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Lords; the one by the Duke of Richmond, the second by the Earl of Shelburne. Both were rejected by large majorities. But on the same night as Lord Shelburne's Burke in the Commons gave notice, that after the Christmas holidays he would introduce a Bill on this important subject. At the same time he also stated the outline of his intended measure, and received warm encouragements from Fox and other of his friends. "I am just come," said Fox, "from "another place, where the first men in this kingdom, the "first in abilities, the first in estimation, are now libelling "this House." Here, many a member may have, as Fox expected, shown surprise. "Yes, I repeat it," cried Fox. "Every instance they give — and they give many and strong "instances of uncorrected abuse with regard to public "money is a libel on this House...... Every thing they "state on the luxuriant growth of corrupt influence and "it never was half so flourishing

"House."

is a libel on this

Richmond and Shelburne, though outvoted, were not foiled. The ill success of the Parliamentary attacks, far from checking, rather incited and called forth, the popular demonstrations. Before the month of December had expired, an important meeting, which served as a pattern to the rest, was held in the chief town of our greatest county. From a single private room at York there went forth with no common strength the cry for Economical Reform. There stood Rockingham and Savile; there crowded in the independent freeholders, notwithstanding the many efforts that were made, by threat or by persuasion, to prevent them from attending. Such at least was the charge brought by the Marquis of Carmarthen, who was Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding at the time of the meeting, but who, concurring in its object, was in consequence dismissed from his Lord Lieutenancy.* .** In spite of every exertion to the

*Parl. Hist. vol. xx. p. 1302.

** Speech in the House of Lords, February 8. 1780. He stigmatises the means which had been used as mean, shabby, pitiful, and un

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1780.

GREAT MEETING AT YORK.

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contrary, upwards of 8,000 freeholders signed the county petition agreed upon at York, praying the House of Commons to reduce all exorbitant emoluments and abolish all sinecure places. Another part of the York proceedings was to appoint a Committee of sixty-one gentlemen to carry on the necessary correspondence for promoting the prayer of the petition, and likewise to prepare the plan of a national association for the same object, and for "such other "measures as might conduce to restore the freedom of Par"liament."

The example of York was soon followed by other shires. Middlesex was the next to meet. And within a very few weeks, twenty-three more of our English counties, and eleven of our largest cities or towns had been convened. In all these there were adopted petitions similar to that of York; in most of them there were also named Committees of Correspondence. The latter being far too clearly framed from the precedents set by the revolted Colonies, were much disapproved by Lord Carmarthen and other moderate men, and were dropped accordingly in several of the counties. Nor, indeed, did the petitions for Economical Reform everywhere pass unanimously. Open resistance to their prayer was not likely to prevail. It was tried with very ill success at Huntingdon by the Earl of Sandwich. But protests, declaring that the whole should be left to the wisdom of Parliament, were signed by great part of the landed gentlemen in many places. - It is to be noted, that in all the steps tending to Economical Reform both branches of the old Opposition - the followers of Lord Rockingham and the followers of the late Lord Chatham appear to have cordially concurred. Thus, while Lord Rockingham was busy in York, Lord Shelburne was no less busy in Buckinghamshire; and Chatham's son-in-law Lord Mahon became the Chairman of the Kent Committee.*

"warrantable." That very day he had received the news of his dismissal, which no doubt may have given a keener edge to his epithets.

*For some of the ulterior proceedings see in the Appendix to this volume Lord Shelburne's letter to Lord Mahon, April 7. 1780.

The great Yorkshire petition was presented to the Commons, on the 8th of February, by the principal Yorkshire member Sir George Savile. On that occasion, as the forms of the House did not yet prohibit, Savile delivered a speech in its support. His slender figure and his feeble voice (then especially he was suffering from hoarseness) seemed to expand, and his delicate frame to gather strength, from the magnitude of the interests confided to his charge; and his brother members, preserving an unbroken silence, showed him all the attention and respect due to a character so upright and unsullied. Three days later, Burke brought forward the motion that he had announced on Economical Reform. His speech, as shortly afterwards it was revised and published by himself, may deserve to rank among the highest of his oratorical productions. "One of the ablest "speeches I have ever heard," said Lord North in reply; "a speech such as no other member could have made." Here the brilliant hues of fancy impart form and colour even to the dry bones of financial calculation. Here the very details of the Exchequer grow amusing. Thus lightly, example, does Burke play on the defects of the five lesser sovereign jurisdictions of the realm: "Ours is not a mon"archy in strictness; but as in the Saxon times this country 'was an heptarchy so now it is a strange sort of pent"archy.... Cross a brook, and you lose the King of Eng"land; but you have some comfort in coming again under "His Majesty, though shorn of his beams, and no more "than Prince of Wales. Go to the north, and you find him "dwindled to a Duke of Lancaster; turn to the west of that "north, and he pops upon you in the humble character of "Earl of Chester. Travel a few miles on, the Earl of "Chester disappears, and the King surprises you again as "Count Palatine of Lancaster. If you travel beyond Mount "Edgecombe you find him once more in his incognito, and "he is Duke of Cornwall. So that, quite fatigued and "satiated with this dull variety, you are infinitely refreshed "when you return to the sphere of his proper splendour, and

