HUSKISSON, WILLIAM, an eminent English statesman, was b. at Birch Moreton, in Worcestershire, Mar. 11, 1770, and in 1783 was sent to Paris to study medicine. He took part in the storming of the Bastile, and as a member of the club of 1789, attracted attention by a number of speeches on subjects of political economy. In 1792 lie returned to England, received a subordinate appointment under the tory government, and formed an intimate acquaintance with Pitt and Canning. In 1795 he was selected by Dundas. the war minister, to be first under-secretary; and sat in parliament for Morpeth. lie subsequently held several offices under Pitt, with whom he retired in 1801, and on the dissolution of parliament in 1802, lost his seat in the house of commons. In 1804 he was returned for Liskeard, and was appointed secretary of the treasury in the new Pitt cabinet. On Pitt's death, however, in 1806, he lost this office, but was restored to it by Mr. Percival in 1807. He sat for Harwich, 1807-12; Chichester, 1812 23; and Liverpool, 1823-30. In 1814 he was chief commissioner of the woods and
forests; in 1822, president of the board of trade; in 1827, secretary of state for the col onies; and in 1828, secretary of state for foreign affairs. But this office he resigned, and retired from the ministry the same year. Through his exertions the old restrictions,on the trade of the'colonies with foreign countries were removed. He also obtained the removal or reduction of many import duties, considerable relaxation of the naviga tion laws, and is allowed to have been the great pioneer of free trade. He received fatal injuries at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester railway, Sept. 15, 1830, and died the same evening. A collection of his speeches was published in 1831. Both from the comprehengiveness of which they exhibit, and their fullness of accu rate details, they are interesting to the student of political economy.