Shortly after this Lord Bute faid " it would be eafy to make the Duke of Newcastle refign-but who fhould be the fucceffor? He thought it not advisable to begin there." Doddington replied," that he faw no objection; but, if Lord Bute was averse, it might be put into hands that would refign it to him whenever he chose to take it." It is obfervable that Lord Bute declared his belief that the Duke of Newcastle harbored no hoftile intentions, nor, in cafe of refignation, would he oppose the future Miniftry. Doubtlefs this Nobleman, who had grown old in the service of the House of Brunfwic, and had long poffeffed the favor and confidence of the late King, felt at this period little propenfity to oppose the measures, or refift the inclinations, of a young Monarch borne along by the full tide of popularity and prosperity. Perceiving his political confequence loft, and conscious of being at once hated as a rival and contemned as an incumbrance, he appears to have been now folicitous only to fecure an honorable retreat. But from the difficulty of appointing an immediate fucceffor, his Grace was permitted yet awhile to linger in office, the mere cypher of a Minister, and the phantom of his former greatnefs.

The enormous fupplies demanded for the profecution of the war amounting to nineteen millions, of which twelve millions. were funded at an high intereft, were granted without inquiry or hesitation. Amongst the moft remarkable articles of the national expenditure was the fum of 200,000l. voted by the Commons, in confequence of an exprefs meffage from the Throne, as a compenfation to the feveral provinces of America for the extraordinary expences incurred by them in their vigorous and ftrenuous efforts during the prefent war, and which the Parliament virtually acknowledged by this grant to be more than adequate to their proportional ability. Nor was the prefent grant the firft of this nature wifely and indulgently conceded by the Parliament; and affording a pleafing and ftriking contraft to the enormous folly difplayed in the extravagant fums lavished in German

and

and Pruffian fubfidies. The civil Lift was fixed at the clear annual fum of 800,000l. payable out of the Aggregate Fund, in lieu of the hereditary and other specific revenues fettled on the late King. Towards the close of the feffion, a very popular measure was recommended by the new Monarch in a speech from the Throne, by which much reputation of patriotifm and difinterestedness was gained at a very inconfiderable expence. Notwithstanding the Act paffed in the reign. of King William, by which the commiffions of the Judges were continued during their good behaviour, their offices. determined at the demife of the Crown; though no inftance had in fact occurred fince the Revolution in which a Judge had been removed at the acceffion of a new Sovereign. The King however now declared that he confidered the independency and uprightness of the Judges as effential to the impartial administration of justice, and one of the best securities of the liberty of the fubject, as well as conducive to the honor of the Crown. He therefore recommended that fuch farther provifion fhould be made for fecuring the Judges in the enjoyment of their offices, and the permanency of the falaries annexed to them, notwithstanding fuch demife, as fhould be thought expedient. The Commons acknowledged, in a very loyal addrefs, their grateful fenfe of his Majefty's attention to an object fo interefting to his people, and a Bill framed for the purpose paffed both Houses in a very short time. It is evident that no real facrifice was made on the part of the Crown in this inftance-for neither was any purpose to be answered by the removal of the Judges promoted under the late reign, nor would any Minifter have ventured previously to advise, or fubfequently to justify, so unprecedented and unconstitutional a measure. As Princes are however in general not only fond of power, but of the fhadow of it, praife is due to every indication of a difpofition favourable to liberty; and it is a conceffion, however occafionally over-rated, which ought not to be mentioned but in terms of approbation and applause,

Mr. Onflow,

Mr. Onflow, who with the highest honor and reputation had occupied for more than thirty years the office of Speaker in five fucceffive Parliaments, now bending under the weight of increasing years and infirmities, declared his determination to retire from public bufinefs. The House, fenfibly affected at the prospect of this feparation, immediately and unanimously voted, “that the thanks of the Houfe fhould be given to Mr. Speaker, for his long and faithful fervices-for the unfhaken integrity of his conduct for his fteady impartiality in the exercife of his office-and his unwearied endeavors to promote the real interefts of his King and Country-to maintain the honor and dignity of Parliament, and to preferve inviolable the rights and privileges of the Commons of Great Britain." This venerable patriot rofe to exprefs his gra titude to the Houfe for the diftinguished honor thus conferred upon him but he found his fenfations too powerful for ut terance, and after a vain effort to speak he was relieved by a gufh of tears. At length in broken fentences he declared to the House "his inability to hear, without emotions by which he was entirely overpowered, these laft expreffions of their kindness and goodwill, He had received the nobleft reward which could poffibly be bestowed upon the highest merit-the thanks and, the approbation of his country. He acknowledged the imperfection of his fervices, but he protefted that wherein he had failed, it was involuntarily; and he hoped he had obtained the pardon of those to whom any cause of offence had been inadvertently given. To give fatisfaction to all had been his constant aim, his study, and his pride. In retirement and obfcurity, faid he, fhall I now spend the remainder of my days; and in the bofom of that retirement my ardent and constant prayer will be, that the Conftitution of this country be preferved inviolate, and more particularly that the freedom, the dignity, and authority of this Houfe may be perpetual." The House then unanimoufly refolved on an addrefs to the King, befeeching his Majefty to confer fome fignal mark of his Royal favor on the Right

