were moft attached to the Earl of Chatham regretted, that inftead of weakening and dividing an intereft, which the public wifhed to be fupported, and contributing to remove a miniftry, in which they had placed a confidence; he had moft rather, by coinciding and acting along with them, contributed to give them that permanency, which was fo much defired and wanted. There were other reasons which contributed greatly to leffen the popularity of which the noble Lord had before poffeffed fo boundless a fhare; among thofe, his quitting the Houfe of Commons and accepting peerage, was not the leaft; and his acting alone with, and bringing into place and power, perfons who had the misfortune to be fuppofed of a party, which had been long held very obnoxious, contributed its full share*.

The following is Mr. Burke's own account of his introduction into public life, as well as the share which adminiftration took in the repeal of the stamp

act.

Sir, I will anfwer him (Mr. Cornwall) as clearly as I am able, and with great opennefs; I have nothing to conceal. In the year fixty-five, being in a very private station, far enough from any line of bufinefs, and not having the honour of a feat in this houfe, it was my fortune, unknowing and unknown to the then miniftry, by the intervention of a common friend, to become connected with a very noble perfon (Marquis of Rockingham) and at the head of the treafury department. It was indeed in a fituation of little rank and no confequence, fuitable to the mediocrity of my talents and pretenfions. But a fituation near enough to enable me to fee, as well as others, what was going on; and I did fee in that noble perfon fuch found principles, fuch an enlargement of mind, fuch clear and fagacious fenfe, and fuch unfhaken fortitude, as have bound me, as well as others much better than me, by an inviolable at

*Annual Regifter for 1766.

tachment to him from that time forward. Sir, Lord Rockingham very early in that fummer received a ftrong representation from many weighty English merchants and manufacturers, from governors of provinces and commanders of men of war, against almoft the whole of the American commercial regulations, and particularly with regard to the total ruin which was threatened to the Spanish trade. I believe, Sir, the noble Lord foon faw his way in this business. But he did not rafhly determine against acts which it migh be fuppofed were the refult of much deliberation. However, Sir, he fcarcely began to open the ground, when the whole veteran body of office took the alarm. A violent outcry of all (except thofe who knew and felt the mifchief) was raifed againft any alteration. On one hand, his attempt was a direct violation of treaties and public law. On the other, the act of navigation and all the corps of trade laws were drawn up in array against it.

"The firft ftep the noble Lord took, was to have the opinion of his excellent, learned, and ever lamented friend, the late Mr. Yorke, then Attorney General, on the point of law. When he knew that formally and officially, which in fubftance he had known before, he immediately dispatched orders to redress the grievance. But I will fay it for the then minifter, he is of that conftitution of mind, that I know he would have iffued, on the fame critical occafion, the very fame orders, if the acts of trade had been, as they were not, directly against him; and would have chearfully fubmitted to the equity of parliament for his indemnity.

A

"On the conclufion of this business of the Spanish trade, the news of the troubles, on account of the ftamp-act, arrived in England. It was not until the end of October that these accounts were received. No fooner had the found of that mighty tempest reached us in England, than the whole of the then oppofition, instead of feeling humbled by the un

happy iffue of their measures, feemed to be infinitely elated, and cried out, that the miniftry, from envy to the glory of their predeceffors, were prepared to repeal the ftamp-act. Near nine years after, the honourable gentleman takes quite opposite ground, and now challenges me to put my hand to my heart, and fay, whether the miniftry had refolved on the repeal till a confiderable time after the meeting of parliament. Though I do not very well know what the honourable gentleman wifhes to infer from the admiffion, or from the denial of this fact, on which he fo earnestly adjures me; I do put my hand on my heart, and affure him, that they did not come to a refolution directly to repeal. They weighed this matter as its difficulty and importance required. They confidered maturely among themfelves. They confulted with all who could give advice or information. It was not determined until a little before the meeting of parliament; but it was determined, and the main lines of their own plan marked out, before that meeting. Two queftions arofe (I hope I am not going into a narrative troublesome to the House)

[A cry of, go on, go on.]

