entary reform; but I know that all opinions must
necessarily be subservient to times and circumstances; and that man who
talks of his consistency merely because he holds the same opinion for
ten or fifteen years, when the circumstances under which that opinion
was originally formed are totally changed, is a slave to the most idle
vanity. Seeing all that I have seen since the period to which I allude,
considering how little chance there is of that species of reform to
which alone I looked, and which is as different from the modern schemes
of reform as the latter are from the constitution;--seeing that where
the greatest changes have taken place the most dreadful consequences
have ensued, and which have not been confined to the country where they
originated, but have spread their malignant influence to almost every
part of the globe, shaking the fabric of every government;--seeing
that in this general shock the constitution of Great Britain has alone
remained pure and untouched in its vital principles;--I say, when I
consider all these circumstances, I should be ashamed of myself if any
former opinions of mine could now induce me to think that the form of
representation which, in such times as the present, has been found amply
sufficient for the purpose of protecting the interests and securing the
happiness of the people, should be idly and wantonly disturbed from any
love of experiment or any predilection for theory. Upon this subject I
think it right to state the inmost thoughts of my mind; I think it right
to declare my most decided opinion that, even if the times were proper
for experiments, any, even the slightest, change in such a constitution
must be considered as an evil." Pitt proposed the adoption of the
resolutions voted by the Irish house of parliament; and after some
opposition, especially from Mr. Grey, who moved an amendment, which was
lost, they were carried without further delay. All proceedings both in
England and Ireland relative to this great measure were concluded in
the month of June; and on the 2nd of July the act of union received the
royal assent. His majesty declared that he ever should consider this
measure as the happiest of his reign. The Irish session, which had been
prolonged till the bill passed in England for the purpose of ratifying
it was dissolved on the 2nd of August, and with it the existence of the
Irish parliament. On the subject of this union Dr. Miller remarks:--"The
whole history o