Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/568

 552 PITT importance of several great commercial towns, Glasgow in particular, dates from this period. George II. died Oct. 25, 1760, and was suc- ceeded by George III. Just at this period the French court had obtained the cooperation of Spain by a secret treaty known as the "family compact." Pitt, fully informed of the hostile intentions of Spain, insisted on de- claring war against her before she had time for preparation. His colleagues in the minis- try opposed this bold policy, and Pitt resigned Oct. 5, 1761. His wife was created Baroness Chatham in her own right, and a pension of 3,000 was settled on himself, Lady Chat- ham, and his eldest son. In 1764 he spoke against general warrants, and in 1766 he op- posed the American stamp act with equal vig- or. In that year he received the royal com- mand to form a new ministry, in which he took the almost sinecure office of lord privy seal, and at the same time was created a peer with the titles of Viscount Pitt and earl of Chat- ham. His acceptance of a peerage very much damaged his popularity. The people had been proud of him as the "great commoner," and his elevation in rank was thought to have lowered his true dignity. On Oct. 15, 1768, he resigned the place of lord privy seal, and never afterward held any public employment. He had been from childhood tormented by the gout, which of late years afflicted him so se- verely that he now seldom appeared in public, but spent much of his time in bed, employing his wife as an amanuensis in his most confi- dential correspondence. In the intervals of pain he sometimes appeared in the house of lords to speak on questions of great impor- tance. In 1775, '6, and '7 he opposed with energy the measures of the ministry in the American colonies, and several of his speeches on that subject are yet popular in the United States for their lofty and impassioned elo- quence. His last appearance in public was on April 7, 1778, when he went from his sick bed to the house of lords to speak against a motion to acknowledge the independence of America. He appeared swathed in flannel, crutch in hand, emaciated and debilitated, and supported by his son and his son-in-law, Lord Mahon. He protested with great animation against the dismemberment of the empire and the degradation of the power of England. The house listened in solemn silence and with profound respect. At the end of his speech he fell in an apoplectic fit, and was borne home to die a few weeks afterward. His debts were paid and his family provided for by the nation, and his body was buried in West- minster abbey. Of Chatham's writings, there have been published a small volume of letters to his nephew Thomas Pitt, Lord Camelford, and his " Correspondence " (4 vols., London, 1838-'40). His title expired with his eldest son (second earl), a general officer of unenvi- able notoriety, in 1835. His life has been written by the Rev. Francis Thackeray (2 vols. 4to, London, 1827). See also " Anecdotes of the Right Hon. William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, and of the principal Events of his Time, with his Speeches in Parliament, 1736-'78," by John Almon (2 vols. 4to, 1792 ; 4th ed., 3 vols. 8vo, 1810), and Viel-Castel, Essai historique sur les deux 'Pitt (2 vols., Paris, 1846). II. William, an English statesman, second son of the prece- ding, born at Hayes, Kent, May 28, 1759, died at Putney, Jan. 23, 1806. He was a singular- ly precocious child. He was tall, slender, and so sickly that he was educated at home. At the age of 14 he wrote a tragedy. Before he had completed his 15th year he was sent to Pembroke hall, Cambridge, where he was first put under the charge of a tutor named Pretyman, who afterward took the name of Tomline, and was appointed by Pitt bishop of Lincoln, a favor which his preceptor endeav- ored to requite by writing a life of his pupil, which has been called the worst biographical work of its size in the world. At the univer- sity he was distinguished for mathematical talent and for proficiency in classical learning. Of the languages of the continent he had no knowledge except an imperfect acquaintance with French. His father had trained him from infancy in the art of managing his voice, which was naturally clear and deep-toned, and his whole education had been directed to the point of making him a great parliamentary orator. On quitting the university he studied law in Lincoln's Inn, and at the age of 21 he became a member of parliament for the borough of Appleby. The party with which he acted was a section of the opposition composed of the old followers of his father, with the earl of Shelburne, Lord Camden, and Col. Barr6 at their head. His first speech, Feb. 26, 1781, was in favor of Burke's plan of economical reform, and made a great impression. In the next session he distinguished himself still more brilliantly, and on the rise to power of the Rockingham ministry he was offered the high- ly lucrative office of vice treasurer of Ireland. Though his income at this time was very small, he declined the offer, declaring that he would accept no post that did not give him a seat in the cabinet. Three months later, on the death of Rockingham, his successor Shelburne found that Pitt, although then but 23 years old, was the only member of his party in the house of commons who had the courage and the elo- quence required to confront the great orators of the opposition. He was accordingly brought into the cabinet as chancellor of the exchequer. In the following year the Shelburne ministry resigned, and the king urgently pressed Pitt to accept the premiership. With great judgment he steadily refused, satisfied that he could not at that time form a stable administration, and the coalition ministry of Lord North and Mr. Fox was formed. Pitt took his seat on the opposition benches, and advocated a project of parliamentary reform which was rejected. Parliament reassembled in November, 1783.