The National Register.
London, England, 1812-05-17 00:00:00

111 E NATIONAL REGISTER.

sentations of enemies, the desertion, or peevishness of
friends, and sometimes the mistaken cen looks beyres of thond the
e peo-
ple. It is the honourable ambition that
e, and support a
present time, that must create, encourag
Nirtnoui and enlightened Statesman, that must confer on
his mind the uprightness and purity thatth rise a
Statebove
from
foreig n hostility f
or internal action ; the firmness that
Trust often resist the wishes, to 'ensure the safety of the
people."
Of such a Minister, so regardless of profit, that whilst
performing the duties of two most imp
of
offices in the
State, he voluntarily received only the salary of one; so
sparing of patronage, that. he bestowed no appointment
on his own children ; so firm in
wthehil execution of his duty,
and S 9 upriglit in his conduct, whilst the country
the loss, the pen of biography will endeavour to display
the public and private actions.
Th,! late SPENCI'R PERCEVAL, Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, and of the Duchy of Lancaster, and First Lord of
the Treasury, Oescended from an ancient and illustrious
family, was second son to the late
L Earl o
an d f EGM
OLLAN ONT, of
the kiitzdoin of Ireland, and Baron ovEn HD,
of Enmore, in Soersetshire ; by the Earl's second mar-
of
riage to the sister of Lord NORTHAMPTON, CATHERINE
COMPTON, who, May 19, 1770, was created a Peeress in
her own right, by the style of Lady
ARDEN, (Baroness
AIIDEN, of Lohart Castle, in the County of Cork, but
dying in 1781,, she was succeeded by her eldest son CHAS.
GEORGE, called Lord AItDEN, who, July the 20th, 1802,
was raised to the Peerage of England, by the title of
Baron ARDEN in Warwickshire. SPENCER PERCEVAL, se-
cond son of the late Baroness ARDEN, and brother to the
pre;ent Lord ARDEN, was born Nov. 1, in the year 1762,
at his father's house, in Audley-square, London. He is
said to have been named after his uncle SPENCER, the
e'g)ich, and late Earl of NorernAmpTorz. He descended
horn the House of Ivery, which originally sprung, it
.liould seen), from Ronv.wr, the younger son of EIJDES,
Sovereign Duke of BRITTANY, in France, and which,
transplanted into Normandy, was possessed of the Castle
of leer}', at the period of the Normanstudieq Con
iss uest.
now be-
The seat of Mr. PERCEVAL'S early
come that of his grave. His infans are sported at ChFarltom
on,
in Dent, and there his rem
ai
thence lie removed to Harrow, ilnd at the protpßishgoer aep
of
to
'Trinity College, Cambridge, where the presen
T was
BRISTOL, Dr. WILLI AM LORI' MANSELL, his tutor.
There be distinguished himself
id both by his
Il attention to
study, and the display of sp abilities. ls exertions
were not unrewarded. In 1781, lie obtaind the degree
of Master of Arts, and on the 16th of Dec.eof the follow-
ing year, was admitted of Lincoln's Inn. His usual appli-
cation carried him successfully through the necessary stu-
dies, and he was called to the Bar in Hilary
Term, 1786.
Having now passed the threshold of h
eis
Midland profession Circuit.
, he ac-
companied the Judges through th
Here he was generally opposed by Mr. Serjeant Vnuoli AN)
and notwithstanding the excess of his modesty, which at
that period might almost have been construed into timi-
dity, he displayed encouraging promises of forensic ex-
cellence, which displayed itself' with much splendour on
the trial of G I.ORi:E THOMAS, of Bra
leys ,
re Noainertham tor
tonshire, for forgery. In this case, he wad
the ro
psecution, and had the honoudot ontend wit w h Mr.
LAW, since Lord Chitf Justice ENUH ho
appeared for the defendant. This trial excited much public
attention, and the ability evinced by Mr. P. greatly increas

