Lord North foon after he became of age, was elected to a feat in parliament at the general election in 1754, and towards the conclufion of the laft reign, was appointed a commiffioner of the treafury and treasurer of the exchequer. His relish for business and steady attention to it, joined to the early connections which had been formed with his favereign †, procured him to be appointed in the year 1767, a joint paymaster of the forces and chancellor of the exchequer, One of the firft acts of the new minifter, was the bringing in a bill for the repeal of fo much of a late act of parliament as related to the impofing of a duty on paper, painters colours, and glass, imported into America; the tax upon tea, which was laid on by the fame act, was ftill continued. This repeal was made in compliance with the prayer of a petition, prefented by the American merchants to the house of Commons, fetting forth the great loffes they fustained, and the fatal effects produced by the late laws, which for the purpose of raising a revenue in the colonies, had impofed duties upon goods exported from Great-Britain thither. It was much infifted upon by thofe members who had uniformly opposed the laying internal taxes upon America, that now, as the minifter began to recede, the act which imposed these duties fhould be at once totally repealed. To this it was objected, that the colonies, inftead of de The Earl of Guilford was appointed tutor to the prefent King in 1750, and the year before, when the tragedy of Cato was performed at Leicefter-houfe, Prince George played the part of Portius, and Lord North that of Syphax. March 5, 1770. ferving serving additional inftances of tenderness, did not, in fact, deserve the inftance then shewn, as their conduct had become more violent than ever; and their affociations, inftead of fupplicating, proceeded to dictate, and grew at length to fuch a height of temerity, that administration could not, for its own credit, go as far as it might incline, to gratify their expectations: that was the tax to be wholly abolished, it would not either excite their gratitude or reestablish their tranquillity; they would fet the abolition to the account, not of the lenity, but of the fears of government; and upon a fuppofition that we were to be terrified into any conceffion, they would make fresh demands, and rife in their turbulence, instead of returning to their duty. Experience had fatally proved this to be their difpofition : we repealed the ftamp-act, to comply with their defires, but they have neither learnt obedience or moderation thereby; on the contrary, our lenity has encouraged them to infult our authority, to difpute our rights, and aim at independent government. While therefore the Americans deny our power to tax them, is it proper for us to acquiefce in the argument of illegality, and by the repeal of the whole law to give up the power? Such a conduct would be to betray ourselves out of compliment to them, and through a with of rendering more than justice to America, refign the controlling fupremacy of England. Thefe arguments did not pafs without animadverfion from the other fide of the house. The minifters, faid the oppofition, condemn the conceffions of their predeceffors, yet they begin themselves by conceffion, with this only difference, that their's is without grace, benignity, or policy, and that they yield after a vexatious ftruggle. It was observed, that a partial repeal, instead of producing any benefit to the mother-country, would be a real grievance, a certain expence to ourselves, as well as a fource of perpetual difcontents to the colonies. By continuing the trifling tax upon tea, while we take off the duties upon painters colours, paper and glass, we keep up the whole establishment of custom-houses in America, with their long hydraheaded train of dependents, and yet cut off the very channels through which their voracious appetites are to be glutted. The tea duty, it was afferted, would by no means anfwer the expence of collecting it, and the deficiencies muft of course be made up out of the revenue of this country. It plainly appears, that the object of the minifter was not that of revenue, but by the most fecret and apparently unimportant fteps, to obliterate from the minds of the Americans, thofe horrid ideas which they had formed of internal taxation; and in effecting this, an effential fervice was meant to be rendered to the Eaft India Company, who felt very fenfibly the diminution of their exports to America. In the year 1768, they had exported to that continent teas to the value c 132,000 l, the next year their exports declined to 44,000l. whilft they still continued to leffen in the fame rapid manner. This was an evil of fuch a magnitude, as to force itself upon the minister's attention. The company paid a duty of 25 per cent. on their exported teas, which greatly inhanced the price at the market, and enabled the Dutch to fupply the colonies much cheaper: this duty was therefore difcontinued, whereby the price of teas, in America, was fo materially reduced, that it was prefumed the continuing of the duty of three pence per pound weight on that commodity, would be entirely overlooked. Before Before this bill had paffed the lower houfe, Mr. George Grenville brought in a bill*, entitled, " An Act for regulating the proceedings of the house of Commons on controverted elections." The regulations made thereby, were, that instead of bringing the merits of a contefted election before a general committtee of the house, upon a petition being received, a day fhould be appointed to hear the merits, and for the petitioners, their witneffes, and counsel to attend. On the day appointed, the house should be counted, and if it was found not to have one hundred members prefent, the bufinefs fhould ftand over until so many were affembled; at which time the names of the members in the house, were to be put into fix boxes, or glaffes, to be drawn alternately, and read by the speaker, until fortynine are drawn; the fitting member, and petitioner, may alfo nominate one each. Lifts of the forty-nine members thus felected, are then to be given to the parties, who, with the clerk of the house of commons, are to withdraw, and to ftrike off one alternately, beginning on the part of the petitioner, till the number be reduced to thirteen; who, with the two nominees, are to be sworn a select committee, to determine the matter in difpute; being invefted with every requifite power for the obtaining information; and on their report the house fhall either confirm or alter, the return, or iffue a new writ for a fresh election. This bill was not relished by the ministry, but as the sense of the house went with it, it paffed into a law †. *March 7. 1770. The During the next feffion of parliament, the benefit of this act became apparent. A contested election for the borough of New Shoreham being brought before the select committee, a long established plan of corruption, which had prevailed in that borough, was revealed. In confequence of a report made to the house, a bill was framed to incapacitate The regulations established by this act, effectually prevented powerful interest and personal partiality determining the fate of a controverted election, without regarding the merits of the cafe, or the conduct of the candidates. Such proceedings had prevailed, in perverfion of equity, and to the difgrace of the house. From henceforth the decifions of parliament, in regard to contested elections, were the refult of deliberate and unprejudiced examination. This was the last public fervice which Mr. Geo. Grenville rendered his country: he closed an active and laborious life, on the 30th of July following, in the fiftyeighth year of his age. Perhaps no other man ever filled fo many of the great departments in government. After being for fome years a commiffioner of the admiralty, he prefided at that board for a fhort time, which he quitted to become fecretary of state; he was afterwards firft lord of the treafury and chancellor of the exchequer. The naval department is much indebted to him for many wholesome rules, and the whole body of feamen for a very falutary law which regulated the payment of their wages, and which put an end to many grievous frauds and abuses which used to at¬ tend fuch payments *. The talents of this ftatesman were rather useful than fplendid; better fitted to correct abuses in incapacitate eighty-one freemen of Shoreham, by name, to vote at elections of members to serve in parliament, and for the preventing bribery and corruption in that borough; and an address was voted to his Majesty, that the Attorney-general should be directed to profecute five, who were the principal agents in the regular fale of the borough, This act was made perpetual in the year 1774, contrary to the inclination of the minifter, who again oppofed it ftrenuously, 31 George II, the |