The National Register. — London, England, 1812-05-24 00:00:00

I I mr7- - THE N ATION A _R _EGISTER. for whose satisfaction they were intended. He voted against smch conces,.ions at the outset, and had since found no cause to alter his opinion ; but he denied that the pro visions of the act of 1801, were at all analogous to the propose.' measure. Sii:ce in that instance, there was no cle , on to a l .point a Catholic to any of our Civil Offices. I\tothing so monstrous ill ininciple," he exclaimed, o-as ever avowed." Tolerant towards all sects, Mr. PErci.v 1. was ways particularly cam oful of the interests and stability of our ecclesiastical establishment, and sub ou.oitly tzrouglit in a bill to increase the salaries of the stipendiary curates, This bill, however, was lost A.pmil 1808, but the condition of the poorer clergy has s;nce been ameliorated by the monies voted for their re in Parliament, at the particular recommendation of the Crown. The sudden burst of patriotism in the Spanish penin sula now attracted every eye, and awakened throughout the land feelinp . s cf sympathy and exultation, except among those who think they would commit a breach of party decorum , if they were to express joy at our tri umphs, or sotrow at our misfoitunes. Liberal in their aid to the Sparish and Portuguese nations, Mr. PERCEVAL and his colleagues had incessantly to contend with the evil forebodiogs and terrors of the Opposition, who re echoed Bos.AnAlurE's threats of destroying our armies in the peninsula, with great fidelity of mwation both in feeliog - and in tone. The Tang list of British victories gained wherever cur heroes have fought ; the rescue of Portugal from the grasp of its oppressors ; the capture Of two of the strongest fortresses in Spain, defended by the bravest troops and officers the enemy could appoint, and the flattering prospects of Spanish independence, have hi. therto sowed but few seeds of hope in the minds of those politicians, who, however, begin to think that it is possi -1,1-' for our troops to encounter the fury of the Gallic eagles, ,out bring instantly annihilated. i'he disastrous fate of the Walcheren Expedition, the dissentions in the Cabinet, to which the death of the Duke of PORTLAND (succeeded by Mr. PERCEVAL) gave rise, by bringinA to light the conduct of Mr. CANNING to wards Lord CASTLEREAC;II, and occasioning a duel be tween those two Statesmen, and their consequent seces sion from office, the revolutionary commotion excited by the resistance c f an Honourable Baronet to the laws of his cour:try, would have been sufficient to overturn a Minister le -s deeply grounded on just principles ; less powerfully flied by the Ikeight of his own integrity; endowed with less energy of character, less undaunted firmness of mind, and le:,s eminent abilities. Surrounded with political storms, Mr. PESCI:VAL passed through them unshaken. His Administration maintained the honour, secured the independence, and augmented the power of his country. Nay, its beneficial influence was extended beyond the li mits of the British empire. Foreign nations frequently hesitated in becoming our allies on account of the insta bility of our Administrations. Mr. PERCEVAL'S integrity as a roan, and spirit as a Minister, attracted both their respect and their confidence. They saw that his private character was sufficient to procure him the support of every virtuous man : They knew that his public vigour had power to coutroul the most discordant elements, and to command success. They beheld him armed at all points—with sincere affection for his King, love for his country, veneration for her laws, zeal and activity in her defence, with strength to repel enemies, and to assist friends, re-olution to encounter, skill to elude, and ability t..) conquer ) difficulties. They saw him, towards his MAY 42 God, obedient and submissive, towards his fellow-man, benevolent and blameless, and they not only reveled, b ut trusted him. Hence they welcomed our assistance wi l h joy ; they learned to conquer by the side of our warrior s; and, with the blessing of Providence, will ultimately restore that indeiTnderice for which they now so worthily -contend. Such was the Minister whom the hand of an assassin has snatched from the service of iris country. Unassisted, like Mr. PITT, by men of superior talents, he had borne the chief weight of Government through a period of p e . culiar difficulty and danger. Yet, never had he appear e d so great as when he stood forth the champion o! his afflicted Monat ch, against, wh it to every human eye . must have seemed, his obvious interest. His conduct, it was supposed, would offend a Prince, eager to enter en the unrestrained exercise of Royal power. Short-sighted mortals ! His Prince rewarded his loyalty and patriotism, by giving him all his confidence. The grave has LOVI closed over him, let us trust his God has granted him a still brighter crown, an unfading eternity of bliss. Charity, which St. Paul so beautifully illustrates as the first of Christian virtues, formed a marking feature ia Mr. PMICEVALIS character. It was not in him an osteeta tious profuseness that gives in order to be seen ; but a 2ri rit of benevolence that endeavours to conceal the good it performs. His charity was not that of the purse alone, but of the heart. Hence it was not confined to necuniaiy assistance to deserving persons , but operated' through the wh.)le of his conduct. It repressed the natural in;- • petuosity of his temper, and armed him on all occa,ions with unalterable good•nature. This was never mere re. 1 markable than in the Senate, where, notwithstanding t! many provocations he received, he never allowed Ys mist violent antiagonists to tiiamph over his temi.er. 'il3c.y might rage, and he would rebut their charges, but w'] l • argument, not abuse. They might assail him with the virulence of passion, and find him still possessed il that perfect self-command, which provoked their anger, i and defeated their attempts. Spirited in the service of I. c country, and the support of the measures which lie cor, ceived best calculated to promote her interests, he ecaLi make his opponents feel the weight of his eloquence a:.(1 the sharpness of his wit, without ever forgetting the lan• guage or the deportment of a gentleman. He disarmed party discussions of their rancour, and obtained Iron tl;e hearts of his antagonists that tribute of praise which ther klips denied. Regard for the feelings of others, Iljd " 1 him counteracted nature, that had endowed him witi; : ' p d l o s v p ' l e a r ) s e c 7f - w r h a e i l l l ler a y cti s i e lg ido i m n 5 exceeded, cit. ci eiene b • ommons. In private life his wit enlivened conversattc,m in , w th i e li il l without inflicting any wound on his fellow-creatures ; avd , we have been informed, that a friend who had lived in th , closest intimacy with him for thirty-five years, could DU: had beta recollect a single instance, in which his raillery , h ) l e t s ° e nl Jf personal. Few men, estimated their abilities more humbly , tl''l Mr. PERCEVAL did . his own. The consc iousness of t rectitude of his motives and designs, supplied and unbending firmness to defend them , and ci.ergy ii , ,•.. vity to carry them into execution. Bat even hi s uccess ( 1 not change his opinion respecting h is o wn merits, .w-: he denied to exist. Censuring hi s own conduct 3,v,th 11 , most inflexible severity, he was a m ost charitable a11,.l:; nignant critic of the conduct of others. Ills d i ' c' e ` 1 to truth was so steady, that even dur in g the courbe (A ..! r floc