"The firft of the two confiderations was, whether the repeal thould be total, or whether only partial; taking out every thing burthenfome and productive, and referving only an empty acknowledgment, such as a ftamp on cards or dice. The other question was, on what principle the act fhould be repealed? On this head alfo two principles were ftarted. One, that the legislative rights of this country, with regard to America, were not entire, but had certain 'reftrictions and limitations. The other principle was, that taxes of this kind were contrary to the fundamental principles of commerce on which the colonies were founded; and contrary to every idea of political equity, by which equity we are bound, as much as poffible to extend the fpirit and benefit of the British conftitution to every part of the British dominions.

The option, both of the measure, and of the prin ciple of repeal, was made before the feffion; and I wonder how any one can read the king's fpeech at the opening of that feffion, without feeing in that fpeech both the repeal and the declaratory act very fufficiently crayoned out. Those who cannot fee this can fee nothing.

Surely the honourable gentleman will not think that a great deal lefs time than was then employed, ought to have been fpent in deliberation; when he confiders that the news of the troubles did not arrive till towards the end of October. The parliament fat to fill the vacancies on the 14th day of December, and on business the 14th of the following January."Speech on American Taxation.

Mr. Burke then proceeded to ftate the principle on which adminiftration acted in the repeal of this act.

But

"A partial repeal," fays he, " or as the bon ton of the court then was, a modification, would have fatisfied a timid, unfyftematic, procraftinating miniftry, as fuch a measure has fince done fuch a miniftry. A modification is the conftant refource of weak, undeciding minds. To repeal by a denial of our right to tax in the preamble (and this too did not want advisers), would have cut, in the heroic ftile, the Gordian knot with a fword. Either measure would have coft no more than a day's debate. when the total repeal was adopted, and adopted on principles of policy, of equity, and of commerce, this plan made it neceffary to enter into many and difficult measures. It becomes neceffary to open a very large field of evidence commenfurate to thefe extenfive views. *** I think the enquiry lafted in the committee for fix weeks; and at its conclufion this houfe, by an independent, noble, fpirited, and unexpected majority,-by a majority that will redeem all the acts ever done by majorities in parliament,in the teeth of all the old mercenary Swifs of ftate,in defpite of all the fpeculators and augurs of poli

tical events, in defiance of the whole embattled le gion of veteran penfioners and practifed inftruments of a court, gave a total repeal to the ftamp-act, and (if it had been fo permitted) a lafting peace to this whole empire."

Mr. Burke then adds, "if the conduct of miniftry in propofing the repeal, had arifen from timidity with regard to themfelves, it would have been greatly to be condemned. Interefted timidity difgraces as much in this cabinet, as perfonal timidity does in the field. But timidity, with regard to the well being of our country, is heroic virtue. The noble Lord (Marquis of Rockingham) who then conducted affairs, and his worthy colleagues, whilft trembling at the profpects of fuch diftreffes as you have fince brought upon yourselves, were not afraid steadily to look in the face that glaring and dazzling influence, at which the eyes of eagles have blanched. He looked in the face one of the ableft, and let me fay, not the most fcrupulous oppofitions that perhaps ever was in this houfe, and withflood it, unaided by even one of the ufual fupports of adminiftration."

Short a time as Mr. Burke was in office, he took care to render himself mafter of fomething more than what Mr. Canning calls the mechanical part of it, and accordingly we find him in oppofition unfold the intrigues of the new adminiftration with uncommon art and dexterity-nor was he fparing of ridicule, which he always fhot with unerring hand;-in fhort it may be faid that he brightened from collifion, and gathered ftrength even from defeat. Thofe that wreftle with us, as he fays himself, ftrengthen us,-nor did he confine his attacks to the fenate, for he and his brother Richard, affifted by his relative William Burke, published feveral papers in defence of the Rockingham party, in the Gazetteer, under various fignatures, from the year 1766 to 1768. Some of thofe papers were written in anfwer to Mr. Scott, of Cambridge, who appeared at the time under the fignature of Ante