point. The business was opened by one of the ministerial party. Mr. Burke was ready to rise the moment his antagonist sat down; but beheld David Hartley, who sat a few benches behind Mr. Burke, was on his legs before him. Mr. Hartley received the usual nod from the speaker, and began his oration. The wilderness style of Mr. Hartley's eloquence is well known; in the course of three hours, almost every member who could possibly get away, had left the House. Mr. Burke sat writhing on the tenter-hooks of impatience, till at length Mr. Hartley stumbled on some idea which made him call for the reading of the Riot Act.

The Riot Act !" said Burke, starting up "what does the gentleman mean? Why, they are all dispersed already."

BURKE AND FOX.

The powerful eloquence of these distinguished statesmen had long been exerted in the same cause, and they were considered the leading champions of the House of Commons. But on the commencement of the French revolution, they not only took opposite sides in politics, but actually terminated a private friendship of many years, and never afterwards had a private interview. It was on a debate relative to the army estimates on the 9th of February, 1790, that the first violent shock, or conflict of opinions between Mr. Burke and Mr. Fox, took place; both much regretted the circumstance, and passed the highest eulogies on each other.

Mr. Fox said, "He must declare, that such was his sense of the judgment of his right honourable friend,

such his knowledge of his principles, and such the value which he set upon them, and the estimation to which he held his friendship, that if he were to put all the political information which he had learnt from books, all which he had gained from science, and all which the knowledge of the world and its affairs had taught him, into one great scale; and all the improvements which he had derived from his right honourable friend's instruction and conversation into the other, he should be at loss to decide to which to give the preference. He had learnt more from his right honourable friend, then from all the men with whom he had ever conversed."

Mr. Burke said, that he could, without the least flattery or exaggeration, assure his right honourable friend, that the separation of a limb from his body could scarcely give him more pain, than the circumstance of differing from him violently and publicly in opinion."

A bill introduced by Mr. Pitt in the following year for the better government of Canada, gave rise to another debate between Mr. Burke and Mr. Fox, which completely dissolved their political connexion. Mr. Burke, in a very eloquent speech, which treated almost entirely of the French revolution, said, that although on some occasions he had differed with Mr. Fox on political questions, yet, "in all the course of their acquaintance and intimacy, no one difference of political opinion had ever for a moment affected their friendship. It certainly was indiscretion at any period, but much greater at his time of life, to provoke enemies; or to give his friends cause to desert him; yet if that was to be the case, by adhering to the

British constitution, he would risk all; and as public duty and public prudence taught him, in his last words exclaim, 'Fly from the French constitution."" On this Mr. Fox whispered, There is no loss of friendship, I hope." Mr. Burke answered with some warmth, "Yes there is; I know the price of my conduct, "" In the course of

our FRIENDSHIP IS AT AN END.

this brilliant speech, Mr Burke reasoning with great warmth, checked himself, and addressing himself to the chair, said, "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and soberness."

Mr. Fox rose to reply; but for some time was so overpowerd by his feelings, that the tears trickled down his cheeks. He took a review of the close intimacy which for nearly twenty-five years had existed between Mr. Burke and himself, and complained of the ignominious epithets that his friend had applied to him.

Mr. Burke said, he did not recollect that he had used any.

Mr. Fox replied, "My right honourable friend does not recollect the epithets; they are out of his mind; then they are completely and for ever out of mine. I cannot cherish a recollection so painful; and from this moment they are obliterated and forgotten."

SINGLE-SPEECH HAMILTON.

The prevalent and often repeated assertion, that William Gerard Hamilton spoke but once in the House of Commons, is not strictly true. His first effort at parliamentary eloquence was made November 13, 1755, when, to use the words of Waller respecting Denham, "he broke out like the Irish rebellion, three score thousand strong, when nobody was aware, or in the least suspected it." Certainly no first speech in parliament ever produced such an effect, or acquired such eulogies both within and without the House of Commons, and yet no copy of this speech remains. For many years it was supposed to have been his only attempt, and hence the familiar name of single-speech was fixed upon him; but he spoke a second time in February, 1756, and such was the admiration that followed this display of his eloquence, that Mr. Fox, then one of the principal secretaries of state, immediately procured him the appointment of a lord of trade. At the time Mr. Hamilton made his first speech, it was reported that Mr. Burke had written it for him, in gratitude for his having obtained a pension through his interest. This, however, although talked of in the better circles of that day, is totally without foundation. The connexion between Burke and Hamilton did not last long; for a few years afterwards, on some political contest, Mr. Hamilton telling Mr. Burke, as coarsely as it was unfounded, that "he took him from a garret," the latter very spiritedly replied, "Then, sir, by your own confession, it was I that descended to know you."

PITT AND SHERIDAN.

In February, 1783, Mr. Sheridan first came into direct contact with Mr. Pitt, who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer; and it is evident that the attack was premeditated on the part of Sheridan, in an ambitious aim to cope with this extraordinary young man, whose powers as an orator and a statesman were then the general theme of admiration. When the preliminaries of peace came under consideration, Mr. Sheridan levelled some strong observations against Mr. Pitt, who could not well avoid taking notice of them. Alluding to Mr. Sheridan's dramatic connexions and pursuits, he said, no man admired more than he did the abilities of the honourable gentleman, the elegant sallies of his thoughts, the gay effusions of his fancy, his dramatic turns, his epigrammatic points; and if they were reserved for the proper stage, they would, no doubt, receive what the honourable gentleman's abilities always did receive the plaudits of the audience; and it would be his fortune sui plausu guadere theatre. But this was not the proper scene for the exhibition of these elegancies, and he, therefore, must beg leave to call the attention of the house to a serious consideration of the very important question before them."

Mr. Sheridan, in explanation, adverted in a forcible manner to his personality, saying, "he need not comment on it, as the propriety, the taste, and the gentlemanly point of it, must have been obvious to the house; but," added he, "let me assure the right honourable gentleman, that I do now, and will at any time when he chooses to repeat this sort of allusion, meet it with the most sincere good humour; nay I will say