to be aimed at the Declaration of "The Friends of the People associated for the purpose of obtaining a Parliamentary reform," agreed to by them on the 26th April, when it had also been resolved to ask Mr. Grey to bring forward the subject in Parliament. On Mr. Grey giving notice of his intention to do so, Pitt at once took the opportunity of declaring how much his opinions were altered, since the time when his name was associated with the question. He called Reform under the circumstances a hazardous experiment, and pointed to France as a warning. Even the Duke of Richmond, once the champion of universal suffrage, appeared as a convert to his views, and thereby drew on himself the taunts of Lord Lansdowne in the debate in the House of Lords on the Proclamation.[1] "He was astonished," Lord Lansdowne said, "at the constructive danger, on which they were called upon to approve of the Proclamation; much more at finding it supposed to glance at an association lately instituted for the purpose of reform. The principles of that association had been supported by members of the present Cabinet. One of the most distinguished members of the Cabinet had called upon him to run the risk of sacrificing the Administration of which he had the honour to make a part, to the support of those very principles of reform.[2] To those principles he verily believed that Administration had fallen a sacrifice; and he had too high an opinion of the person to whom he alluded, to believe that he could approve of any measure that tended to throw discredit on principles which he himself had once professed. To impute improper motives to those who had now embarked in the same cause was ungenerous and uncandid. He had little knowledge of any of them but Mr. Grey, the son of an old and much respected friend; and him he knew to have an hereditary claim to honour and integrity, and to every virtue that entitled a man to solicit the confidence of his fellow-citizens. It was cruel to those who had themselves supported the very same principles, to class such men
