had been promulgated of the interference of the ordnance; and these great officers constiearl Temple; and a strong resolution was tuted the cabinet council. Lord Mulgrave and passed, importing "that to report any opinion, Mr. Grenville succeeded Mr. Burke in the payor pretended opinion, of his majesty upon any office, and Mr. Henry Dundas was appointed bill or proceeding depending in either house of treasurer of the navy. parliament, with a view to influence the votes of the members, is a high crime and misde. meanor." It was also resolved, that on the Monday following, the house should resolve itself into a committee " to take into consideration the present state of the nation;" and these were followed by a motion, the intent of which was, to guard against a premature dissolution of parliament.

No measure could have been more popular than the dismissal of the coalition ministry; addresses of thanks and approbation to his majesty flowed in from all parts of the kingdom, and became at length so universal, that upon no occasion whatever was the sense of the people at large more clearly, strongly, and unequivocally ascertained. In this the city of London took the lead, and in their address said, "Your faithful citizens lately beheld with infinite con

tended to encroach on the rights of your majesty's crown; to annihilate the chartered rights of the East India company; and to raise a new power unknown to this free government, and highly inimical to its safety. As this dangerous measure was warmly supported by your majesty's late ministers, we heartily rejoice in their dismissal, and humbly thank your majesty for exerting your prerogative in a manner so salutary and constitutional."

The India bill was rejected, as was expected, by the lords; and the following night, Decem-cern the progress of a measure which equally ber 18th, at twelve o'clock, a message was delivered to each of the secretaries of state from his majesty, ordering them to deliver up the seals of their office to the under-secretaries, as a personal interview would not be agreeable. The following day, letters of dismission, were sent to the other members of the cabinet; and the seals were given to lord Temple, as secretary of state, which, however, he soon after resigned, on the plea that, as he was considered by the late ministry as peculiarly obnoxious on account of the part he had taken, he wished in his private capacity, and unprotected by the influence of office, to answer any charges that might be preferred against him.

Notwithstanding this apparent desertion of the noble earl, the new administration was completed within the course of a few days. Mr. W. Pitt was appointed first lord of the treasury, and chancellor of the exchequer; earl Gower, president of the council; lord Sydney, and the marquis of Carmarthen, secretaries of state; lord Thurlow, chancellor; the duke of Rutland, lord privy seal; lord Howe, first lord of the admiralty; the duke of Richmond, master of

The situation in which the new ministry commenced their official career, was new and singular in the annals of this country; at least no instance had occured, since the revolution, of an administration formed by the crown, in immediate opposition to the majority of the house of commons. A series of tumultuous debates and violent motions succeeded, which it would be nugatory minutely to detail. The land-tax bill was deferred, as a security against the dissolution of parliament; and on the 22d of De cember, the house being in a committee on the state of the nation, an address to his majesty was resolved on to the same effect, and was presented on the 24th. The king's answer was

as follows; and it reflects no uncommon lustre | king regarding the events of this period; when upon his regal character:

Gentlemen,

It has been my constant object to employ the authority entrusted to me by the constitution to its true and only end-the good of my people; and I am always happy in concurring with the wishes and opinions of my faithful

commons.

1

I agree with you in thinking that the support of the public credit and revenue must demand your most earnest and vigilant care. The state of the East Indies is also an object of as much delicacy and importance as can exercise the wisdom and justice of parliament. I trust you will proceed in these considerations with all convenient speed, after such an adjournment as the present circumstances may seem to require: and I assure you I shall not interrupt your meeting by any exercise of my prerogative, either of prorogation or dissolution.

It was in the course of this year that the late lord Nelson was first introduced at court by lord Hood, and his majesty paid him the most marked attention, especially as he had been honoured with the personal friendship of prince

William.

In the winter their majesties also entered warmly into the public enthusiasm excited at this time by the first tragic actress of the stage, Mrs. Siddons; she acted several times by royal command, and from that time his majesty paid her the most marked attention, being often invited to Buckingham-house to read some of the most celebrated passages of our dramatic authors before the royal family.

Mr. Pitt preserved his place as premier, notwithstanding all the efforts of the opposition, though their numbers had increased to such a degree, that they had a majority of one hundred votes against him, whilst he retained his power for six weeks in despite of them, under the firm hope that a sense of true patriotism would finally triumph over the factious spirit of party. At length the majority against him still continuing to increase, he said to his majesty, "Sir, I am mortified to see that my perseverance has been of no avail, and that I must resign at last." "If so," replied the king, "I must resign too."* Lord Thurlow then advised his majesty to dissolve the parliament, and thereby take the sense of the nation against the legislative oligarchy.

The year 1784 opened with the most violent political convulsions, and indeed his majesty's own opinion of the critical state of the country, may be ascertained from the following answer, which he gave to the archbishops and bishops, on addressing him according to annual custom on the 1st of January.

My Lords,

I return you my thanks for this dutiful and loyal address, and you may always depend upon my warmest

zeal for, and constant protection of, the church.

