The following passages also shew the force and versatility of Burke's humour:-" Lord Talbot's scheme of ceconomy was dashed to pieces; his department became more expensive than ever;-the civil list debt accumulated:Why? It was truly from a cause, which, though perfectly adequate to the effect, one would not have instantly guessed it was because the turnspit in the King's kitchen was a member of par. liament. The King's domestic servants were all undone; his tradesmen remained unpaid, and became bankrupt;-because the turnspit of the King's kitchen was a member of parliament. His Majesty's slumbers were interrupted, his pillow was stuffed with thorns, and his peace of mind entirely broken,-because the King's turnspit was a member of parliament. The judges were unpaid; the justice of the kingdom bent and gave way; the foreign Ministers remained inactive and unprovided; the system of Europe was dissolved; the chain of our alliances was broken; all the wheels of government at home and abroad were stopped ;-because the King's turnspit was a member of parliament.” The household troops form an army, who will be ready to mutiny for want of pay, and whose mutiny will be really dreadful to a Commander în Chief. A rebellion of the thirteen Lords of the bedcamber would be far more terrible to a Minister, and would probably affect his power

more to the quick, than a revolt of thirteen colonies. What an uproar such an event would create at court! What petitions, and committees, and associations would it not produce! Bless me! what a clattering of white sticks and yellow sticks would be about his head!-what a storm of gold keys would fly about the ears of the Minister! what a shower of Georges, and Thistles, and medals, and collars of S. S. would assail him at his first entrance into the antichamber, after an insolvent Christmas quarter ! A tumult which could not be appeased by all the harmony of the new year's ode."

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The individuals affected by his reform (after it had fallen much short of his intention) have inveighed bitterly against Burke for diminishing their profits. That, no doubt, was a serious concern to themselves and those interested in their prosperity; but it could be no reason to prevent a patriot from proposing reduction of useless expence, that some had gained by it. If a man find it prudent to dismiss supernumerary footmen, or housemaids, he ought not to be deterred by the consideration, that it would be more agreeable to these persons to live upon him, though doing nothing in return. He went through offices of a higher description than those of the mere menials of the household, and proposed the reduction of various places in the civil list, in which either there was pay without

service, or where the pay greatly exceeded the service. An An impartial examiner must admit the justness and comprehensiveness of Burke's general principles of political economy, the accuracy of his details of office, and the applicability of his principles to those details: he must acknowledge that considerable saving would have accrued to the nation from the general adoption of his plan, as indeed there did even from the partial. Their utility would have been much greater if they could be ap plied to infinitely more momentous departments of public expence than any within the civil list, to the ordnance, the navy, and the army. The necessary expenditure in these is. so very considerable, that there is a much greater probability of waste, and opportunity of mismanage. ment or even intentional misapplication, than in the comparatively confined expenditure of the civil list. From the general political principles of Burke, together with his particular financial principles, it is probable that if he had fully succeeded in his first plan of reform, he would have afterwards extended their operation to the larger sources of expence. Ministers joined with Opposition in bestowing the highest applause, not on his eloquence only, but on his financial principles. When, however, the principles came to be applied to the particular plans of reform, they did not accede. Burke grounded four

bills on his plan, which, after much discussion, were at length rejected.

A new law was proposed this session for excluding contractors from parliament, and very ably supported by Burke, Fox, and Dunning, and passed the House of Commons. During the discussion of Burke's bill, Mr. Dunning, after enlarging very much on the influence of the crown, and endeavouring to shew that it was attended with most pernicious effects, moved the famous resolution, that "the influence of the crown has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminished." This resolution was supported by Fox, Burke, and the whole force of Opposition, with such effect, that, to the surprise and alarm of Administration, and probably to the astonishment of the mover himself, it was carried by a majority of 233 to 215, and on it several other resolutions were grounded. Although this majority was of no long duration on the side of Opposition, it afforded them well grounded hopes that their warfare against the Minister would be at last successful. The country gentlemen had been so moved by the state of public affairs as described by Dunning, Fox, and Burke, that they were staggered in their opinion of Lord North; and though, after a short dereliction, they again returned to him, it was probable that the increasing burdens from the war, joined to the forcible eloquence of the

Opposition leaders, would induce them entirely to abandon Administration; as afterwards took place. On the general ground of diminishing the influence of the crown, a bill was proposed under the auspices of Burke, for preventing revenue officers from yoting at elections, but rejected by a small majority. The bill for excluding contractors was lost in the House of Lords. Whether Lord North had suffered it to pass without much opposition in the House of Commons, from either a foreknowledge or predestination of its fate in the upper house, or that he did not actually disapprove of it, I cannot determine. The exclusion of the contractors would probably, in some degree, have promoted Burke's twofold object, restriction of profusion and diminution of corruption.

A motion was made by General Conway for reconciliation with America. It proposed to remove all their just complaints, but not to acknowledge their independence. It was opposed by the Ministers, who thought it humiliatory as to this nation, and ineffectual as to the object. It was very faintly supported by Burke and the Rockingham part of Opposition, who thought it totally inadequate to the objects.

Although the eminent abilities of Burke had not succeeded in procuring in parliament the desired reduction of expence, associations continued to be formed by men of talents and property, both in London and other parts of