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of statuary marble, and was designed and executed by John Bacon, R.A. The parliamentary grant for the purpose was 60007.; but out of this sum, the sculptor paid 7007. in fees to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, exclusive of the expenses of the erection of the monument!

The entire elevation exceeds 33 feet in height, and has an air of colossal grandeur. The basement is a rock, on which is seated Britannia, and at her feet are figures of Ocean and Earth. In the centre of the design, upon a sarcophagus, are figures of Prudence and Fortitude; and immediately over them, in a niche at the upper part of the pyramid which forms the background, is a statue of Lord Chatham, in his parliamentary robes, in an attitude of debate. The general sentiment of the composition is-that, by the united exertions of that Prudence and Fortitude which distinguished the illustrious deceased as Minister of the country, Great Britain had risen triumphant both by Sea and Land over all the efforts which had been aimed against her Independence, her Prosperity, and her National Ascendancy. The vastness of the figures, 7 and 8 feet in height, their excellent execution, and their pyramidical grouping, render this one of the sculptor's finest works:

Bacon there

Gives more than female beauty to a stone,

And Chatham's eloquence to marble lips.-Cowper.

When it was proposed to erect the monument, the selection of the designs from those sent in by the competing artists was conceded to the Royal Academy; but Bacon preferred to avail himself of his private influence with the King, and having procured an audience for the purpose of showing his model, obtained His Majesty's commands to make the monument. Bacon also wrote the inscription on the base:

"Erected by the King and Parliament, as a testimony to the virtues and abilities of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham; during whose administration, in the reigns of George the Second and George the Third, Divine Providence exalted Great Britain to a height of prosperity and glory unknown to any former age. Born 15th of Nov., 1708; died 11th of May, 1778."

The King, after approving and adopting this inscription, said to the sculptor, "Now, Bacon, mind you do not turn author; stick to your chisel."

The citizens of London resolved to erect in their Guildhall a monument to Chatham, which was also executed by Bacon, who received for the work 3000 guineas. The statesman is represented as a Roman senator standing upon a rock; his attitude is oratorical and commanding; his left hand directs the helm of Government; his right hand is placed affectionately on the shoulders of Commerce, who is presented by a murallycrowned figure of the City of London: in the foreground is Britannia seated on her Lion, receiving contributions from the four quarters of the Globe, represented by Infants. The whole effect is magnificent, though not in the highest style of sculpture. On the plinth is a laurelled medallion charged with the cap of Liberty, and above is the inscription from the pen of Edmund Burke:

"In grateful Acknowledgement to the Supreme Disposer of events, who, intending to advance this nation for such time as to his wisdom seemed good, to an high Pitch of Prosperity and Glory, by an Unanimity at home; by Confidence and Reputation abroad; by Alliance wisely chosen and faithfully observed; by Colonies united and protected; by decisive Victories by sea and land; by Conquests made by Arms and Generosity in every part of the Globe; by Commerce, for the first time, united with, and made to flourish by, War;-was pleased to raise up as a proper instrument in this memorable work,

WILLIAM PITT.

The Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council, mindful of the Benefits which the City of London received, in her ample Share in the general Prosperity, have erected to the memory of this eminent Statesman and powerful Orator, this monument in her Guildhall, that her Citizens may never meet for the Transaction of their Affairs, without being reminded that the means by which Providence raises a Nation to Greatness, are the Virtues infused into great men, and that to withhold from those Virtues, either of the Living or the Dead, the Tribute of Esteem and Veneration, is to deny to themselves the Means of Happiness and Honour.

"This distinguished Person, for the Service rendered to King George II. and to King George III., was created

EARL OF CHATHAM.

The British Nation honoured his Memory with a public Funeral, and a public Monument amongst her illustrious men in Westminster Abbey."

But the most tender tribute to the memory of Lord Chatham was naturally that dictated by private affection. His Countess erected at Burton-Pynsent a marble urn, sculptured by Bacon, upon the pedestal of which is inscribed:

66 SACRED TO PURE AFFECTION,
THIS SIMPLE URN

STANDS A WITNESS OF UNCEASING GRIEF FOR HIM,

WHO,

EXALTING IN WHATEVER IS MOST ADMIRABLE,

AND ADDING TO THE EXERCISE OF THE SUBLIMEST VIRTUES, THE SWEET CHARM OF REFINED SENTIMENT, AND POLISHED WIT: BY GAY SOCIAL CONVERSE,

RENDERED, BEYOND COMPARISON, HAPPY

THE COURSE OF DOMESTIC LIFE;

AND BESTOWED A FELICITY, INEXPRESSIBLE,
ON HER,

WHOSE FAITHFUL LOVE WAS BLESSED IN
A PURE RETURN,

THAT RAISED HER ABOVE EVERY OTHER JOY

BUT THE PARENTAL ONE,

AND THAT STILL SHARED WITH HIM.

HIS GENEROUS COUNTRY, WITH PUBLIC MONUMENTS,
HAS ETERNIZED HIS FAME;

THIS HUMBLE TRIBUTE

IS BUT TO SOOTHE THE SORROWING BREAST

OF PRIVATE WOE."

On the front of the urn is a medallion with the head of Lord Chatham; and on the opposite side is another medallion inscribed:

6 To

THE DEAR MEMORY

OF

WILLIAM PITT,

EARL OF CHATHAM,

THIS MARBLE

IS INSCRIBED

BY HESTER,

HIS BELOVED WIFE."

The urn and pedestal were, many years since, removed to

Stowe.

CHARACTERISTICS, RETROSPECTIVE OPINIONS, AND PERSONAL TRAITS.

PITT'S AFFECTATION AND PERSONAL HABITS.

MR. PITT had one fault, which of all human faults, is most rarely found in company with true greatness. He was extremely affected. He was an almost solitary instance of a man of real genius, and of a brave, lofty, and commanding spirit, without simplicity of character. He was an actor in the Closet, an actor at Council, an actor in Parliament; and even in private society, he could not lay aside his theatrical tones and attitudes. "We* know that one of the most distinguished of his partisans often complained that he could never obtain admittance to Mr. Pitt's room till everything was ready for the representation, till the dresses and properties were all correctly disposed, till the light was thrown down with Rembrandt-like effect on the head of the illustrious performer, till the flannels had been arranged with the air of a Grecian drapery, and the crutch placed as gracefully as that of Belisarius or Lear."

The able writer of the paper in the Quarterly Review, No. 131, has well observed that "Mr. Pitt, like a great actor, and like the Grecian orators, who were great actors, reserved all his dignity for the proscenium, and seemed to think of the shiftings, and changes, and managements behind the scenes, as inconsiderable circumstances, with which one who was to fill a great share in the public view must necessarily comply. If it were not for this hypothesis, we should

* Lord Macaulay.

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