WILLIAM PITT, THE YOUNGER.-1783-1805.

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to have his family about him, and it is said to have been a very pleasing sight to see the whole royal family, when they were in the bloom of youth, assembled, as they frequently were, round their parents. They made quite a party by themselves; for the king had thirteen children who lived to grow up.

8. These children were all comely, and had open, cheerful countenances. They enjoyed a privilege which seldom falls to the lot of princes, of being brought up under the eye of parents who set them the example of the most perfect family harmony. The queen was a woman of strong sense, and of superior acquirements. She was never popular, for her manners were cold and reserved. But as a wife and mother, her conduct was exemplary. She showed herself constantly averse to every kind of vice and immorality, and the character of her court was irreproachable.

9. The king was very grateful to his prime minister for opposing the appointment of his son to be regent, with all the powers of a sovereign; for, as we have already stated, he was very jealous of encroachments upon his royal prerogative, and he was, besides, displeased not only with the political, but with the moral, conduct of his son. Such being the feeling of the king, the minister had, indeed, merited his thanks, for it required no little firmness to oppose the wishes of one who might, in the course of nature, at any moment become his sovereign.

10. But William Pitt, who now held the office of first lord of the treasury, that is, of prime minister, was not a man to be deterred from the discharge of any duty by motives of personal interest. He was the second son of the Earl of Chatham, and is sometimes called the younger Pitt, to distinguish him from his illustrious father. He was appointed to the high office which he now held, in 1783, and retained it, with only one short interval, for twenty-two years. 11. At the time of his appointment he was only twenty-four years old, but he had already exhibited his great ability and political sagacity as chancellor of the exchequer. By the constitution of Great Britain, all laws for raising money must have their origin in the house of commons; the reason for which, is, that the greater part of the taxes are paid by those whom this house represents.

12. It is one of the duties of the chancellor of the exchequer to propose the measures by which money is to be raised; he is, therefore, always a member of the house of commons; not by right, but, as all other members are, in theory, by the election of the people. But suppose he should not be elected, we may ask what he would do then. This never happens, for if he loses his election in one place, he can procure it in another, either by bribing the voters, ut by the influence of some political friend.

13. There are many boroughs, as they are called, which have a right to send more than one member to parliament, and which are entirely under the control of some rich man. This abuse existed to a much greater extent formerly than now, for it was, in part, corrected by the Reform Bill, passed in 1832.

his domestic habits? 8 What of his children? 10 11. What of William Pitt? 12. What

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THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.—1789.

14. The deciding as to the mode in which money shall be raised, is one of the most difficult things a ministry has to perform. It must ultimately be raised by taxes, and the personal interests of some class or classes of persons must be affected by every tax that is imposed.

15. Hence there will always be many objections made to every measure proposed. The chancellor of the exchequer has to answer all these objections; therefore, the most able commoner on the side of the party in power, is selected to fill this office. He naturally becomes the spokesman of the ministry on all important occasions, and as the ministry usually has a majority of the members on its side, he is sometimes called "the leader of the house of commons."

16. The prime minister sometimes chooses to hold this office himself, in addition to that of the first lord of the treasury, who is not necessarily a peer. This was the case with William Pitt, who chose to defend the measures which, though nominally the acts of many ministers, were virtually his own, for he was the soul of the government. He did not possess the brilliant eloquence of his father, or of his great rivals for power and fame, Fox and Burke; but he had the faculty of convincing, by the force of his arguments, which were always presented in the clearest manner, and in the most natural order.

17. He governed the country during one of the most stormy periods in the history of the world; and brought her through it not only in safety, but with glory. George III. never displayed so much sagacity during his long reign, as in retaining him in power, in spite of the clamors of the opposite party, which were sometimes loud enough to have shaken the purpose of a less obstinate sovereign.

CHAPTER CCVI.

The French Revolution breaks out.-Measures adopted by the other States of Europe in consequence of it. What Effect the News produced in England.- War between France and England.

1. THE repose which Europe now enjoyed was destined be broken by an event which, while it gave joy to the lovers of liberty, struck terror into the hearts of the despotic rulers of Europe In 1789, the French people, who had for centuries been subjected to the most grievous oppressions on the part of the nobles, asserted their natural rights. Their representatives assembled in convention, abolished all royalty, with its attendant distinction of ranks, and established a republic.

2. This proceeding was very alarming to the absolute kings of the

of the office of chancellor of the exchequer? Why does it require a man of abilities? 15, 16, 17. What of Pitt's abilities?

CCVI-1. What disturbed the repose of Europe in 1789? 2. What course was adopted

DESTRUCTION OF THE BASTILE.- -1789.

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neighboring states. Their own subjects might be infected with a love of liberty; so the sovereigns of Austria and Prussia determined to put down this impudent attempt of an independent people to establish a government to their own liking, and for this purpose to march their armies into France.

3. This was a very unwise measure; they should have remembered that their armies were not invincible; and that if they were beaten, the French conquerors might not content themselves with driving them out of their country, but might, in retaliation, become themselves invaders. In such case, the liberal principles they so much dreaded would come with infinitely greater force. Had they been wise, they would have left the French to settle their own affairs.

4. The people of France, indignant at this attempt of strangers to dictate to them a form of government, rushed with the greatest enthusiasm to repel the invaders, and did not stop in their victorious career till they had taken nearly the whole of the Austrian Netherlands. Such was the commencement of a war, which, with little intermission, ravaged Europe for above twenty years.

5. We must now consider how the people of England were affected by the events which were taking place on the continent. The destruction of the Bastile by the inhabitants of Paris first drew their attention to the efforts of the French people to redress their wrongs. This prison was a stone structure, which, in ancient times, had been . a fortress to protect Paris from foreign aggressors, but for many centuries it had been used only as an instrument of domestic tyranny.

