Rogues, pilferers, drunkards, and fots, never mind, (For who does not know that for hands up and down, The funeral fervice he'll teach them by heart.) TOM TRIM. THE FEAST OF THE STATUE *. [From the Morning Chronicle.] } THE popularity of Mr. Pitt's Defence Bill, as an ingenious, novel, and practical meafure, and his unparalleled majorities in the Houfe on the late repeated divifions, very naturally induced a numerous and refpectable body of his friends and admirers to dine together yesterday, in order to expedite the longintended project of erecting his Statue. The business of the day was opened in a neat and claffical fpeech, by the Right Honourable George Rofe; who obferved, that the prefent feemed a moft aufpicious moment for such a teftimony of national gratitude, as it would mark the fingular advantage the public had juft derived from the very firft and maiden effay of his Right Hon. Friend's fecond Administration. Yet he could not help lamenting, that the fubfcription had rather languished of late, though he had no doubt, it would now be vigorously revived from the heart-felt affections, zeal, and activity of the feveral Churchwardens and Overfeers of the Poor throughout the kingdom, who, under the beneficial operation of the new Bill, would readily remit to the fund whatever * See Vol. VI. p. 239–262. they could fcrape together in their respective parishes, as it would eventually tend to conciliate the new Board of Treasury, and, confequently, mitigate the fines they otherwise were expofed to for their ignorance as Recruiting Officers, and their incapacity as Crimps. The new Secretary at War observed, in his powerful and impreffive manner, that he was fure, were the Statue immediately put up, he could answer for the Volunteers, who felt fuch obligation to Mr. Pitt for his Bill, that they would go on permanent duty in rotation, night and day, during any number of weeks his Administration might laft, to protect it against any attempts on the part of a deluded populace, who might be difpofed to acts of infult and mutilation. Several Holders of Omnium were of opinion, that the money fhould be returned to the Subfcribers, and the lefs faid about the whole job, the better. This was ftrongly objected to by Mr. Bofanquet and the Bank Directors, who faid refunding was as dangerous a fyftem as payment in fpecie; and they fuggefted, that if the money fubfcribed were not now to be applied to its original patriotic purpose, of a Statue to Mr. Pitt, it had better be paid into the hands of John Julius Angerftein, Efq. for another very laudable object, that of bettering the condition of infant chimneyfweepers. This occafioned confiderable murmurs; but the Bank Directors affured the company, that they meant no allufion to the Minister, as ever having done any dirty work in the fervice of the public. The Statuary was then called in, and it was inquired of him, in what degree of forwardnefs the Statue really was, and within what period it would be ready for erection? The Statuary candidly confeffed, that he had completed nothing but the pedestal, and three of the four figures that were to fupport it, namely, Lord Hawkesbury, as Proteus; Lord Melville, as Neptune; Neptune; and Lord Caftlereagh, as Apollo Jaculator. He owned that Lord Hawkefbury's head was not quite ready; that Apollo, Lord Caftlereagh, had loft the two ftrings of his bow*; and that Lord Melville's trident had been maliciously broken off by three Scots Members, who fwore it was meant for a fcrubbing poft. Suppofing too, that, from recent events, the Statue itfelf would never be wanted at all, he laftly admitted, that he had fold the block of marble to the late Miniftry, who had expended it in the Stone Expedition. The company expreffed great diffatisfaction at the whole report of the Statuary, and inquired if Portland ftone could not be fubftituted to supply the exigency of the artist, as they had a large lump of it on their hands, which they understood could at any time be fawed out to answer any body's purpose. Sir Robert Buxton thought the Statue need not neceffarily be of ftone; wood had come into his head as a very fit material. The worthy Baronet concluded his very conftitutional speech with the following elegant quotation :— "Experto crede Roberto." The Crown Lawyers differed, and stated, that though the propofal came from a moft independent country gentleman, yet it would be error in fubftance, and alfo contrary to the form of the Statue in this cafe to be made and provided. By this time there was a great cry for the queftion. An Amendment was, however, moved and carried, that the Statue fhould not be put up till Mr. Pitt had doubled the Income Tax, and repealed the Habeas Corpus Act; and that then the Lord Advocate of Scotland fhould be requested to pen an infeription for it, "with all the zeal of an ardent mind.” See page 301. The The company then retired to a fumptuous dinner, given at Grocers' Hall. Mr. Pitt attended, and took the chair. In compliment to that great man, a tranfparency was placed in the middle of the table, with this neat and appropriate diftich, compofed by the Grocers' Company : "Votes two hundred twenty-three! The evening concluded with great conviviality. Mr. Pitt thanked the company for their perfevering attachment, and then defired Mr. Dignum to fing to him that justly popular and pleafing fong; "The Pilot who weather'd the storm." June 27. MORE ABOUT THE FEAST OF THE STATUE. [From the fame.] Exegi monumentum ære perennius, Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens Annorum feries, & fuga temporum. HOR. lib. iii. Od. 30. HAVING been favoured with a detailed account, from the Secretaries of the Treafury, of the proceedings of the meeting which lately took place of the Subfcribers to the Statue of our newly-reftored Premier, we think we cannot do better than now to lay before the public the Refolutions which were agreed to by that truly difinterefted and patriotic affembly, which the prefs of bufinefs prevented our doing in the account we have already given. VOL. VIII. RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTIONS OF THE SUBSCRIBERS TO THE STATUE OF THE RIGHT HON. WILLIAM PITT, I. That the Refolution which had been adopted at a meeting of the Subfcribers during the time that Mr. Pitt was out of office, namely, "That the Statue fhould not be erected during the lifetime of Mr. Pitt," be refcinded; and that, on the contrary, now that he is again in office, no time fhould be loft in completing this laudable undertaking. II. That a Committee be appointed to conduct all the business relative to its completion; and that, to fecure an affiduous attention to its completion, the Committee be compofed of all perfons being Subscribers who hold offices under the present Government. III. That the Committee do wait on the Lords of the Treafury, to exprefs to them the grateful thanks of this meeting, for their patriotic gift of 2000l. of the public money. IV. That the faid Committee do advertise for the beft defign for the Statue of the Right Honourable William Pitt, according to the following plan: that he be reprefented as holding in his right hand the Letter to the Irish Catholics; and that the promise he made in that Letter, never to take office without their complete emancipation, be in characters diftinctly legible; and that there be alfo reprefented, in baffo relievo, on the four fides of the pedeftal, the four principal events of his minifterial life. The first fide will reprefent him delivering his maiden fpeech in the Houfe of Commons, in which he modeftly declared, he never would take any fubordinate office. The fecond fide will reprefent him as prefiding at the Thatched Houfe Tavern, with Horne Tooke, Hardy, and Thelwall, recommending the purfuit of Parliamentary Reform with the greateft vigour. The third fide will reprefent him in his robes, as Chancellor of the |