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 that these great changes began to bear their first fruit. Pitt was Prime Minister from 1783 to 1801, and again from 1804 to 1806. For nine years he kept the peace, and undertook an infinite number of valuable reforms in every department of the State save one. He simplified taxes and the Customs’ duties and the method of collecting them; he began to pay off the National Debt. He tried to reform the House of Commons, to abolish the cruel trade of carrying slaves from Africa to the West Indies; he tried to pacify Ireland and give it perfect free trade with Britain; and he would have liked to abolish the laws which still shut out the Catholics from Parliament. Every wise and moderate change which took place during the nineteenth century had already been conceived by this great and wise man. But many of his proposals were upset or spoiled either by the opposition of the Whigs, the stupidity of the Tories, or the prejudices of King George. The one mistake Pitt made was in refusing to set the army and navy on a proper footing to meet a future war. He seemed to think that Europe was going to be at peace for ever; whereas the greatest war that had ever threatened Great Britain was just going to burst upon her and continue for twenty-two years. Then all Pitt's projects for reform had to be thrown to the winds and the nation had to harden itself to fight to the death.

This great war was caused by the ‘French Revolution’. It was the old story of France desiring to dominate the world; and it began in this way. The French people had a series of real grievances against their clumsy, stupid, old-fashioned system of government by an ‘absolute’ King; and they demanded a parliamentary system and a ‘limited’ monarchy like