hardihood of character and his inflexible adherence to truth,' then he was shamefully ill-treated by those and other papers, of which, it seems, he spoke nothing but the fact, and their panegyrics recoil with all the force of contrast on their own heads. The truth is however, that as Mr. Windham's freaks can no longer annoy them, they are willing to make what use of him they can, and to play off his memory against their political opponents. The whigs exalt him because he ranked among the opposition; the ministerialists exalt him because he opposed every step towards reform; and both of them are the more inclined to forget his errors and cherish his reputation, because he treated the public with a contempt which they themselves affect as a counteraction to public opinion.

and still more of his fancy, accompanied, as he thinks, by a greater knowledge of nature, arising from an uncommon sagacity of mind.' How a man can have only much of Burke's wisdom,' and yet a greater knowledge of nature,' is not easily reconcileable. If Mr. Windham had as much knowledge of men and things as Mr. Burke, he certainly did not apply it with such equability and strength; and in the loftier parts of eloquence, the pathetic, the dignified, the poetical, he had no feature like him. The other objection, that Mr. Windham's style was too metaphysical, is equally well-founded to a certain extent, though the writer just quoted says it has been made without any determinate meaning' of the word, and denies the charge to be just if it means that Mr. Windham was peWhen Mr. Windham is praised dantic in argumentation, or too fond for his wit and readiness, for his elo- of referring to general principles. The quence, and for the fortitude with term metaphysical, however, seems to which he met a painful death, these have been used on this occasion in are so many praise-worthy facts which the sense in which Johnson applies it we all acknowledge and admire. His to Cowley and other poets, who preeloquence, as Mr. Canning has well ferring subtlety to solidity, heaped observed, if it was not always com- together masses of incongruous ideas, manding, was always insinuating.' It delighted in familiar illustration, struck a forcible and sparkling light upon the ridiculous side of things, and underneath a surface of levity possessed a considerable fund of information. One of the principal objections to Mr. Windham's cloquence, that it's familiarity had too great a tendency to vulgarity, is well founded, and more particularly so, because this vulgarity was not consistent with the rest of his eloquence,-had not a flow uniformly Hudibrastic-but came abruptly upon the hearers in the midst of better words and better manners. This fault, together with many beauties, he is said to have caught from imitating Burke. It is certainly one of the faults of that great orator, but not in such a degree as betrayed by Mr. Windham, whose imitation of Burke, like the imitation of Milton and Shakspeare by others, seems to have consisted rather in faults than beauties. A weekly writer, who has revertheless given the best-written and I believe the most disinterested account of Mr. Windham, tells us that he had much of Burke's wisdom,

and in a word, rendered every thing subordinate to the display of wit. In this sense of the word Mr. Windham was certainly apt to be too metaphysical, that is to say, too exuberant of his fancy and his conceits; and though this encreased the effect of his ridicule by throwing it's objects into every possible situation of aukwardness, it never left his mind leisure for a more regular and strong flow of reasoning on great questions. He was heard with attention, but it was an attention more expectant of amusement than of instruction. His delivery, though monotonous, displayed a frankness and a grace, that seemed the result of natural habit, and was calculated to attract even the eye of an artist:-that it was studied, however, is apparent from the story lately told in the Political Register; and it was a study that did honour to his good sense, for delivery is the stamp of persuasion.

"Of his moral qualities, the estimation, to say the least of it, is not so easy, He is praised for the firmness of his opinions, and his freedom from party-spirit; but firmness is only