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for

1780.*

DETAILS OF BURKE'S SCHEME.

"behold your amiable Sovereign in his true, simple, un"disguised, native character of Majesty."

Burke proposed that these five lesser jurisdictions should be wholly swept away. "When the reason of old establish"ments is gone" thus with the truest Conservative wisdom he spoke on another branch of his subject "it is "absurd to keep nothing but the burthen of them. This is "superstitiously to embalm a carcase not worth an ounce of "the gums that are used to preserve it."

In the same spirit did Burke apply himself to the abuses in the great departments of the Royal Household. One attempt to correct them, he said, had indeed been made in the present reign. Lord Talbot, as High Steward, observing the lavish expense of the King's kitchen, had reduced several tables, and put the persons entitled to them upon board wages. But subsequent duties requiring constant attendance, it was not found possible to prevent the King's servants being fed where they were employed. "And "thus unluckily," said Burke, "this first step towards eco"nomy doubled the expense!"

It formed part of the orator's design, as he explained it, not merely to new model the Royal Household, and to clear it of its cumbrous offices, but to regulate the posts of Paymaster of the Forces and Treasurer of the Navy, to reduce the profits of the Auditors of the Exchequer, and to abolish altogether the Board of Trade, the Civil branch of the Ordnance, and the third Secretaryship of State. That Burke's ideas of reform were as yet too extensive, and not sufficiently matured, may be asserted on the authority of Burke himself; since, at a later period, when invested with the responsibilities of office, and allowed a longer time for reflection, he thought proper to recede from so large a portion of his scheme. Other parts, however, have been carried into execution with the happiest effect; and the high statesman-like ability with which Burke, in his speech, pleads for all the wise and temperate wise, because temperate. principles on which he argues, is such as to claim the most

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careful perusal, and the most respectful mention, so long as the British Parliament or the British people may endure. Yet this was the man whom the superior genius of Lord John Cavendish, or of the Marquis of Rockingham, did not deem worthy to sit in Cabinet with them, and whom they consigned to a second place! How high an office in the state would Burke have been summoned to fill, had either birth or marriage made him even a third cousin of His Grace the Duke of Devonshire!

The eloquence of Burke on these mere economical details, enlivened, as we see it, by constant pleasantry, and enriched from abundant stores of reading, may deserve the higher admiration, if it be contrasted with the style of common financiers. Many such are found to value themselves mainly on their dryness and their dulness. Many such will occur to the recollection of every man who has sat in the House of Commons, even for a single Session, as fulfilling to the letter Goldsmith's masterly delineation of a self-styled man of business: "We men of business," says his Mr. Lofty, “despise the moderns; and as for the ancients, we have no "time to read them. Why, now, here I stand, that know "nothing of books. I say, Madam, I know nothing of "books; and yet I believe, upon a land-carriage fishery, a "Stamp-Act, or an Indian Jaghire, I can talk my two hours "without feeling the want of them."*

Lord North, whatever might be his opinion as to many points of Burke's proposal, knew the strength of the popular current by which it was borne onwards, and was too wellskilled in Parliamentary tactics to oppose it point-blank. On the contrary, he gave every facility for the introduction of Burke's first Bill (Burke had five in all), (and it was presented with only one dissentient voice-that of Lord George Gordon. In Committee, however, a great variety of objections were started and of difficulties shown. Several of Burke's adherents began to feel that it was no such easy matter as they

*The "Goodnatured Man," act ii. There is also something most true to nature in Mr. Lofty's answer to the lady who had quoted to him Waller the poet. "Waller, Waller, is he of the House?"

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