The Sun.
London, England, 1812-01-15 00:00:00

la. PDX'S PiRTIPDAT.

TO THE INDEPENDENT ',TEEM/LIMES OF bURHAM
COUNTY, AND THE INDEPENDENT FREEMEN OF
DURHAM CITY, AND OF THE TOWN AND COUNTY
OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE-UFON-TYNE.
GENTLEMEN,
I was much surprised to see, at this distance of
time from the death of IVIr. Fox, an, advertisethent
in the Courant of the 4th instant, for the first cele-
bration of . his birth-day at Newcastleupon-Tyrie.
Amongst the Stewards, I ob•;erve the names of Sir
Ralph Milbanke, Bart. Mr. Ralph J. Lambton,
and Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart.
I was for some tune at a loss to conjeaure the
motive for this celebration of
,Mr. Fox's birth-day
in the North of England ; for had the recolleclion
of the patriotism of that most ." consummate" states-
manbeen as strongly telt by them as the virtues,
integrity, abilities, and firmnesS, of that illuArious.
patriot, the late Mr. Pitt, were impressed on the
minds of yourselves and neighbours, who have an-
nually and publicly celebrated within, as it were,
your own thresholds' his birth-day, they. surely
would not have delayed this public mark of their
approbation of Mr. Fox's conduct, and attachment
to his principles until the year 18,12; but on pe-
rusing in a paper of this morning the " Party's"
Address of Mr. Baillie to his Constituents, at Bris-
tol, the doubt I entertained was removed, and the
reason for the intended celebration of Mr. Fox's
birth-day, at Newcastle, became apparent ; name-
ly, that as " a dissolution
.of Parliament was ex-
peded in the eesuing spring," it became necessary
an attempt should be made to support the " waning"
influence of the three Members before named, who
are to officiate as Stewards on the occasion.
This "dying" etTott of the remnant of the Oppo-
sition in the North will, doubtlessly, be as etittr.ll
as the attempt was in the swing 01-1807
the re-election of the late Member for Northuinbet
land, who, by his principles and condud, had given
general dissatisfadion to his constituen•s ; and as
Sir Ralph Milbanke, Mr. R. J. Lambton, and Sir
M. W. Ridley, hare invariably suppbrted that
Noble Lord throughout his political career, it would
be an insult to your understandings to suppose you
will give them. your suffrages at the next election,
whenever it may take place.
Under this convidtion, I am induced to recom-
mend to your attention the following extracts from
a, pamphlet, just published, entitled, " A few Re-
marks addressed to J. B. Trotter,'E-q. on the scan-
dalous attack made upon the Charader of the Right
Hon. William Pitt, in his " Memoirs of the latter
years of the Right Hon. C. J. Fox ;" to which are
added, strittures on the general tendency of the
work, and a-refutation of the author's comparative
estimate of those two statesmen ;" in order that
you may continue justly to appreciate their respec-
tive characters. A FREEMAN OF NEWCASTLE.
Coal Exchange, fan. 13, iSta.

0 PT

" With resped to the talents of Mr. Pitt, he
(Mr. Trotter) seems to have formed no settled opi-
nion in one place he assures ui that.this ever-to-
be-lamented statesman, whose tame is as far beyond
the reach of Mr. Trotter as the canopy of heaven is
from mortal grasp, " was unfit to be premier, and
indeed inadequate to fill any considerable depart-
ment of the State." In the same page he asserts,
that " Mr. Pitt, under the controul of an extensive
and liberal genius, like that of 21r. Fox (credal Ju-
dceus!) might have- been a useful- minister of
finance." Perhaps, however, Mr. Trotter did not
understand the financial to be a " considerable de-
partment of the State."- Ai this, gentleman ap-
pears not to have made up his mind respeding the
charther of Mr. Pitt, we shall endeavour to trace
it for his perusal,. if he will close Euripides for a

few moments, and study those traits which
through remotest ages, bursting through the dark-
ness o the tomb, ,will shed an uni.erishable lustre
on the son of Chatham:

" In early youth Mr. Pitt wag looked up to by
all parties, with the sole exception of Mr. Fox, as
the rising sun in the political hemisphere; lie who'
subsequently became his great rival, however, " was,
at that period," to use the words of a cotemporary
writer, " inclined very much to under Value his abi-
lities, and to impute to arrogance and pre;mmption
that confidence which he afterwards admitted to

rest upon the most solid and substantiA grounds.
After the death of Mr. Pitt, in the discussion on the

resolution of Mr. Cartwright for the payment of
that illustrious statesman's debts, Mr. Fox unequi-
vocally asset ted his opinion of Mr, Pitt's greatness,
and we would refer Mr. Trotter to his patron on
ihis,oecasion to satisfy him that, however meanly
he may hold the fame of the illustrious, 11,1 r. Fox
displayed a more exalted mind, 4nd a readiness to
bear testimony to the brilliant genies of him who
steered the vessel in a dangerous ocean, and brought
her safely through the rocks and breakers which

threatened her crestrutlion—to the undaunted intre-
pidity and unshaken firmness of " the pilot that
weathered the storm."

" Mr. Fox's opinion of the talents of Air. Pitt,
even in the commencement of this great mints par-
liamentary career, his anxiety to conciliate his
friendship or to ktter his hostility, was sufficiently
illustrated by his offer to include the young orator
in the administration of which Lords 11,,ckinghatn,
Shelburne, and Mr. Fox, were at the ,bead. In de-
dining •to become a' 'party in this coalition, Mr.
Pitt, doubtless, laid the foundation of his fu ore
greatness ; as the brief existence of this ministry
afforded hail the opportunity to elicit those dazzling
bursts of eloquence which gained him at once the,
admiration of the people and the contidetice of his
Soo ereign.

