　rapid　succession　of　miserably　feeble　administrations；　and　this　at　a　time　when　a　strong　government　was　essential　to　the　prosperity　and　respectability　of　the　nation。　　It　was　then　necessary　and　right　that　there　should　be　a　coalition。　　To　every　possible　coalition　there　were　objections。　　But；　of　all　possible　coalitions；　that　to　which　there　were　the　fewest　objections　was　undoubtedly　a　coalition　between　Shelburne　and　Fox。　　It　would　have　been　generally　applauded　by　the　followers　of　both。　　It　might　have　been　made　without　any　sacrifice　of　public　principle　on　the　part　of　either。　　Unhappily；　recent　bickerings　had　left　in　the　mind　of　Fox　a　profound　dislike　and　distrust　of　Shelburne。　　Pitt　attempted　to　mediate；　and　was　authorised　to　invite　Fox　to　return　to　the　service　of　the　Crown。　　〃Is　Lord　Shelburne；〃　said　Fox；　〃to　remain　prime　minister？〃　　Pitt　answered　in　the　affirmative。　　〃It　is　impossible　that　I　can　act　under　him；〃　said　Fox。　　〃Then　negotiation　is　at　an　end；〃　said　Pitt；　〃for　I　cannot　betray　him。〃　　Thus　the　two　statesmen　parted。　　They　were　never　again　in　a　private　room　together。　As　Fox　and　his　friends　would　not　treat　with　Shelburne；　nothing　remained　to　them　but　to　treat　with　North。　　That　fatal　coalition　which　is　emphatically　called　〃The　Coalition〃　was　formed。　　Not　three　quarters　of　a　year　had　elapsed　since　Fox　and　Burke　had　threatened　North　with　impeachment；　and　had　described　him；　night　after　night；　as　the　most　arbitrary；　the　most　corrupt；　the　most　incapable　of　ministers。　　They　now　allied　themselves　with　him　for　the　purpose　of　driving　from　office　a　statesman　with　whom　they　cannot　be　said　to　have　differed　as　to　any　important　question。　　Nor　had　they　even　the　prudence　and　the　patience　to　wait　for　some　occasion　on　which　they　might；　without　inconsistency；　have　combined　with　their　old　enemies　in　opposition　to　the　government。　　That　nothing　might　be　wanting　to　the　scandal；　the　great　orators；　who　had；　during　seven　years；　thundered　against　the　war；　determined　to　join　with　the　authors　of　that　war　in　passing　a　vote　of　censure　on　the　peace。　The　Parliament　met　before　Christmas　1782。　　But　it　was　not　till　January　1783　that　the　preliminary　treaties　were　signed。　　On　the　17th　of　February　they　were　taken　into　consideration　by　the　House　of　Commons。　　There　had　been；　during　some　days；　floating　rumours　that　Fox　and　North　had　coalesced；　and　the　debate　indicated　but　too　clearly　that　those　rumours　were　not　unfounded。　　Pit　was　suffering　from　indisposition：　　he　did　not　rise　till　his　own　strength　and　that　of　his　he