The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-10 00:00:00

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No 1,285.—V0L. XIII.]

MEMOIR OF THE HIGHT HON. EARL GREY.

(From the London Magasinc.)

1••••••

" To sloths the naked. feed the Iningry, wipe
The guiltless tear from lone affliction 'a eye ;
To raise his merit, set the alluring light
Of Virtue highly to view ; to nourish arts,
Direct tbc thooder of an injured state,
I whole glorious people sing for Joy.
Bless human kind; and (two' the downward depth
(if future times to spread that better sun
Which lights up Liritirh souls • with deeds like theta
Ifiedualmg fair career unbounded shines."
Utionnuou'it lAborty.
" Amid the faithlessness of Primes, the hollow-Iseartedness
el courtiers, mid the insidious tricking. of patriots. it is a
sweet consolation to turn the eye on u liberal-minded aid
consistent statesman. whomelforts have been itivaritably di-
rected to save the liberties of his country from vedation,
and the sacred altar of its constioutinn from the open and
covert acts of the despot or dentagoote. There are few in-
dividuals in the annals of British history who have euvori-
butod inure to this glorious n irk, tit aho can burst a louger
line of ancestry than Earl Grey.
" The Lion. Charles Grey, the eldest son of Lord Grey de
Ilowic, was born in 1704; and by the ialluence of his faintly
and the early promise of his future talents, was returned me
[amber. for the comity of Northumberland its 17SS.
" Mr. Grey was too young for a seat in the Ilwase of Com-
ones during the American war; but if we arc to reasoti from
analogy, notwithstunding the delicate situation in which he
*would have been placed., there can be little doubt but that
he would have deprecated a mutest, in the condemnation
-of which his pulitteahowociattet, as well as politic:a enemies,
live nowt cordially united. His father, together with Barre
and Hernial% was attaubed to the Marquis of Lansdowne;
but lie hiare.tlf.uppears to h..se looked up to sin patron,
eilthoteth he has uniformly leek the same sine in politics,
and voted along with tdr. ox. lie is one of that clog:tent
and iiiirep.d ;ova, ssho maintained that Mr. Pitt had ob-
tained his heel ofreitsi appointriteut by singular HIM uucou-
atitutional means; :tier he was geneintly a atreuttou,
oppositioaist dame the administration of that
The latter eentleintin very eiir.y discovered an umuition to
•become'a war minister ; and his fi.rmer dispute iu Spain.
Russia, France. Denmark, &c. fully retitled him to that ap-
pellation. In lie bloodh-ss cock.st is ith the first al these
powers in role, hi. opponents net only cundembed ha otter-
-010 precipitation, but objected that he bad entered into
deppvieutiun, relative to which he had omitted to lay the ue-
„canary documents berme the House.
"In the debate tin the negociatiun respecting the Falkland
Islands, (Dec. IS, 1790,) Mr. Grey greatly distinguished
.himself, and evinced the possession of those legislative nod
rhetorical powers which have sitice beets of such etniueot
service to his country.
" Ir the spring of the succeeda.g ea-. a urge' oat
with Room, deptareil to Ise inevitable; si. wipe!' a new .
urpusition by Mr. Gill immediately eveiw.l. In the curse
se' Wu:Teed, Lyda that occariou, Mt. G•ei delivered maxims
of the kunst enlightened policy, and of the newt pittriove
principka. it would have heeit well for seveteigneutel their
subjects, if these mat,ms lind goverued the conduct of Eu-
ropean cabinets fur the last twenty yearn. Instead of ex-
hausted 'reentries, impoverished provinces, a demoralized
people, mid El degraded throne, we ini,,ht slaw have seen
states rich in the possession of nature's bounties, trades, lux-
uries, a morel and intellectual goveronteut,s loyal, a virtuous,
and a happy peasantry.
" lit, leech et, ties occasion gave to an inthoonat
debate, and, tilihoogli the goestiou nub lust on a (1001cou,
(ayes 170, noes 23:1), yet it made a great stud lasting impress
stun oil the people, while a majority of eighty Mended bat a
pour triumph to the tnioister. Nor is it necessary to add
here, that Pitt was obliged, at length, to relinquish the
contest, and eapcnie not only hinnelf but the goveine.ent to
" In May 1191 we and Mr. Grey taking the lend in a hit.
which, iu the Iting„uirge of a great teams- of th.• day,
a Whitt on the character find hunutuity of the nation.'
We here allude to the tuelanchuly situation of those
who were unable to sati-fy the demands of itopoirtinale cre-
ditor., mid consequently subjected to the upt-tatein of a
rigorutist tele oi lows, lii compliance with a previous notice,
he WON ;Wolff': fur the 1111111 015 committee to inquire
Into the prt-critt practice and elfect of imprisonment for iteht,
observing, s that it wits desirable to distinguish the untie tu.
nate debtor from the knavish one, to place the creditor
that situation which allinded the faiteit and speediest
means ul centimes:llion. and 10 regulate tile jails of thes
country its such a manner a. to prevent umiecessary headship
slat re,traint. Whether they colieideied the pracuccnfcus..
lilting fur debt, men who had no meatts of discharging such
d. lit, or, nu the contrary, fraudulent debtors, ts hose credi-
tors by no process could compel the flu to pay ; three car.
cutustances were milude beatticielet to constitue an bigotry tutu
the steic of the laws relatiag to debtor and creditor.' This
atutiou being acceded, a committee, consisting of Mr. Grey,
Air. Pitt, bir John Sinclair, Mr. Vansittart, Mr. Martin,
the Atturoey and Sulk iter Geuerals, together with several
gentlemen of the long rube, as. immediately appeillied-
l' In 1799, Mr. they instituted au impory into the conduct
of .'Ministers with regard to the recently thremened hostili-
ties with Itoseia, iu %huh he made wale very bold observe-
lama, mind declared that they hail subjected themselves to
criminal proceedings by their vat vitiating tied maor; men-
inure. His otherthition 1111011 the coirmitittion ul tiritilist, ill
toe course of his oration, were reoustkable fur their
Beth, their eta rgy, ano eluquence
1* pointed and I tm eight t eines Its drew Oho' following
Thallium, le 1:0111033.1):1 boot Mr. Pitt —" All uelianited 1.011.
Adoollel• ismanattutiumil : mad I hope oto-
tuent *id neve, arrive, when this hung wilt abasieuu ibr
l'f.tVite..fe of et.imitem.;, rundentilinA, iii curt ertieg the
hbuyes it: the eat! 4( • it is ti., ell. I