paragraph was one of mere levity, and of some wit; and that he always read the Morning Chronicle with satisfaction. Mr. Perry and Mr. Lambert were none the less committed to Newgate.[1]
It is perhaps fortunate that when the rulers of the land were in so sensitive a frame of mind, the following jeu d'esprit from the pen of Jekyll did not fall into their hands, but slumbered peacefully down to the present day at Lansdowne House; otherwise a fate similar to that of Mr. Perry and Mr. Lambert might possibly have befallen more conspicuous persons.
Scarcity of Ideas
At a meeting in Downing Street yesterday, Mr. Pitt declared to several of his friends that he found himself entirely destitute of any ideas to meet Parliament with, for the purpose of finance, peace, or war. It was held advisable to send to the Duke of Portland's office, and enquire if any were to be had there. The clerks returned for answer, that they were totally unprovided: the last two ideas that were left in the Treasury had been sent by Mr. Cox to the Emperor on Saturday; which it was confessed should not have been done without the consent of Parliament, but that it was thought the safety of Germany depended on it.
Mr. Pitt then enquired if the Rt. Hon. Sylvester Douglas has brought any ideas with him when he so lately took his seat at the Board; and was informed that the few he had were by accident packed up, and had sailed with Lord Macartney. Lord Mornington declared he had put his whole stock into a pamphlet some years ago; and Lord Hawkesbury and Mr. Canning said they had lost all theirs with a variety of speeches, and other light baggage in a forced march to Paris.
Mr. Rose suggested a plan for putting ideas in requisition, which he had found very successful at a Verderer's meeting on the New Forest Bill, and proposed as the most intelligible mode the plan of the New Cavalry Act. Gentlemen, who are supporters of the Ministry and the war might be classed according to the number of ideas they possessed, or were supposed to possess, respectively. Ten in a class for instance, where each gentleman had only one idea apiece; so in proportion if any such gentleman happened to possess more, that the gentleman on whom the ballot fell, should be bound to furnish one idea for the use of the State, the fitness of which should be judged of by the Deputy Lieu-- ↑ Parliamentary History, xxxiii. 1312.
