EARL OF CHATHAM.

Pitt, William, first Earl of Chatham, a celebrated British statesman and orator, was born on the 15th of November, 1708. He was the youngest son of Mr Robert Pitt of Boconnoc in Cornwall, and grandson of Mr Thomas Pitt, governor of Fort St George in the East Indies in the reign of Queen Anne, who sold an extraordinary diamond to the King of France for L135,000, and thus obtained the name of Diamond Pitt. The subject of this notice was educated at Eton, whence, in January 1726, he was removed to Trinity College, Oxford, which he entered as a gentleman commoner. Here the superiority of his mind soon attracted notice, and he was also remarked for his powers of elocution; but at the age of sixteen he experienced the first attacks of an hereditary and incurable gout, which continued at intervals to torment him during the remainder of his life. He quitted the university without taking a degree, and visited France and Italy, whence he returned without having received much benefit from his excursion. His father was now dead, and as he had left very little to the younger children, it became necessary that William should choose a profession. He decided for the army, and a cornet's commission was procured for him in the Blues. But, small as his fortune was, his family had the power and the inclination to serve him. At the general election of 1734 his elder brother Thomas was chosen both for Old Sarum and for Oakhampton. When Parliament met in 1735 Thomas made his election for Oakhampton, and William was returned for Old Sarum. At the time when he obtained a seat in Parliament he was not quite twenty-one years of age. The intention of bringing him thus early into Parliament was to oppose Sir Robert Walpole, who had now been fourteen years at the head of affairs. In fact, his abilities soon attracted notice, and he spoke with great vehemence against the Spanish convention in 1738. It was on the occasion of the bill for registering seamen in 1740, which he opposed as arbitrary and unjustifiable, that he is said to have made his celebrated reply to Walpole, who had taunted him on account of his youth; but the language of that reply, as it now stands, is not the diction of Pitt, who may have said something like what is ascribed to him, but of Dr Johnson, who then reported, or rather wrote, the debates for the Gentleman's Magazine. In 1746 Pitt was appointed joint vice-treasurer of Ireland; and in the same year treasurer and paymaster-general of the army, and a privy councillor. The office of paymaster he discharged with such inflexible integrity, even refusing many of the ordinary requisites of office, that his bitterest enemies could lay nothing to his charge, and he soon became the darling of the people. The old Duchess of Marlborough, who carried to the grave the reputation of being decidedly the best hater of her time, and who most cordially detested Walpole and his associates, left Pitt a legacy of L10,000, in consideration of "the noble defence he had made for the support of the laws of England, and to prevent the ruin of his country." In the year 1755 Pitt, deeming it necessary to offer a strong opposition to the continental connections then formed by the ministry, resigned his places, and remained some time out of office. But his resignation having alarmed the people, he was, in December 1756, called to fill a higher office, and appointed secretary of state. In this situation, however, he was more successful in obtaining the confidence of the public than in conciliating the favour of the king, some of whose predilections he had conceived himself bound to oppose. The consequence was, that soon afterwards Pitt was removed from office, whilst Legge, with some others of his friends, were at the same time dismissed. But the nation had a mind not to be deprived of his services. The most exalted notion had been formed of him throughout the country; his patriotism was believed to be as pure and disinterested as his abilities and eloquence were confessedly transcendent; and his colleagues shared in the same general favour. In a word, the opinion of the country was so strongly expressed, both directly and indirectly, that the king thought it prudent to yield; and on the 25th of June 1757 Pitt was again appointed secretary of state, Legge became chancellor of the exchequer, and the other arrangements were made conformably to his wishes. Pitt was now in effect prime minister; and the change which soon took place in the aspect of public affairs evinced the ability of his measures, and the vigour of his administration. His spirit animated the whole nation; and his activity pervaded every department of the public service. His plans were ably conceived and promptly executed; and the depression, which had been occasioned by want of energy in the cabinet, and ill success in the field, was followed by exertion, confidence, and triumph. The whole fortune of the war was changed. In every quarter of the globe success attended our arms. The boldest attempts were made both by land and by sea, and almost every attempt proved fortunate. In America the French lost Quebec; in Africa they were deprived of their principal settlements; their power was abridged in the East Indies; in Europe their armies were defeated; and, to render their humiliation more complete, their navy, their commerce, and their finances were almost ruined. Amidst this full tide of success George II. died, on the 25th of October 1760, and was succeeded by George III., who ascended the throne at a time when the French court had just succeeded in obtaining the co-operation of Spain. The treaty commonly called "family compact" had been secretly concluded; but the English minister, correctly informed of the hostile intentions of Spain, determined to anticipate that power, and strike a blow before this new enemy should be fully prepared for action. He therefore proposed in the council an immediate declaration of war against Spain, urging forcibly that the present was the favourable moment for humbling the whole House of Bourbon. But when he stated this opinion in the Privy Council, the other ministers, averse to so bold a measure, opposed the proposition of the premier, alleging the necessity of mature deliberation before declaring war against so powerful a state. Irritated by the unexpected opposition of his