:1 00

ed the number of his clients. In 1796, hewas invited to the
Court of King's Bench, and appoin;ed King's Council,
yet he soon after removed to the
H Cou
isrtd of Chaomestic nceryai, where
his practice became extensive. ha,
however, antedated his rapid advances in his proo that of
fession.
Owing to the vicinity of his father's residence t
the late Gen. Sir T. SPENCER 'WILSON, Bart. an active and
spirited Officer, who had distinguished himself at the bat-
tle of Minden, where he served as Aide-de-Camp to
General, since Earl WALDEGRAVE, and who held the
lordship of the manor of Charlton, the PERCEVA LS and
WinsoNs had for many years lived in the utmost intimacy.
An attachment, formed in infancy, between SPENCE::
PERCEVAL and Miss JANE WILSON, the youngest of the
Baronet's daughters, was matured with their years into
love, and crowned in 1790, by their union. It may be
considered as no incurious coincidence of family affection,
that about four years before, the elder brother of our
oung barrister, Lord ARDEN, should have married the
y eldest of the Sir T. S. WILSON'S daughters, MARGAIti3
ELIZABETH.
The progress of Mr. SPENCER PERCEVAL in his pro-
Ifession, now grew still more rapid. After his appoint
sity,
iment of Counsel to the Admiralty, his own Univer
' Cambridge, gave him a flattering testimony of esteem ils
nominating him one of itS MO COLIIIseI. . His abilitieL
expanded with their field of action. They were nol(nger
confined to the bar, and now burst out in the ;ien,ce.
Mr. PEACEVALIS love for his country, and detestation c).
French principles, had long inspired him with the wish of
joining the Parliamentary hosts that supported the Throne
and the Constitution against the attacks of faction at borne
and the attempts of enemies abroad. An opportunity
soon occurred to gratify his laudable ambition. Lent
COMPTON succeeded to the Earldom of Northampton, in
April 1796, owing to the demise of his
the bmatorouernagh of l uncle,t
and consequently vacated his seat for tba
name. Students at the same college together, the Earl
and Mr. PERCEVAL were besides first cousins, and a';
closely united by the ties of friendship as by thus?. of
blood. The influence of their families had great weigllt
in the borough of Northampton, and Mr. Pt...ttc EN i.i., who
had previously been nominated Devuty Recorder, Was
immediately returned for the vacant represeroation. Cii.
stant in his political attachments, be received in retnin
from his Constituents the most satisfactory pledge f their
regard and approbation. He was elected by tteni to
serve in three Parliaments; and continued their tepritti-
tative, when the unprovoked and want on inhumanity of
an assassin, hurried him from the busy
life, into the silent inactivity of the pave.
No sooner bad Mr. PERCEV AL Obtained a oat in the
House of Commons, than lie hastened to avow his poli.
tical creed. A fervent admirer of the eloquence of Nr:
PITT, and a zealous supporter of the principles oil wllicil.
that gi eat Statesman acted, he declared himself a friend
to his administration, and powerfully advocated his nic.A.
sures. The first time he took an important share ill the
\ debate, was on the '3d of June, 1797, when he are ill.
support of Mr. all
Bill, for the better prevention and
St:age of public
\ punishment of all traitorous attempts to excite seed
land mutiny in his Majesty's service, and prcposecl sll,
beneficial amendmen_ts, which were severally cons;,ler.
land finally adopted. It is remarkable, that almost 1,1
first and last public act, should have had the same end!.
`tileview : for one of the last subjects on which he sp(koa.
House of Commons, was Mr. Ryder's Bill flr nvic
I 1 011
efrectnally preventing the administration of unLmf.,

MAY l7.

The satisfaction witlk which he had been heard, and the
flattering attention paid to his suggestions, encouraged
him to dedicate more of his time and of his mind to the
politics of his country. In the subsequent Session we
therefore find him frequently pitted against the opponents
of the administration, and resisting with all the strength
of his eloquence the introduction of French principles into
England. He defended with peculiar energy the policy
of the war and the measures which the necessity of re-
pelling the revolutionary tide from our slimes had com-
pelled Government to adopt.
In January 4, 1898, Mr. PERCEVA T, replying to Mr.
HOLHIOUSE, respecting the Assessed Tax Bill, contended,
g, that himself, and not Mr. H. was pleading the cause of
property, by supporting this measure, which was to pro-
tect it. It had been contended by an Hon. Baronet (Sir
F. BURDETT), that the application of the money would
enable Ministers to carry on a war against liberty ; but if
the present war was a war against liberty, it was that
species of liberty against which he trusted we should ever
bear arms—it was against the importation of French li-
berty into England." In respect to the measure then
under consideration, it was the urgency of the times
which constituted it a leading feature. It was not in
our power to chase a peace ; the enemy would give none.
It did not remain with us to sheath the sword ; but with
them. It had been said, that the people now began to
question, Whether, if the enemy came, they could do
worse ? Did the people ask this, and was there any one
unprepared with an answer ? if such a man there be (ex-
claimed Mr. PERCEV AL) I will furnish him with one—
the enemy would not surely act better towards us than
they have done towards their own subjects. Let men of
a certain rank recollect how they treated all men in their
station'; Jet the shopkeepei-, now said to be afraid of the di-
rect operation of the present tax,think, if he can, what must
have been the effect of a forced loan ? Let every person recol-
lect, that rising in regular proportion until they reached the
sum of 9000 livres, when they took one half, each in-
come was reduced to the standard of about 1801. few
being left a larger sam than that for their avowed ex-
penses ; yet the present measure of assessments had been
!aid to be worse than any that ever had been adopted by
ROBE4;I3IEFIRE ; nay it had been put in competition with
the total confiscation of property."—Mr. SHERIDAN an-
swered Mr. PEREEVAL, ()Wiling, by the Way, that the
latter had delivered a speech of great talent, great inge-
nuity, and considerable vehemence.—December 1798,
Mr. PEIICEVAL defended Mr. PITT'S new plan for the
collection of the Assessed Taxes ; and from this time he
appears to have devoted his attention to cur finances,
since some of his own plans in this important department
of state, are deserving of considerable commendation.—
During the June of ISOO, Mr. PFRcEvAL publicly la-
mented the failure of the measure for the prevention of
adultery; and also spoke at length in support of the Mo-
nastic Institution Bill. In the course of 1802 he became
Attorney-General. Particularly solicitous, as to the le-
gislation of objects connected with religion, Mr. PER-
CEVAL resisted, the next year, certain clauses in the
Clergy Non-residence Bill ; but said that he still consi-
dered pluralities as a great grievance ; and that the dis.
cretion of granting exemptions should he thought be
vested in the Bishops. While Attorney General he proved
a strenuous advocate for the Union with Ireland ; and
also spoke in defence of the Bid for Correcting the Abuses
the Navy, and the renewal; May 24, ISO 3, of
:
against France.