Hon.

Hon. Arthur Onflow, Efq. for his great and eminent services; and his Majefty in return expreffed in high terms his esteem and approbation of the character and public conduct of the Speaker; and a penfion of 3000l. per annum was granted him for his own life and that of his fon, afterwards ennobled by the title of Lord Onflow.

On the 19th March (1761) the Parliament was prorogued, after a fpeech from the Throne expreffing his Majesty's entire approval of their conduct, and in a fhort time diffolved by proclamation, and a new Parliament convened. Upon the very day on which the diffolution took place. Mr. Legge was difmiffed from his office of Chancellor of the Exchequer ; two days after which Lord Holderness, having first secured an ample pecuniary indemnification, together with the reverfion of the Wardenship of the Cinque Ports, refigned the Seals, which were immediately delivered to the Earl of Bute, who appointed the celebrated Charles Jenkinson, now Lord Hawkesbury, his under-fecretary. The circumftances attending the difmiffion of Mr. Legge are somewhat remarkable. Not now to advert to the refolution taken to discard all the members of the Whig Adminiftration, that Minifter had given peculiar offence to the King when Prince of Wales, by his conduct at the laft general election. Mr. Legge had, as it appears, in confequence of very earnest folicitation, offered himself a candidate as Knight of the Shire for the County of Southampton. After the canvass was fuccessfully terminated, and every idea of oppofition had vanished, a meffage was received by Mr. Legge from the Prince, requesting him, in preffing and fomewhat peremptory terms, to relinquish his pretenfions in favour of Sir Simeon Stuart, a near relation of the Earl of Bute. Mr. Legge, in reply, reprefented in very respectful language his earneft defire to gratify the wifhes of his Royal Highness, had timely intimation been given him of his intention; but as things were now circumftanced, he could not in honor to himself, or juftice to his friends, recede from the nomi

nation already made. This was a fpecies of contumacy altogether unpardonable; and the new Monarch took a very early and decifive opportunity to demonstrate to the world how different was his fyftem of thinking from that of Louis XII. who, with a magnanimity truly royal, declared it beneath the dignity of a King of France to revenge the quarrel of a Duke of Orleans. Notwithstanding the advancement of Lord Bute, the entire management of foreign affairs ftill remained with Mr. Pitt, matters not being as yet mature for a total change; and the fall of Mr. Legge, which was the certain prelude to an approaching catastrophe, and which ought to have been the fignal for an immediate and general refignation, feemed to give little alarm, and made no vifible alteration in the political fyftem. He was fucceeded by Sir Francis Dafhwood, a zealous Revolution Tory, intimately connected during the laft reign with the Court of Leicester House, and who confidered the Earl of Bute as already occupying the poft of First Lord of the Treasury; and his firm attachment to that Nobleman, doubtless, compenfated for his palpable deficiency in the qualifications requifite to the just discharge of the duties of his ftation.

Previous to the resumption of the regular narration of events, it will be neceffary, at leaft ufeful, to advert to the general ftate of parties at this period-for it must no more be inferred, from the perfect ferenity which had, under a wife and magnanimous Administration, prevailed for feveral years paft throughout the Kingdom, that no political parties or dormant feeds of animofity exifted, than, during the peaceful intervals of the eruptions of Etna or Vefuvius, that no combustible materials threatening future explofion were lodged in the concavities of thefe volcanos. The grand parties which divided the nation at this juncture, nominally indeed co-incided with those which prevailed at the diftant æras of the Revolution and Acceffion. But a real and moft material alteration had taken place. By the impolitic violence of the measures adopted by the Whigs on their reftoration to power, a great proportion of

the