The important assistance of CANNING was immediately felt, for he was, in the words of BYRON, “a genius—almost a universal one; an orator, a wit, a poet, a statesman”. Though he entered Parliament at the early age of 23 (in 1793), and attained the post of Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign Department two years after, he was by no means inexperienced either as a writer or as an orator; for while a student at Eton he had won distinction by his contributions to _The Microcosm_, a weekly paper published by the more advanced Etonians, and also in the discussions of their Debating Society, which were conducted with strict regard to parliamentary usages. And afterwards, while studying for the law, he took an active part in the proceedings of the debating societies of the metropolis, in which he achieved so much reputation as to lead to his introduction to PITT, whose party he unhesitatingly joined. CANNING early saw the necessity of the Government’s possessing some literary engine, which, like the Whig _Rolliad_, published some years before, should carry confusion into the ranks of its enemies. In a lucky hour he conceived the idea of _The Anti-Jacobin_, a weekly newspaper, interspersed with poetry, the avowed object of which was to expose the vicious doctrines of the French Revolution, and to turn into ridicule and contempt the advocates of that event, and the sticklers for peace and parliamentary reform. The editor was WILLIAM GIFFORD, whose vigorous and unscrupulous pen had been already shown in his _Baviad_ and _Mæviad_; and among the regular writers were: JOHN HOOKHAM FRERE, JENKINSON (afterwards EARL OF LIVERPOOL), GEORGE ELLIS (who had previously contributed to the Whig _Rolliad_), LORD CLARE, LORD MORNINGTON (afterwards MARQUIS WELLESLEY), LORD MORPETH (afterwards EARL OF CARLISLE), BARON MACDONALD, and others. These gentlemen entered upon their task with no common spirit. Their purpose was to blacken their adversaries, and they spared no means, fair or foul, in the attempt. Their most distinguished countrymen, whose only fault was their being opposed to government, were treated with no more respect than their foreign adversaries, and were held up to public execration as traitors, blasphemers, and debauchees. So alarmed, however, became WILBERFORCE and others of the more moderate supporters of ministers at the boldness of the language employed, that PITT was induced to interfere, and, after an existence of eight months, _The Anti-Jacobin_ (in its original form) ceased to exist.