301

Distinguished both at the Bar and in the Senate, pre-
ferment, which Mr. PERCEVAL only laboured to deserve,
came to him unsolicited. In 1801, he had succeeded
the present Master of the Rolls, Sir WILILAM GRANT,
as Solicitor-General, and the following year, as we have
seen, he was appointed Attorney-General, in lieu of Sir
EDWARD LAW, raised to the Peerage, and to the dig-
nity of Lord Chief Justice of'the Court of King's Bench.
The post of Attorney-General, Mr. PERCEVAL retained
until 1806, «hen the death of Mr. PITT, left the helm
of the State to the hands of a combined Administra-
tion, which he deemed it inconsistent with his principles
to join.
When the measures of the New Administration assumed
a character, which he considered hostile to the Constitu-
tion and the State, Mr. PERCEVAL became one of its most
active and powerful opponents. Possessed of mote than
eloquence in debate, of skill to wage political warfare
successfully, he carefully selected his points of attack. He
did not waste his strength, merely to encrease the triumphs
of his antagonists, by assailing their strong holds. He
caught and smote them in their weakness; and when in
1807, Mr. Fox brought forward the Catholic Petition, he
perceived that the crisis of the contest was come, and op-
posed the motion, on the ground, that further concessions
would only encourage claims detrimental to the Protest-
ant interest, with so much energy and eloquence, that the
Speech may be considered as having inflicted the death-
blow to a tottering Administration.
The splendour and power of his abilities were now con-
spicuous. His political principles were tried and fixed.—
His views consonant with the interests of his country, the
sentiments of his King, and wishes of the people. A new
Cabinet was formed, and he was called to the elevated,
laborious, and difficult post of CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER. His nomination was not as we have shown the
effect of royal caprice. It was justified by his talents and
truly constitutional principles, and what is not gene-
rally known, by the opinion expressed long before by a
judge of acute understanding, the late Mr PITT, on his
capacity. The duel that took place between that departed
Statesman, than whom no greater shall rise, and Mr.
TIERNEY, is still fresh in the recollection of the public.—
Mr. RYDER acted as second to Mr. Par, and on their way
to the appointed place of meeting, naturally inquired,
in case Providence should allow him to fall, who, of
all the political characters of the day, he thought would
be fit to fill the situation of Prime Minister ? Mr. PITT re-
mained some time in deep consideration, and then an-
swered " PE.RCE.VAL." This anecdote, which we have
from unquestionable authority, tells more than volumes of
praise, in behalf- of Mr. PERCEVAL.
(To be concluded in our next.)

rE-ro ttic Mentorp
OF THE SKILFUL PILOT
WllO WAS SNATCHED FROM THE HELM BY MB HAND

OF AN ASSASSIN.

Te ferit incautnm, Patrice dual tendis ad Aral,
Orco et przcipitem dat scelerata manes !
! CAztl trerntfacti Rostra Scnatus

Indignata team congenutere necem.
Ipse gemit Princeps, tanta virtute perempta;
I-E)rret inantlitum gets stupefacta nefas.
Sic literymis, P.Ainure, oiu, temone revulso,
Consperget cineres Patria masta tuos.

•• * The favcur of a Trans:ation in verse wilt be received with tbNliki,

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