6. A mere order from the king was sufficient to consign any per son to this gloomy prison. This power was most shamefully abused for not only were the orders against those who had committed the slightest offence in word, deed, or even in supposed thought, against the king or his favorites, but they were even made a source of revenue to these favorites, for they were sold to individuals to be used to gratify private malice and revenge. Thousands of victims had languished out their lives in this horrible abode.

7. Its destruction, therefore, excited a feeling of joy amongst the English people, who heartily sympathized in the attempt of their neighbors to establish a more liberal form of government. But the sympathies of the king were for the royal family of France; and, as Elector of Hanover, he entered into the views of the other sovereigns of Europe. His prime minister, also, was a believer in the necessity of strong governments, as they are called, that is, governments in which the chief power is permanently placed in the hands of one person.

8. The French people were like wild beasts who had long been subjected to cruel keepers, upon whom was now vented their long pent-up rage. The sanguinary excesses committed by the mob, who at first ruled in France, excited the horror and fears of many

by the other governments of Europe? 4. What was the consequence? 5. What evert drew the attention of the people of England to French affairs? 6. What of the French king's despotic power? 7. What feeling was first excited in England? What were the opinions of the king and of his prime minister? 8. What measure did the English gov

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GLOOMY STATE OF AFFAIRS IN 1797.

good people in England; so that the king and his ministers were not without a party to support them in their refusal to recognize the new republic, or to receive its ambassador,-a measure which unavoidably led to war.

9. This was declared by the French convention on the 1st of February, 1793. About the same time the French invaded Holland, and the Duke of York, the king's second son, was sent, with a considerable army under his command, to assist the Dutch. But he effected nothing, except to make a good retreat and a safe return to England in the following winter. Holland soon submitted, and a new state, called the Batavian Republic, was established, in alliance with France, whose victorious arms soon compelled the King of Prussia to sue for peace.

10. England and Austria maintained the war for several years longer, but with such ill success on the part of the latter, that, in 1797, she was compelled to accept such terms of peace as France would allow her. This success on the part of the French is to be ascribed chiefly to Napoleon Bonaparte, a young Corsican, whose wonderful abilities had raised him from the rank of lieutenant of artillery to the command of the French army in Italy. The treaty between France and Austria was signed at Campo Formio, October 17th, 1797. Thus England was left alone in the contest.

CHAPTER CCVII.

Gloomy State of Affairs in 1797.-The Bank of England suspends Payment.-Mutinies among the Seamen.

1. THE year 1797 was a gloomy period in England. The national finances, burdened with debts contracted to carry on former wars, seemed unequal to meet the expenses of a lengthened contest. The Bank of England, by orders of the government, stopped the payment of its notes in gold or silver, and paper became the only money in circulation. To add to the public distress, an alarming mutiny broke out among the sailors in the ships of war, who demanded an increase of pay and amelioration of their condition, which was in truth worse than that of slaves.

2. If they had entered into that service of their own accord, they would have had less reason in their complaints. But it was not so. Instead of inducing men to serve as sailors on board the ships of war by offering sufficient wages and kind treatment, the British government resorted to force to man her navy. A party of soldiers, with an officer, went about, seizing upon all persons who looked like sailors, or who the officer thought would make good seamen, and carried them by

ernment adopt in reference to France? 9. What was the consequence? What of the success of the French as to Holland and Russia? 10. What of the war between Austria and France? By what treaty was it concluded? When?

CCVII.-1. What is said of the year 1797? What events caused a depression of feel.

MUTINIES AMONG BRITISH SEAMEN.

403

force on board of a ship, where they were generally compelled to serve till death relieved them from oppression.

We

3. The toils and sufferings of the sailor's life bear hardly enough upon those who adopt it from choice, and are habituated to its dangers from infancy. In addition to the ordinary perils of the sea, these impressed seamen were exposed to all the evils of war. can conceive better than we can describe the feelings of men torn from their families without a moment's warning, and subjected to treatment which made the public ships so odious that sailors by profession carefully concealed themselves, when on shore, to avoid being pressed into them.

4. In the month of April, the whole body of sailors in the grand fleet which guarded the British Channel, declared their determination no longer to submit to the officers, unless an increase of pay and a change in the regulations concerning provisions should be granted to them. A council, composed of two delegates from each ship, took command of the squadron. The consternation caused by this event was very great; for the security of England from invasion depended mainly upon the fleet.

5. It was deemed by government to be most expedient to accede to the required terms, and a bill was hastily passed through parliament securing to the seamen what the ministers had promised. The delegates of the fleet declared themselves satisfied, and harmony and good order were restored. But the spirit of insurrection was contagious, and no sooner was it quelled in the Channel fleet, than it broke out in the ships lying at Sheerness and at Yarmouth.

6. New grievances were required to be redressed, and the facility with which the demands of the Channel fleet had been granted, encouraged the present insurgents to make demands not quite so reasonable. The government now determined to yield no more, and made every disposition to force the ships to submission. Guards were placed to prevent any communication between them and the shore, and no water or provisions was suffered to go to them. For a time, the mutineers were able to get a supply of these from merchant vessels which they seized.

7. At length, being reduced to great want of water, and distrust prevailing among themselves, ship after ship deserted, until at last all came in and surrendered. The leaders were tried and executed. The ships were soon after ordered to sea, to watch the motions of a Dutch fleet, and any unfavorable impressions which might remain were effectually removed by the complete victory which they gained on the 11th of October; as a reward for which, Admiral Duncan, the commander of the fleet, was raised to the peerage.

ing in England? 2. How were British ships of war supplied with men? 4. What was the consequence of the bad treatment of the seamen? 5. What is said of the second mu tiny? 7. What ictory did Admiral Duncan gain?