long; that he was going to the House of Lords upon particular business, and it was growing late. Lord Eglintoun then desired he would stay only five minutes. This was refused: lastly, he requested only three minutes; and this was refused also, But in the expostulation it came out, that it was to meet Lord Bute, whom Lord Eglintoun sup posed was, by this time, waiting at his own house, and he wished to fetch him. At length, pressing the matter very earnestly, Lord Temple answered warmly, By G—d I will not;—that was his expression, and immediately stepped into his carriage.

He

The Duke of Bedford and Mr. Grenville met Lord Bute at Lord Eglintoun's. The conference was very short: Lord Bute followed Lord Holland's advice he heard them-and then left them. afterwards said to Lord Eglintoun, that he did not meet the person he wanted to meet (Lord Temple) but the person he did not want to meet (the Duke of Bedford). Some time afterwards, Mr. Pitt mentioned this meeting in the House of Commons. Mr. Grenville did not deny it; but said, "That the single proposition made, or point spoken of, was relative to the best means of preventing the intended repeal of the Stamp Act. No other subject was mentioned."

Notwithstanding the ill success of this project,

Lord Bute found means, through one of the Princess's confidants, to amuse Lord Temple with assurances, that a Carte-blanche would, in a very little time, be offered to him: and this manœuvre was managed so well, he was completely duped by it: he believed the assurances for some time. The design was to engage him warmly in the opposition to the repeal of the Stamp Act; and he fell into the snare. Having implicitly adopted the American politics of his brother, the American politics of the Court became an easy, and almost a natural gradation.

During the progress of the bill for the repeal of the Stamp Act, it was strongly insinuated in parliament, that the bill was very far from being agreeable to the King; upon which Lord Rockingham asserted, that his Majesty's approbation of the measure was clear and unequivocal. Next day, Lord Strange maintained the contrary-that his Majesty highly disapproved of the bill. Lord Rockingham was greatly surprised by this explicit declaration from Lord Strange; and at his next audience of the King, he requested the honour of his Majesty's opinion in writing; which the King refused to give. This circumstance was an indisputable proof, that notwithstanding the late negotiation had not succeeded, yet his Majesty still withheld his confidence from his present servants.

Another change of ministers was doubtless in contemplation; although no fresh applications for that purpose were yet made.

However unfortunate these ministers might be in the closet, yet they rendered great and important services to the country. Their proceedings and conduct are well known; they are to be found in the public accounts of the time; but there is one measure of that administration which has been very imperfectly stated. It is concerning Dunkirk.

This point, of frequent and anxious discussion, seems to have been mistaken by the British ministers, prior and subsequent to Lord Rockingham. From the peace of Utrecht, in the year 1713, to the month of September 1765, all our demands concerning the demolition of Dunkirk have originated in a wrong principle. We have insisted upon levelling the ramparts, upon filling up the cunette, &c. These were immaterial points, to which the French Court consented, after some affected hesitation. The fortifications on the land side are of no consequence to England. It was the harbour alone that ought to have engaged our attention. Lord Rockingham saw this mistake; in his administration only, was the demolition of the harbour seriously attempted: and had he re

mained a little longer in office, it must have been accomplished. His demands were directed to the jettees which protect the channel to the harbour, and without which the harbour becomes totally unserviceable. These jettees are two piers, which project about three quarters of a mile from the harbour into the sea; and are about twelve feet high from low-water mark: between them is the channel into the harbour. His Lordship ordered a breach to be made in the eastern jettee, near the middle, sufficient to admit the sea. All Dunkirk was instantly filled with alarm. They saw the ruin of the harbour was inevitable. A few tides made the fact clear. The sand was driven through the breach with such astonishing velocity, it was fully manifest the channel must be entirely choaked in a few days more. Had this breach been made larger, which was intended; and another made lower down towards the sea, which was also intended, the harbour must have been so effectually rendered useless, that nothing larger than a row-boat, or a pilot, could have got into it. The French immediately saw the effect of this small breach, and instantly put a stop to the progress of the workmen. The reader is to observe, that in all the stipulations our Court has made with France, respecting Dunkirk, a kind of childish delusion has constantly been admitted-this wasthe French were to employ their own people to

execute our demands, and we were to send our surveyors to examine and report the state of their operation. Our surveyors had no controul over the workmen; and if the French Governor, at any time, choose to put a stop to their labour, we could not oblige them to resume their work. The surveyors might return to England, and, upon their report, the British Ambassador at Paris was usually instructed to remonstrate; which commonly produced an evasive answer. The surveyors have been sent back, and the same farce has been played over again. In this manner have the negotiations concerning Dunkirk been continued, dropped, and revived, from the year 1713. As a proof that Lord Rockingham was right in this matter, we need only observe the conduct of the French, in this parti cular, since the treaty of 1782, by which was surrendered all claim and concern respecting Dunkirk. Instead of repairing the fortifications, on the demolition of which we formerly so strenuously insisted, or opening the cunette, or paying any regard whatever to the land side, their whole attention has been directed to widening, deepening, and enlarging the harbour. They have made it capacious, safe, and convenient. Those who think Dunkirk a place of no danger to the commerce of London, may find their mistake in a future day.

During this administration, Mr. Wilkes returned