right or wrong according to the nature all ambitious men who cannot be of the opinion, and party-spirit does greatly original, he contrived to be not always regard men; it's attachment greatly singular: he was always lookis sometimes to measures, and yet by ing for some principle which he called no means the less selfish or pernicious general, in order to oppose it to what on that account. may be termed the cardinal princi"Though a man may tie himself to ples: his talent lay in exception; and no personal party in a state, there is, let the proposition which he was to if I may so speak, a party in morals, combat have been ever so general, so to which he may adhere, with a shew true, and so useful, he did nothing of political independence, but in fact but seize the wrong side, brought all with a greater artifice and slavishness. the light he could to bear on that Of this description are the wretched quarter, and seemed to be happy in politicians, who by likening all human perplexing if he could not persuade. kind to themselves, treat the most But give him a wrong principle, and exalted feelings as so many chimeras, he would unite as heartily to maintain and are prepared to resist public virtue it, as he stood aloof to oppose a right as an impostor or a nonentity. Such one. Of his philosophic views in a man knows well enough, that he foreign policy, there cannot be a more shall not only have the good word of sorry instance than bis encouragement the contending parties in government, of our disastrous war with France,--a but that he will also have their in- war forbidden by the position, chaterest whenever it suits him, inas- racter, and renovated mind of France, much as his doctrines are favourable by the corruption and imbecility of to every species of corruption. When the nations around her, by all his Mr.Windham therefore is panegyrized torical experience, and by all just both by the ministerialists and the knowledge of human nature;—a war, oppositionists, by the corrupt in power which was undertaken for the mainand the corrupt cut of power, the tenance of civil tyranny, and by the panegyric, so far from giving a fa- natural progress of opposition has vourable colour to his memory, ren- produced a military one-which was ders us doubly suspicious of the qua- undertaken to obtain the balance of lities which can be praised by such power in our own hands, and has lost men at such a time. A public cha- it to those of the enemy; which, in a racter, of acknowledged acquirements word, was undertaken to make France and with the power to be independent, little, and has ended in making her should be judged by a high standard great. It was in the true spirit of of principle; we should ask whether such policy, perplexed as it was every he possessed a spirit of thinking en- day with fresh difficulties and renlarged as well as subtle; whether he dered stubborn and unfeeling, that Mr. understood and could apply to a large Windham projected the sanguinary scale of action the great general prin- expedition to Quiberon,—one of those ciples upon which society itself is measures which tend to degrade the built; whether he founded politics English character in reality as well on morals and the great interests of as in reputation, and which ought to mankind and not on corruption and make their proposers blush in conthe petty interests of individuals; and demning the enemy whom they imi in fine, whether he himself set a phi- tate. His views of national spirit and losophic example of such principles, and carried unpolluted into private the radiance of public virtue. Judged by such a standard, or even by one much inferior, the merits of Mr. Windham, I am afraid, will be found to be something worse than superficial. He has been praised for referring to general principle, and has been compared to Burke in this instance with as little justice as in eloquence and moral feeling. The truth is, that like

morality betrayed as little foundation in reason and knowledge of mankind. To defend prize-fighting, and to differ with some of the provisions of Lond Eiskine's Animal Cruelty Bill, may be owing to the common differences of opinion on those subjects, to a dislike of suffering law to entrench too much upon conscience, and to a certain strange and ill-defined idea of the national spirit; but I know not what excuse, or what colour of excuse,

whatever the corruptionists may think of his friendship, he did more service to the cause of reform by keeping out of it, than if he had brought it all the weight of his character and the sen sibility of his conscience. The reformists therefore took little notice of his vagaries: they merely gave him to understand now and then that they knew him; and when he talked of opposing Mr. Curwen's bill because it was a step to what they called reform, and represented modern patriotism as a crime just above that of crimping, they regarded these attacks but as so many ferocious jokes, as harmless as they were snarling, and only shewing that he could not conceive such a feeling as patriotism in himself.