" Th; uniform hostility displayed by Mr. Fox
against the measures of his great antagonist,.if traced
to their proper source, will be found to have origin-
ated in motives very remote from those which have
been attributed to him-by Mr. Trotter and his • other
friends, and we shall not travel far from,the truth
when.,,we take upon ourselves roundly to assert that
his enmity arose from the rejiisal of Mr. Pitt to co-
alesce with his party in 1782—a retrial which was'
not less galling to one than it was glorious .to the
other. To a soul like that of Mr. Fox the wound
was deep : Ms pride, his honor,his self- superiority had
received an injury which was not easily to be ef-
faced•; and when, subsequently, on the ruins of this
degraded minister's fortunes, Mr. Pitt arose to

poWele the injury *tag rendered etetrial. From this
period Mr. Fir( lost no opportunity to thwart his
rival's projeets—to draw dot; n obloquy on los mime
--=to. decry his measures before they had in-
vestigated, or even promulgated-..and, to hold him
to public view as a minister w itheut patriotism, a
politician without principle. •
" On the introduction of Mr. Pitt's celebrated In-
dia Bill, Mr. Fox and Iris followers had marshalled.
their objections to his plan before it had been laid on
the table of the House. The torturing recolledion
of the fate o( his owo measure haunted him, and his
dignity was bun at the probability that a plan might
be adopted, framed by one so much his inferior in
years and experience., On the rejection of this bill.;
Mr. Fox's teal motives became evident ;. it could nu
longer be concealed that. his opposition was mord
connected- with personal and party .consideration
t ban with that purity of principle for which he had
ob•ained a limited cretit. The unshaken intrepidity
&splayed by Mr. Pitt under circumstances of tanex
ampled difficulty, defeated the intentions of his ene=
rules ; arid an cppeal to the sense of the natititi
proved that his ground was too firm to be shaken.
" BuoMr. Fox did not confine his opposition to
the acrimony of def.a,e; his active enmity was not
to be letwred by tile common rules adopted by the
partizans of faction ; his grand object was the dis-
lodgment of Mr. Pitt from the proud eminence on
which he had been placed;- and, effectually to ac-
complish it, no means were considered too arduous
no measure too personal; no attack too virulent.—
Of the correctness of this assertion, o more striking
instance tit in the follmVing can hardly be conceived.
" In the year teof Mr. Fa .% kener was sent by
the British Government to the cowl of ilessia, as
Envoy Extraordinary, to induce the Etnp- ress Cathe-
rine to grant flivoorable terms to the humbled Ot-
tomans ; one of tbepi incipai specific objects of this
diplomatic ,mission was the rescue of a tract of land
between the Hester and the Den, on which stood
the fortress of Oczakow, from the hands Of the
Russians,.-as it was considered the. key to the Turk-
ish empire. Mr. Fox, on this ocuasion, ntit con-
tented with opposing the designs of his Govern-
ment in the customary and constitutional mode, re-
sorted to a measure altogether unprecedented in the
history of party feuds, and unsupported by the coon_
tenance of a single individual amongst his pat liamett-
tary adherents. Mr. Burke has given the following
account of a transaction which, in whatever light it
may be placed, and however it may be palliated,
(justification of it is absolutely out of the questiott)
throws ,a stigma on the character of Mr. Fox which
no subsequent a'onement could ever obliterate.

The laws and constitution of the kingdom en-
t rust the sole and exclusive right of treating with fo-
reign potentates with the King. This is ap undis-
puted part of the legal prerogative of the Crown:-=.
However, notwithstanding thi4, Mr. Fox, without
the knowledge or participation of any one per,on
the House of Commons, with whom he was hound
by every party principle, in matters of delicacy and
importance, confidentially to communicate, thought
proper to send Mr. Adair as his representacive, and
with his cypher, to St Petersburg!), there to frustrate
the objects for which the minister from the CrOtAlil
was authorised to treat. He succeeded in this his
design, and did actually frustrate the Being's minister
in some of the objects of his negotiation. This pro-
ceeding of Mr. Fox does not, as I conceive amount
to absolute high treason! Russia, though on bad
terms, not having been then declaredly at 'War with.
this kingdom ; but such a proceeding is, in law, not
very remote from that offence, and is uirdOubtely a
most unconstitutional ad!, and an high treasonable
misdemeanour.'

" That Mr. Adair did go over to the Russian
Court, and that in consequence of his unconstitution-
al interference, the treaty was tendered ,less favour,
able to t he Ottomans, as they were obliged to sorrels.;
der their claim to the tract and fortress in question,
standS upon indisputable evidence; and, it is_equally
certain, this strange step, was taken with a view to
bring disgrace on his illustrious anttigoni.t, to Of
prive him of the favour of the nation, and the confi-
dence of the King. On what ground of, principle
the friends of Mr. Fox will attemiit to justify this
action in-his political life, we are at a loss to conceive.
Viewed its its proper:light, it presents the cunning
and malignant 'workings of a spirit torn by envy atad
ambition, the frantic and absurd breakings out of as
mind discomposed by pride and political madness.
We are sorry to place Mr. Fox's conduct and
motives in an unfavourable point of view.—We ate
cobce toed to rake up the ashes of the dead to serve
as fuel for our censnte—we Would• willingly have
suffered this certainly great statesman to rest undis-
turbed in his-tot-sib, but the inconsiderate officious-
ness and'the ill regulated zeal of Mr. Trotter have
dragged hiM trotn'hii slumber, and placed him one*
more in the front. of the battle ;' and if his fame be
wounded anew, those filen& who really loved him,
and who best displayed their love by leaving his
merits or demerits to be traced by the pen of the
impart al historian, will have to thank the Secretary
for the very singular mantmer in u hick be hasiivi,
dated lsis debt 61grat nude so Ins patron:,

[To be continued