into any very cordial alliance, but their mutual animofity againft the Earl of Bute now formed a new bond of amity and concord between them.

The Duke of Devonshire, soon after the removal of the Duke of Newcastle, unable to brook the marked and contemptuous neglect which he experienced, refigned indignantly his office of Lord Chamberlain, and was by the King's own hand ftruck out of the lift of the Privy Council. The Earl of Hardwicke retired in difguft; and the Duke of Grafton, Lord Ravenfworth, and Lord Ashburnham, with several other noblemen of high distinction, now ranged themselves on the side of the Oppofition. Lord Anfon was fucceeded at this period in the Admiralty by the Earl of Halifax, recently returned from the Government of Ireland, in which he was fucceeded by the Duke of Northumberland; and Mr. George Grenville was advanced to the Secretaryfhip vacated by the Earl of Bute. But in a short time this order of things was reverfed: Lord Halifax took the Seals, and Mr. Grenville was placed at the head of the Admiralty. No political conflict however could take place before the enfuing winter, and the fummer months paffed over in angry and ineffectual discontent.

On the 12th of Augufi*, a day aufpicious to the House of Brunfwic, as the æra of its acceffion

* 1762.

to the throne of Great Britain-aufpicious alfo to the kingdom at large, whilft the principles of liberty civil and religious, on which that acceffion was founded, continue to be the rule of their government—the nation was gladdened by the birth of a Prince of Wales, whofe aim, whose study, and whose pride may it be to establish, extend, and improve that free and happy conftitution of which he is the hereditary guardian and defender!

The firft and greatest object of the new Minister, now honored, by a flattering affociation with the Duke of York first prince of the blood, with the order of the Garter, after his open affumption of the office and authority of Premier, was the restoration of peace-a laudable and noble defign, but attended with very confiderable difficulty. The majority of the nation, elated or rather intoxicated with fuccefs, were eager for the continuance of the war, in the fanguine hope of new victories. Already grafping in their golden dreams the treafures of Mexico and Peru, they appeared wholly regardless of the immenfe fums annually added to the National Debt, and of the oppreffive taxes neceffarily impofed for difcharging the intereft of the fucceffive loans-not reflecting that every rational purpose of the war had been long fince obtained, and that additional conquests were in fact only additional incumbrances.

Exclufive of this prevailing and popular folly,

the

ge

the Premier had given extreme disgust by the neral tenor of his conduct, proud, artful, and felfifh; and by the indecent and precipitate measures which he adopted to expel all the Members of the late Administration from their pofts, and to intrude himself and his partifans into all the efficient and refponfible offices of Government.

A powerful party, compofed of men the most diftinguished for rank, influence, and ability, was now formed in oppofition to the Minifter; and this oppofition was openly countenanced by the Duke of Cumberland, uncle to the King, who had! never connected himself with the Tory or Country party in oppofition to the Court in the late reign, and who had imbibed the Whig principles and prejudices in their full extent. Upon whatever terms the peace might be concluded, it was not to be imagined that fatisfaction could be given to the political antagonists of the Minifter, who would not fail to reprefent it as inadequate to the fucceffes of the war, if not inconfiftent with the intereft, and difgraceful to the reputation, of England.

These confiderations did not however deter the Minifter from caufing fecret intimations to be given, that the revival of the ineffectual negotiation of the last year would be not unacceptable; and the King of Sardinia was folicited to offer his mediation for this purpofe. The Court of Verfailles

F4

failles readily embracing the overtures now made by England, the Duc de Nivernois arrived in London, in the month of September, invested with the character of Ambaffador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the King of Great Britain; and the Duke of Bedford, a nobleman diftinguished for honor and probity, and who had fucceffively occupied the high offices of Secretary of State, First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Privy Seal, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was delegated in the fame capacity, invefted with the fame diplomatic diftinctions, to the Court of France. And the negotiators being actuated by a mutual anxiety for the re-establishment of peace, preliminaries were figned and interchanged at Fontainebleau, in the beginning of November 1762, between the Minifters of Great Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal.

On the 25th of November the Parliament was convened; and the King, in his speech from the Throne, informed the two Houfes "that the preliminary articles were actually figned, on terms which he represented as very advantageous to England; and he recommended that union at home, which was fo neceffary to the adoption of those measures which alone could relieve the nation from the heavy burdens entailed upon it by the profecution of a long and expenfive war." When the address in reply came under the confi

deration

deration of the Houfe of Commons, Mr. Pitt, in a long and elaborate fpeech, expreffed his entire difapprobation of the tenor of the treaty, which he ftigmatized as impolitic, and derogatory to the honor and interefts of the kingdom. He was determined, afflicted as he was with illness, at the hazard of his life, he said, to attend the House that day-to raise up his voice, his hand, and his arm against the preliminary articles of a treaty, which obfcured all the glories of the war, furrendered the dearest interests of the nation, and facrificed the public faith by an abandonment of our allies. He was anfwered at large by Mr. Fox, who, although he continued to occupy only the fubordinate post of Paymafter of the Army, was, at this time, the ableft advocate of Adminiftration in the House of Commons; and after a warm and ample difcuffion, the address, as proposed by the partisans of the Court, paffed the House by a great majority of

voices.

In the House of Lords the Minifter himself vindicated the treaty, with a fpirit and energy which was not expected; and he concluded his speech with declaring," that he wifhed no other epitaph to be infcribed on his tomb, than that he was the adviser of the peace, on the merits of which their Lordships were then called upon to decide." Notwithstanding the arguments and objections of the Peers in oppofition, the addrefs paffed in this House

alfo