either in manliness or common feel- short-sighted, and feelings at best so ing, can be made for the studious suspicious, could not be a desirable defender of bull-baiting, a practice acquisition to any good cause; and despicable from its safety and horrible for its unmixed cruelty, a mere enjoyment of torture, for which I think there could hardly have been found another regular advocate, besides Mr. Windham, unless they had sent to the inquisition for one of its familiars. When the lower orders enter into such an amusement, we trace half their enjoyment to their ignorance, and want of feeling loses half its horror in want of thought; but when a man, habituated to polished society and adorned with its accomplishments, exhibits a taste so utterly depraved- a moral feeling so completely distorted, one can only suppose that he had exhausted the common enjoyments of a human being, and sought for pleasure in what was painful and It was ludicrous enough, disgusting to the majority of his fel- that at the moment he was deriding low-creatures. It is urged, that Mr. all public virtue, he should be claimWindham, on these occasions, suc- ing it for himself in a manner as sincreded in persuading his auditors not gular as it was obstinate. Unluckily, to interfere with the recreations' of his eccentricity led him into a fault of the lower orders. He did so he per- which he had hitherto been too politic suaded them, to use the language of to be guilty, that of abusing the mo Eis panegyrists, otherwise they would tires of some of his best friends. He confound the objects of morals and attacked the reporters, whom he releislation, of conscience and law;'- presented as fellows beneath his noas if these objects were at all different tice: they attacked him in return, in all that regards the requisites to and it was proved that he had noticed social order. The law punishes those some of them to the very great advanwho desseminate vicious books among tage of his parliamentary figure, and the young and unwary, and most that he was under great obligation to justly punishes them, because they their attentions. If any thing could deprave the rising generation; and do away the idea of Mr. Windham's what more can deprave the rising interestedness, it would have been generation, than wanton habits of this action, for it seemed a pure piece cruelty? If we trace adultery and of madness. But the truth was, he other social injuries to the former, counted upon the fears of most of the we may trace domestic cruelty, a per- reporters, and upon softening down petual love of violence, and even the rest in private. He found himmurder to the latter. Mr. Windham self mistaken; the whole secret was succeeded in persuading those about detailed in the Political Register; the him, but it was by the help of their public at large began to know Mr. own habits, of a wish to please their Windham, and when they began to constituents in what did not interfere know, they began to despise him. with political corruption; and of that remnant of barbarous rusticity, the dastardly amusement of hare and staghunting, of which I have little doubt that posterity wil learn to think as contemptuously, as we ourselves do of Domitian's piercing flies with a bod

kin.

"A man, with political views so

"All this may have been very well during Mr. Windham's life, but his memory is not to be embalmed because he escaped so easily. When a reformist taiks ardently of restoring the constitution, he is charged with bad motives; and certainly, if bad motives can be proved against him, he ought to be distrusted and de

The following extract from a letter of this Mr. Gardiner to Mr. James Poole, a gentleman in the same department, exhibits, with a very satisfactory pithiness, the official virtue of Mr. Windham's favourites:-" How

spised-but if a reformist is to be Commons in April 1808, on papers charged with such motives upon mere printed by the same order in the suspicion, where his demands are ac- course of last year, and on the Seventh knowledged to be in great measure Report of the Commissioners of Milijust, how suspicious ought we to be tary Enquiry. From these documents of the anti-reformist, who resists those it is discovered, that Mr. Windham demands, when there is other ground filled the places immediately under for doubting his motives? Mr. Wind- him with his own relations ;-that ham, consistently with his protesta- these persons certified and passed each tions against reform, assisted on every others accounts;—that Mr. Lukin, his occasion to repress enquiry into abuses. half-brother, gave no security, and The moment any attempt was made did not always state his balances ;to look narrowly into the departments that Mr. Emperor Woodford, a faof the state, he flew to shut the door, vourite of Mr. Windham, was made and cried out with an agitation il chief inspector of foreign corps, exconcealed by pleasantry, Do not let pended upwards of 262,0001., and fifthem look in: their motives are bad; teen years afterwards absconds without they have only an eye to your house.' meeting the examination of his acThe cause of an anxiety, so undevi- counts; that Richard Gardiner, acating, so unreasonable, and in every countant to Mr. Windham's departway so suspicious, became matter of ment, certified Mr. Lukin's total, in just curiosity with those who studied which was included his own expendithe characters of public men; and the ture, and that Mr. Windham therevery first step taken by government to upon passed the whole account ;—that indulge the public in a little know- the auditors however required an acledge of official management, brought us into full contact with corruption and Mr. Windham. During the office of that gentleman as secretary at war, there were certain practices committed under his eye and with his connivance and even patronage, which transpired four years ago by a channel that ever, I have no more reason to courted examination, though the sub- “quarrel with this same system than sequent attempt of the military com- "Divines with sin and the devil; for missioners to investigate part of them "neither of us could be employed but was resisted in a manner as singular "for this perversion of moral faculty. as it was shameful. Mr. Windham is "The only use to which I am connow no more; and there is no neces- "verted is, the examination of old sity for detail on this occasion, as the accounts; I docket and make up, in matter could not be publicly investi-"most official parcels, these monugated without his concurrence, which "ments of peculation; I make my hitherto it has been impossible to ob- report upon them, hand them from tain. The mention of it, however, one closet to another, &c. &c."is not only necessary towards a just See, in Redhead Yorke's Weekly Poappreciation of his memory, but if litical Register, for Nov. 29, 1806, an ever his relations and dependents article on the subject written by Mr. should be inclined to come forward Poole, who quarrelled with this corand explain the charges against him, rupt knot, and appears to have been it must induce them to do so now, very ill used by Mr. Windham, of when his memory is likely to suffer on whom he says, "I never witnessed their account. The Examiner has at peculation till Mr. Windham employvarious times thrown out accusations ed me: I there saw it demonstrate itagainst Mr. Windham on the subject self,-I saw it proceed systematically, of his official duties, not vaguely or I saw it flourish.-I have repeatedly without foundation, but in the most endeavoured to promote inquiry into open, distinct. and corroborated man- it, addressing myself in vain to Mr. per. Those accusations were founded Windham for that purpose, till eight on papers relative to foreign corps, years are consumed in the fruitless printed by order of the House of endeavour,"