I also return you my thanks for your congratulations on the commencement of the new year; the commencement of this year may probably be the most critical and A curious anecdote has been related of the important of any yet in the annals of this country: it has, * His majesty had nearly lost this faithful servant in the course of the summer, Mr. Pitt having narrowly escaped being shot by a gardener near Wandsworth. The circumstance was shortly as follows:-Mr. Pitt dined that day with Mr. Jenkinson, and returned to town in a post carriage; but the boy blundering out of the main road, and not being able to find his way back, Mr. Pitt was induced to go to the next farm-house, to be rightly informed; the dogs, however, making ap alarm, the man of the house came out with a loaded gun, and insisted on Mr. Pitt's standing still, on pain of being fired at. Mr. Pitt pleaded and expostulated in vain, till at length the farmer actually fired at him; and the bullet went through the loose part of his coat, but happily without doing any injury. The post-boy, hearing the explosion, ran to the spot; and his appearance, together with Mr. Pitt's arguments, at length so far prevailed on the farmer, that the chancellor was permitted to withdraw; and his antagonist gave him every necessary instruction to find out the main road to town.

from my accession to the throne of these realms, been my | carried on under the sanction of his pleasure, constant study equally to preserve the rights, liberties and happiness of my people, with the prerogatives and rights which the constitution hath intrusted to me; it is my determined resolution to persevere in this conduct, in which

I trust I may have the protection of the Almighty, and the support of every honest man in my dominions.

which was, in fact, nothing more than an artifice of the opposite party to lull their opponents to sleep; and indeed there was more pride than prudence in the Portland party, while the conduct of their adversaries was directed by the most consummate policy. As the great difficulty that remained after the self-denying declaration of lord North lay in the declaration of the duke of Portland, that no negotiation could be instituted till Mr. Pitt had resigned: the last expedient suggested by the St. Alban's association was, that the duke should be requested by his majesty to have a personal conference with Mr. Pitt, for the purpose of forming a new administration. In compliance therefore with the requisition, a message was deli vered from the chancellor of the exchequer to his grace, in which he signified his majesty's earnest desire, that his grace should have a personal conference with Mr. Pitt, for the purpose of forming a new administration on a wide basis, and on fair and equal terms. With this message the duke of Portland declared himself perfectly satisfied as to the mode proposed, but

In this situation of affairs, nothing could have enabled the ministry to support the unequal contest with the house of commons, but the voice of the people, which was expressed in the strongest and most unequivocal terms of disapprobation of the coalition and the measures they had pursued. The city of London led the way, and this address was in the course of little more than six weeks, followed by one hundred and twenty others from different counties, towns, and corporate bodies, approving of the late appointment of ministers, and many of them urging a dissolution of parliament. On the 26th of January, a meeting was held at the St. Alban's tavern, of fifty-three members of the house of commons, when addresses to the duke of Portland and Mr. Pitt were drawn up and signed, recommending a coalition of the whig party. At the same time private negotia-wished to have the terms more directly extions were instituted, and some patriotic noblemen in particular warmly interested themselves in this important and desirable arrangement. As even the coalition itself had not the imprudence or the effrontery to bring forward lord Sandwich in any ostensible situation, Mr. Pitt objected to only one of the opposite party, and that one being lord North, his lordship had the magnanimity to declare, that "for the sake of his country, he was ready to make the sacrifice which was required, and therefore would not stand in the way of the union."

The king, as the sequel will testify, was, in this instance made the dupe of the intriguing

plained. To the word fair he could not object, as it was a general term, but the word equal was more specific and limited, and therefore he wished to know from Mr. Pitt the particular sense which he intended that word to convey. To this Mr. Pitt replied, that a personal conference was the proper opportunity for explanations. Two other proposals were made by the duke; the first, that he should be permitted to construe the message to imply a virtual resignation; the second, that he might receive his majesty's commands from his sovereign in person; but both proposals were rejected. Thus ended all hopes of a reunion of the whig

cern that all further progress towards a union was prevented by a doubt respecting a single word.

their efforts, with declaring their infinite con- | ment, that no specific charges of criminality had been advanced against the ministers; that a great proportion of the people had expressed their satisfaction at the change of his majesty's counsels, and that he could not dismiss his present ministers till he saw a prospect of affecting such a union as the house had recommended.

A very fine satirical poem was written on this occasion, and which was dedicated to his majesty. It began

What dire events from trivial causes flow,

The whigs of England to their sorrow know.

The vote of censure which was passed upon the ministers, afflicted his majesty exceed

This was soon after parodied in another poem, ingly, and when the intelligence was brought beginning

What dire events from Portland-blocks can flow, A king can tell, and all the commons know. His majesty, after the perusal of these two poems, was heard to exclaim, it is, after all, nothing more than tweedle dum, and tweedle dee."

to the queen, her agitation is represented to have been excessive. Lady Egremont attempted to sooth her, but she said, "that the king was so hurt at the heat, violence, and interestedness of parties, that he had, literally speaking, not a moment's peace; nor did she believe he would experience any, while the present contention of parties continued.”

The celebrated motion of Mr. Fox for a com

did not tend by any means to tranquillize his majesty's mind, as in almost all the resolutions that were moved, his ministers were left in a minority. One of the resolutions moved by lord Surrey, was so directly pointed against the new ministry, that to get rid of it, Mr. Dundas moved, that the Chairman do leave the chair. The following was the resolution:

While the house of commons was proceeding in strong votes, for the purpose of unsettling the ministry, and were threatening to with-mittee to inquire into the state of the nation, hold the supplies, and reject the annual mutiny act, the house of lords, who, till the beginning of February, had been an inactive spectator of the contest, proceeded to vote two strong resolutions, the one indirectly censuring the votes of the commons relative to the issuing of the public money, and the other asserting the undoubted prerogative of the crown to appoint its subordinate officers. To refuse the supplies, was, however, apparently too strong a measure to hazard in the then temper of the people, and the commons contented themselves with preferring three successive addresses to the throne, intreating his majesty to remove all impediments to the formation of a strong and stable administration, and pressing, with this view, the dismission of the ministers. His majesty's answers rested in general on the argu

That it is the opinion of this committee, that the late changes in his Majesty's councils, were immediately preceded by dangerous and universal reports, that his majesty's sacred name had been unconstitutionally abused to affect the deliberations of parliament, and that the appointments made, were accompanied by circumstances new and extraordinary, and such as do not conciliate or engage the confidence of this house.

The king was so excessively anxious to know the result of the debate on the above resolution,

• Alluding to the Portland stone, which was then much used in building.