The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-02-17 00:00:00

_ . .
To Tim REV. oniusTopioutWyrAMae one of the earliest and most judicious advocate! for
- • • --- - s freforetation of Parliament le," published at A.
• • ••
LETTER! t N ir. AND XVI. '.',• i ''time an excellent pamphlet, abetting the 'Hi te:es
. Imusimas • ' '.
.'' . ' : dency of your measure of 1180, in giving to thesis,-
•
' • Stallbe, bat fir '• • ' bility an undue litlluence. The innovating " pew,
. .
take gtst,—You tell tie that your half measure plexion of the expedient," says Mr. '[voter, " alit :
plan is practicable; bat ydut arguments in support Its want of conformity 'to the principles of our Co..
of that position are sonsewharsingular. Your words vitatieel have been explained with sub force by .
bra these:—" The measure we allude to, is that Mr, 11 D 4
aiATIAT,IIeat td add' clearness or strength to itie
*Melt thiiconnty adopted in 1780 ; which Mr. PIM ' remarks' is, perhaps, impossible-F.9 This .ataad.
after tome years, accepted from this and other.conn.: 44 peaceful," with others in the Address, and Maur
ties, and when principal Minister, offered [in 178,5] in the Baronet's Letter, carry along with them, I
to Parliament. It was, we are convinced, with sin- confess, sotnothing like Winn/ilium not quite cone
cerity that he then offered that plan ; because at a sistent with literality, and which' I must needs think
later period, at the union with Ireland, he carried, , would have been better spared.
by the influence of his power and eloquence, the ea... If, on the subject'of " suet-PM,' you hesitate is
tinction of a huudred rotten boroughs." -.believing me, yet, at least., believe !ourself. You
In 'discussing the question of identity I *eve. et- tell et we have been furled from inexperienee t."—
ready noticed certain errors in- this imene of your I Then, after four-and-thirty years of efforts and et
i;Arldteas. At present, I shall confine myself to your : discussion, go not back 'to 64 inexperience" Idt a
;extraordinary mode of reasoning, for manifesting the i guide to present conduct ! You tell as we heveteea
fpi-acticability of your plan. It is clear, that with foiled from " disunion §.'"l'hen reject not in Mug '
regard to Mr. PITT'S plan of 1800, he really was ' ger the right hand of constitutional fellowship fitit
sincere; because bad, difficult, and monstrous as isheld out to you ' Yon tell us we have been foiled, L
the plan in itself was, he actually
," carried" it. ' from " acting without steadiness, .without co*,ettsl
Bei from what premises you infer that in his plan of and uniformitra."
Then charitably bear with thus*.
;who, in your own opinion, are even 46 obstinate" its'
.1743 hewas sincere,. lam at a loss to divine. Let
'us state the alternative. In 1785, this " principal ,cc steadiness ;" act in 44 concert" with those stilt !
thousand Yorkshire:nen, and other seventy thousand
Minister" either was not sincere, or he was sincere.
play the 1 knglisitmen, whose petitions are soon to he present
*.
If 'kit sincere, he knew, it seems, how. to
cavils of a " principal Minister," so as at once to led ; petitions grounded 'on three principles, to'
: one of which you hare on various occasions -
iiisitire the italtimessure reformists with hope, while

eeerte
sirescriba-‘-e
he'divested the borough-faction of fear. If, on the ; idl, *repetition Of - Whicli conduct on your part, let
other Was he: wars;-ea you believe, at that timalel that is now wanting to '4 untformfry I" You 444 V.
" sincere," then you have, iu that very sincerity di us that " if union he effected," we may ratiooalty
w
this " principal Minister," coupled with the e. 4 hope -to he " crowned with soccesst" Then, for
arrrivieg it." union" slid 1" success," ask yourself
rienced failure of his own plan, a demonstration of
its'impe-acticability, than which no proof can be morel which were right; that principle gave way to imagined
perfect. ' . etpedieney, or that iningined expediency gate *ay
When that plan, prior to the Parliamentary ex• t 6 principle! That tie Constitution, as a rule of pet
Mica! conduct, be despised, or respected; be alsitiwi
periment, was shown to me by the late Duke of
Richmond, I expressed my hopelessness of its success, doned, or adhered tol ~. 1.
because it was not of a nature to fasteo itself on the Conceiving, my dear Sl4 That the %avocets of ,
, half-measures, that is, of a progressioe or a ineriso
ipoblic mind. - The Duke, •who was thoroughly coo-
-1 versant with the grounds of my reasoning, replied, step Reform of Parliament, impose on themselves, its
1 that be and the Minister, occupying stations which ; a way that is very common, namely, by a careless •
' afforded great advantages in the forming of an opi-
language, without duly attending to the proper
Rion on a parliamentary measure, and having
duly meaning of the terms they use ; as, for lostencif by
; weighed the ditlicultins to be met and encountered, confounding together the literal and theft gr
had, es they judged, drawn thbir line al the point of sense of their words, by disregarding the died
practicability. ' between a principle and a measure, and by
Had, therefore, these two Cabinet Statesmen got, rots allied to these ; with permission, therefore, '
in facts in this experiment of 1785, still nearer to would offer you a few thoughts, which I hope may
that point of practicability, than was got in 178 e, clear
the way to more correct conelusious, and tar
Iwhen
•the question was lost by only twenty votes, solid foundations fora right conduct in oar clniemett
i because the " principal Minister" unfortunately for-
4
pursuit.l
got the day of disentsimP, it might, indeed, have. To begin, then, with tttseerror of confounding tilve
taught' )f sookr ficability ; but
- --Mention of words. It

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