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count from Mr. Lukin of 519,900l., phew, Robert Lukin, hitherto not which he declined, upon the ground mentioned, was left by him in the that he was directed by the Secretary situation of principal clerk of the at War to settle his accounts at the War Office;-that the old auditors War Office with him;-that the au- still persisted in demanding an account ditors renewed their demand, when from Mr. Lukin, who still excused Mr. Lukin sent for instructions to himself by saying that it had been Mr. Windham, who enclosed a letter passed at the War Office;-that the to the Lords of the Treasury requiring board, consisting of these old auditors, their determination on the matter; was abolished by the whigs, whom that the Lords of the Treasury deter- Mr. Windham joined;-and finally, mined on the necessity of having Mr. that Mr. Windham has died before Lukin's accounts audited by the com- the new board has taken any steps to missioners-that Mr. Windham, in- investigate these most suspicious matstead of having them so audited, ters, though sixteen years have elapsed waited for six months and then order- since this foreign department, of his ed the accounts into his own office; creation and most particular patronthat Mr. Windham procured his Ma- age, first originated. jesty's warrant to cover Mr. Lukin's "While facts like these are before accounts, and countersigned them the public, the admirers of Mr. Windwith his own name;-that the au- ham should bring proofs and not asditors again required Mr. Lukin to sertions, when they talk of his spotaccount with them, and were again less integrity. He may have used a refused on the grounds that part of high tone in public, and preserved his accounts, so warranted, were al- his independence from those above ready passed at the War Office by Mr. him, but to put his relations in offices Windham's directions, and that he was under himself, and thus to give them directed by Mr. Windham to make an appeal to his feelings from whatup and to deliver into his office the re- ever faults they chose to commit, was mainder; that the auditors informed at best dangerous, and if he suffered the Lords Commissioners of the Trea- those feelings to influence him, as it ury that the paymaster-General's cer- appears he did, it was highly culpable, tificates did not detail the several and reduced him to one of the very heads of service under which the worst states of dependence he could issues to Mr. Lukin were made, and have deprecated. Let his friends, that the certificates differed materially both for their sake and his own, refute from those contained in the special the charges standing against him, and certificate of charge on Mr. Lukin, then they may add the praise of public and from his own account attested upon worth to that of wit and companionOath-that Mr. Windham, being ship; but of all praises, that of moral about to retire from office, procured virtue should be the least vague, bewarrants to cover all remaining sums, cause it is the most abused. We are to the amount of 1,524,680l. 7s. 24d.; told that Mr. Windham married an that Mr. Windham wrote an official amiable woman with a mind congenial letter to Mr. Lukic, stating that he to his own, and doubtless there is had passed all his accounts on a cer- merit in so marrying; but let them tificate of their correctness by Mr. shew us that he valued this wife as he Gardiner, whose own charge consti- ought by paying her every attention, tuted part thereof, amounting to and returning virtue for virtue. We 180,1541. 7s. 4d., but was certified by are told that he died in the Christian another person connected with Mr. faith, and this death, by one of his Windham's family, and ordered by admirers, is reckoned the best proof him to examine them;-that Mr. he ever gave of his merits; but let Lukin on vacating his employment them shew us, that he also lived in was succeeded by Mr. Disney, a rela- the practice of Christian charity, that tion of Mrs. Windham;-that Mr. he was ingenuous, disinterested, and Gardiner, on vacating his employ- humane and just. Flatterers deal in ment, was succeeded by Mr. Wind- words: true panegyrists in things. ham's nephew, James Lukin, hitherto "One of Mr. Windham's eulogists not mentioned;-that another ne- walls him an accomplished cavalier,