The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-03

any OtneE person IN history. SluuOutu, WuO
had loved him but little during the last lus-
trum OF his life. was careful to destroy cvory
letter OF Pitts which could cause the slightest
detriment to Pitts reputation. Canning Pitt
loved as son. aud Canning's responsive feel
ing combined tho sentiments OF n son. a
friend. and a disciple.
We are told that once. and once only. did
Pitt form an attachment which might have led
to marriage. although he liked women's So
ciety and 10 even said to have drunk toast
out OF the shoe Of famous Deyonshire beauty
In 1908 his feeling for daughter OF Lord
Auckland went SO far that he wrote to her
father to declare his affection. but at tho Same
time to avow that his debts made 1t impossible
for him to contemplate marriage. Auckland
took the same view. and the lady married Lord
Hobart. afterward Lord Buckinghamshire.
Lady Hester Stanhope said TINT this nearly
broke Pitts heart. and it was subsequently
noticed that he showed q certain dislike OF
Lord Buckinghamshire and reluctance to
admit him to the Cabinet
Lord Rosebery. like all the other biographers
OF Pitt. bears witness to tho purity Of his life.
There Is no doubt that In All age OF scandal 1t
was beyond reproacb. There was. indeed.
within living recollection doorkeerer OF the
House OF Commons who from some chance
resemblance was said to be his son. This SLAM
der 10 disposed OF with the remark that Pitts
features. stripped Of tho intellect and majesty
which gave them life. lent themselves easily
to chance resemblance and iGnoble compari.
son. Wraxal has limited at q licentious amour.
but oven Wraxal expressed skepticism on the
subject. Tho austerity Of Pitts morals In
spired many INDIGENOUS epigrams. but also
real reverence.
His one weakness was for port wine. Lord
IL Al-kh rn1
port from his childhood. and when he arrived
at mans estate he was accustomed to con-
sumo quantity OF II, surprising in those days
and incredible 10 these 1t was not. however.
until Pitts health WAS broken that the wine
which he took seems to have had more effect
on him than a like measure Of lemonade.
Bishop Tomline has left a memorandum stat
ing that never before 1903 did he see Pitt the
least affected by wine. Addington. when oues-
toned on the point. averred that never had he
seen Pitt take too much when he had any
thing to do except once. when he was called
from table to answer an unexpected attack In
the House Of Commons. 1t was then clear
that he was under the influence OF wine. and
his friends were naturally distressed. One
Of tho clerks OF the House. indeed. was made
Ill by It: he had violent headache. An OK
cellent arrangement" remarked Pitt. Il
have the wine and he has the headache"
Many stories Of Pitts hard drinking have
been reoounted. but Lord Rosebery deems 1t
hardly conceivable that IL Pitt had been guilty
Of habitual excess wilberforce would have
been his host or guest so often. In this. rs in
other things. we are admonished to judge a
man BY the temper and habits Of his own times
and not OF ours.
In appearance Pitt was tall and slender
The early portraits by Gansborough depict a
face Of singular sweetness and charm: the
last portrait by Lawrence. who only saw him a
short time before his death. represents a
figure OF rare majesty with gray IL not with
white hair. One who had sat with him In Par
liment, aud who survived until score ofyears
ago. sold that Pitt had port wine complex
ion. but tho most brilliant eye ever seen in q
human face" Hoppner. who painted Pitt
from the life in 1905. gives him tints Of this
kind. On seeing this portrait Wilberforce re-
marks: His face anxious. diseased. reddeped
with wine. and soured and irritated by disap-
pointment. Poor fellow: how unlike my
youthful Pitt Fox says that he could sec no
Indications even Of sense in Pitts face
you would not discover any," Grey
thought otherwise. but Wra1sll agrees
with Fox. 1T was not" says Wraxall. 4" till
Pitts eye lent animation to his other features.
which were in themselves tame that they
lighted up and became strongly intelligent"
We arc told on the last mentioned authority
that In his manners Pitt, II not repulsive. was
cold. stih. and without sincerity and timidity.
He never seemed to invite approach or en-
courage acquaintance: the usual epithet ap-
piled to him was naughty" His nose. says
Romnsy. was turned up ut all mankind. Lord
Rosebery suggests that it may long remain a
problem how many votes Pitt and Peel and
Lord John Russell may have lost by their shy
INSTRUMENTATION OF demeanor. or how many
may have been gained by the sunny manner
Of Lord Palmerston or tho genial face memory
OF Henry Clay.
v.
In speaking Pitts action was unGraceful.
He would saw the air with windmill arms,
sometimes almost touching tho ground. IN
friendly critics would say that his voice sound
ed as II he had worsted in his mouth. but the
general testimony Is that 1t was rich and SO.
norous. He rarely used notes. and Sheridan
used to say Of him that his brain only worked
whom his tongue was set agoing. like some
machines that are put In motion by q pendu.
lum: but Lord Rosebery thinks that this opin.
ion indicates a certain envy OF Pitts sponta-
neous flow OF speech on the part of one to
whom laDOrlOus ana even VerDaI preparation
was necessary. Tho author Of this bi-
ography would not deny that Pitt was
open to the charge OF dinuseness. but
lie reminds us tat in those days the leader
OF party was expected to exhaust every ar
gument in his own speech. As Fox WAS verbose
by his repetitions. SO was Pitt by his ampllf-
cations 1t was. however. calculated as mat.
ter OF proportion that II Fox were three hours
on his legs the reply Of Pitt would not exceed
two. Fox himself testified that though he
himself was never In want Of words. Pitt wat
mover without the best words possible. The
latters diction was indeed his strongest point
His power OF clear. logical statement was ais1
noteworthy. Another weapon too often USE
WAS his command Of freezing. torturinG
sarcnsm. A. regards PITTS el0Iuence. il {,
enough to say that In an assembly which in
cluded such orators as Burke. Windham. sheri
dan Erskine. and Grey. all contemporaries
placed Pitt and foy on u level apart.
1t has been said that Pitt did not read enough
md his biogsapLer deems it probabl,
that lie had no time tor desultory read
log. We know. however. that he de-
lighted in scDtt. and one II his friends la,
recorded thHl his room was strewn with thu
Latin and Greek classics. Lord Grenyiilr q
coHsummate nudge. declared th1t Pm was III.
Las s.linlur M Ia.