Sounds of merriment are mingling; Varieties. M. M. FRENCH POLITENESS & FRENCH MONUMENTS. We hear much of 2d. What libertines and men of the 3d. In sickness and in misfortune The character of the Miser has dish of coffee, was helped into his A young gentleman from one of that all the servants, one after another,. RULES for RIDING & WALKING.- The following excellent rules, which MELANGE, OR WEEKLY REGISTER OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS. "SERIA MIXTA JOCIS." No. 2. PARLIAMENTARY WEDNESDAY, 26th JUNE, 1822. PRICE 31d. ELOQUENCE sweet, rich, and beautifully varied; LORD CHATHAM-LORD NORTH, when he elevated his voice to its highMR. FOX--MR. PITT--MR. BURKE From Reminiscences of Charles Butler, Esq. The administration of lord North was certainly an era in the history of British eloquence: what in respect to the orators of Rome, is observed by Velleius Paterculus of Cicero, will probably be said of lord North, that no member of either house of the British parliament will be ranked among the orators of this country "whom lord North did not see, or "who did not see lord North. Lord Chatham Of those by whom lord North was preceded, none probably except lord Chatham, will be remembered by posterity. It was frequently given to the writer of these pages to hear the speeches, both in the house of commons and the house of lords, of this extraordinary man. No person in his external appearance was ever more bountifully gifted by nature for an orator. In his look and his gesture, grace and dignity were combined, but dignity presided; the "terrors of his beak, the lightning of his eye," were insufferable. His voice was both full and clear; his lowest whisper was distinctly heard, his middle tones were est pitch, the house was completely The effect was awful, except where he filled with the volume of the sound. wished to cheer or animate; and then he had spirit-stirring notes, which were perfectly irresistible. He frequently rose, on a sudden, from a very low to a very high køy, but it seemed to be without effort. His diction was remarkably simple, but words were never chosen with greater care; he mentioned to a friend of the Reminiscent, that he had read twice, from beginning to end, Bailey's Dictionary; and that he had perused some of Dr. Barrow's Sermons so often, as to know them by heart. His sentiments, too, were apparently simple; but sentiments were never better adopted or uttered with greater skill; he was often familiar and even playful, but it was the familiarity and playfulness of condescension: the lion that dandled with the kid. The terrible, however, was his peculiar power. Then the whole house sunk before him. Still he was dignified; and wonderful as was his eloquence, it was attended with the most important effect, that it impressed every hearer with a conviction that there was something in him, finer even than his words; that the man was infinitely greater than the orator: no impression of this kind was made by the eloquence of his son, or his son's antagonist. But, with this great man, for great he certainly was,manner did much. One of the fairest specimens which we possess of his lordship's oratory, is his speech in 1766, for the repeal of the stamp act. what they themselves conceived of the immeasurable superiority of the orator over every other human being that surrounded him.In the passages which we have cited, there is nothing which an ordinary speaker might not have said; it was the manner, and the inanner only, which produced the effect. An interesting and accurate account of Mr. Pitt's style of oratory, and its prodigious effect on his audience, may be found in a letter of lord Holland, his distinguished contemporary, published in the-appendix to lord Waldegrave's Meknoirs. Most, perhaps, who read the report of this speech, in Almon's Register, will wonder at the effect which it is known to have produced upon the hearers; yet the report is tolerably exact, and exhibits, although faintly, Mr. Wilkes, a friend it seems of its leading features. But they should young"Pitt's, petitioned against the have seen the look of ineffable contempt with which he surveyed the late "er Delaval, chosen at Berwick, on Mr. Grenville, who sat within one of "account of bribery only. The Delaval made a speech on him, and should have heard him say his being thus attacked, full of wit, with that look" As to the late ministry, every capital measure they" humour and buffoonery, which kept "the house in a continual roar of 66 " 66 younger have taken has been entirely wrong. laughter. Mr. Pitt came down from They should also have beheld him, when addressing himself to Mr. Gren" the gallery, and took it up in his highest tone of Dignity. He was ville's successors, he said," As to " the present gentlemen,-those at least" astonished when he heard what had whom I have in my eye,"―(looking been the occasion of their mirth.