explaining to him what had passed, did that which he afterwards, in 1828, repeated in respect to the Duke of Wellington; namely, placed in his hands the decision, whether the penalty of such an act of insubordination was to be enforced against him. The result, as all the world knows, was as different, as the other circumstances of the case were similar; except, indeed, that Mr. Huskisson's conduct in -1822 was marked with a character of official independance, or rather mutiny, infinitely stronger than anything which arose on the case of the East Retford disfranchisement.

Connected with this topic of Agricultural distress was the motion brought forward by Mr. Western, in the month of June, for a Committee to consider of the effects which had been produced by the Act for the resumption of Cash Payments. Mr. Huskisson undertook to reply to Mr. Western; and, after a speech of singular power and effect-a speech which may be ranked among those of the first class for soundness of political principle, and. conclusive reasoning-moved as an amendment, the substitution of the famous resolution of 1696, "that this House will not alter the standard of gold or silver, in fineness, weight or denomination ;" an amendment which was carried by an overwhelming majority.

While Mr. Huskisson invariably and firmly resisted all attempts at tampering with the Currency, we discover, in almost all his speeches, the same

anxiety for the reduction of the Unfunded Debt, the same admission of the necessity of adopting all practicable plans of economising the Expenditure, and the same doctrine constantly laid down, that it was peculiarly incumbent upon this country not to set to foreigners the example of imposing any additional restrictions on Trade, but, on the contrary, to convince them, that it was the fixed determination of England to pursue that liberal system of Commercial Policy which had lately been so auspiciously commenced. These appear to be the great principles, the wisdom and urgency of which he laboured, on all occasions, to impress both upon Parliament and the country, and in the defence of which he was ever found ready to contribute his powerful support.

The death of Lord Londonderry in the summer of 1822, and Mr. Canning's succession to his office, though they caused no immediate alteration in Mr. Huskisson's official appointments, could not but give a great additional weight to the influence which he before possessed. Negotiations, indeed, were shortly after set on foot for a partial change · in the Administration, and at the end of January 1823, Mr. Vansittart was raised to the peerage, and became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Mr. Robinson succeeded him at the Exchequer, and Mr. Huskisson was appointed President of the Board of Trade and Treasurer of the Navy. As the offer had been at first unaccompanied with a

seat in the Cabinet (which had been attached to these offices while held by Mr. Robinson), some demur arose on the part of Mr. Huskisson, which was only overcome by an assurance, that the sole obstacle to his immediate admission was not any objection to him individually, but the extreme inconvenience to public business, resulting from too great an extension of the Cabinet; and by a positive promise, that the earliest possible opportunity should be seized to make an opening for him. On this assurance, he agreed to waive, or rather to sus.pend, his objection; and, early in the following autumn, a vacancy was made in the Cabinet, to which he was immediately called.

It may, perhaps, be here asked, why the reasons which had been alleged by Mr. Huskisson, as the grounds of his declining to accede to the arrangement proposed to him towards the latter part of the year 1821, and which have before been alluded to; namely, his unwillingness to accept an office which had been successively held by those who were his juniors in political life; should now be altogether abandoned? The answer is easy and simple. In the first place, it must be borne in mind that, as far back as 1809, and twice subsequently, he had been intended for the same appointment which he refused in 1821,that, moreover, his retirement in 1809, and the failure of later attempts to recal him to office, had given to Mr. Robinson claims of precedency which

could not be contested,-and, lastly, that a seat in the Cabinet at once removes all distinctions of rank, and leaves to every member that fair portion of influence in its deliberations, to which his own abilities may entitle him.

This difficulty having been surmounted, another arose of a nature particularly delicate and distressing to Mr. Huskisson, the representation of Liverpool. Mr. Canning found that the laborious duties which devolved upon him as one of the members for that important place, superadded to the direction of the Foreign Office, and to the lead of the House of Commons, were more than he could adequately discharge; and it was his earnest wish to retire from the representation. Even had he resolved to stand again, there was reason to apprehend that an opposition might have been excited, which would have protracted the election to the extreme limits allowed by law; and this delay would have proved excessively inconvenient to the progress of public business in the House of Commons. It was notorious, that a party existed at Liverpool, considerable both in number and consequence, which was favourable to a Whig candidate, and Mr. Brougham had been openly spoken of as the object of their choice. The Government felt a strong and natural anxiety, that the second great commercial port of the empire should continue to be represented by one of their friends, and Mr. Huskisson was supposed to be the

only person likely to unite the suffrages of all parties. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that Lord Liverpool and Mr. Canning should have made a point of his acquiescing in the only arrangement which seemed likely to give general satisfaction.

But, however flattering it might be to his vanity to be chosen to fill that post, which had been held for the last ten years by the first statesman, and most eloquent orator of the age, Mr. Huskisson could not but be sensible, that he owed a large debt of gratitude to the electors of Chichester. They had sought him when he was out of power, and had four times returned him, without opposition. Even then they were impatiently waiting to bestow on him a fresh proof of their approbation and affection. His seat there was independent, and unattended with expense it had been bestowed upon him by the free suffrages of a numerous body of electors, and it was probably secure to him for as long as he chose to retain it. The labours attached to it were light, in comparison to those which awaited the representative of Liverpool. The struggle between his own wishes and a sense of public duty, strengthened by the urgent solicitations of his friends, was long and painful; but the latter ultimately prevailed, and he consented to exchange the unostentatious security of Chichester for the dazzling, but laborious, splendour of Liverpool.

Let it not be supposed that, in referring to the hesi