-* "Was the dignity of the house of at the bench on which Mr. Conway sate,)" I have no objection: I have" commons on so 'sure foundatians, "that they might venture themselves "never been made a sacrifice by any "of them.-Some of them have done" to shake it ?-Had it not, on the "me the honour to ask my poor opincontrary, by gradations been dimi"nishing for years, till now we were ❝ion, before they would engage to brought to the very brink of the repeal the act-they will do me "the justice to own, I did advise them" precipice, where, if ever, a stand "to engage to do it, but notwith-"must be made?'-High compli "standing, for I love to be explicit)" ments to the speaker, eloquent "I cannot give them my confidence." exhortation to whigs of all condi"Pardon me gentlemen,"-(bowing" tions, to defend their attacked and expiring liberty, &c. Unless you "to them)" confidence is a plant" expiring liberty, &c. "will degenerate into a little assem"of slow growth." Those, who rebly, serving no other purpose than member the air of condescending "to register the arbitrary edicts of protection with which the bow was inade and the look given, when he once too powerful subject,' (laying on spoke these words, will recollect how the words one and subject the most "remarkable emphasis.) I have veremuch they themselves at the moment were both delighted and awed, and what!"fied these words by five or six 66 "different people, so that your lord- 66 6 " called it forth, and drew it into your service,—a hardy and intrepid race of men. Men, who when left by your jealousy, became a prey to the "artifices of your enemies, and had gone nigh to have overturned the to be an appendix to-I know not "state, in the war before the last.what-I have no name for it." These men, in the last war, were Displeased, as well as pleased, allow" brought to combat on your side; "it to be the finest speech that ever they served with fidelity, as they was made; and it was observed, that" fought with valour, and conquered by his first two periods, he brought "for you in every part of the world. the house to a silence and attention, "Detested be the national prejudices that you might have heard a pin against them! they are unjust, drop. Except the words marked," groundless, illiberal, unmanlys "observe that I do not pretend to give "When I ceased to serve his majesyour lordship his words, but only the "ty as minister, it was not the country purport of his speech, of which a "of the man (lord Bute) by which I good deal was on bribery, I suppose, C6 was moved: but the man of that 66 66 66 66 66 1 His celebrated reply to Horace Walpole has been immortalized by the report given of it by Dr. Johnson.On one occasion, Mr. Moreton, the and the manner of treating it, which" country wanted wisdom, and held "so much tended to lower, what was "principles incompatible with freealready too low, the authority of the "dom." "house of commons. The speaker shook him by the hand, ready to "shake it off; which, I hear, gave "almost as great offence as the speech. "I just now hear the duke of New-chief justice of Chester, a gentleman of "castle was in the utmost fidget, and "that it spoiled his stomach yester"day. some eminence at the bar, happened to say, " King, lords and commons, or," (directing his eyes towards lord ChaIn another letter, in the appendix to tham)--"es that right honourable memthe same correspondence, lord Holland "ber would call them, commons, lords describes in one line the effect of Mr." and king." The only fault of this Pitt's oratory, when he intended to be sentence is its nonsense. Mr. Pitt severe, on the object of his severities. arose, as he ever did,-with great In both Mr. Pitt's speeches, every deliberation, and called to order: "I "word fell on Murray, (lord Mans-" have, he said, frequently heard in this "field) yet so managed, that neither house, doctrines, which have sur"he nor any body else could or did" prised me; but now, my blood runs "take public notice of it, or in any degree reprehend him. I sat near "Murray, who suffered for an hour 66 The whole speech on the repeal of the stamp act, is very fine: "I sought for merit," said lord Chatham, "wherever it was to be found. "It is my "boast, that I was the first minister "who looked for it; and I found it in the mountains of the north. Il "cold! I desire the words of the |