He

ship's pupilage. Fame saith that here our hero rendered the junto most essential service, and paved the way to that elevated situation he now stands in. Versatile Charles had talents for flourishing away a speech, and for flattering and misleading the house of commons. could write a pamphlet, or betray a connection, and laugh at it. He could even mitigate the resentments of those he had the most highly offended; and, by a certain mixture of animal vivacity, highly seasoned with wit and good humour, he possessed the knack of disarming the very persons he had thus grossly betrayed. But in every other particular his talents were limited. He hated application, and despised the means of attaining useful knowledge. With such complexional abilities, accompanied with a variety of other circumstances, it is not at all to be wondered that he leaned on Lord North for assistance. He could entertain no jealousy of such a man, because fire and water were not, he knew, more contradictory in their nature. He looked upon

6

his lordship as a useful drudge, fit to be employed to some purposes; and this intercourse being known at Carleton-house, Charles's vanity was flattered; he liked to take the lead; he was detached from the ostensible minister, and from his first commissioner of the treasury, with whom he was by his post more nearly connected. He differed from them in cabinet; and the house of commons, by proper management, being predisposed, Charles, in the committee of supply, proposed that certain duties should be laid on tea, paper, painters' colours, and glass, imported into America. When his colleagues remonstrated against the measure, he held out the house of commons in terrorem against them; all resistance he declared was vain; for the house, he assured his principal, were united as one man; and were determined to compel America to contribute towards the support of their military establishment, as well as towards relieving the people of this country from part of the heavy burdens incurred in the protection and assistance of its colonies during the late war.

"Whether Lord North acted as a confidential adviser in this business, or whether he was the confidential medium through which the junto and Charles communicated with each other in the beginning, there is little reason to doubt that his lordship was oftener at the treasury than the pay-office; and infinitely more intimate with Charles Townshend than with his old spouse at the Horse-guards. Charles lived out his year; pity it is that he had not died a year earlier, or had not been still living, to answer for the event of his wild and improvident schemes! What he had often in a ludicrous manner foretold, came, however, to be exactly fulfilled; for before he was quite cold Lord

6 Duke of Grafton.

8

7 Cooke.

Lord Chatham. "See," said Charles, "that great, heavy, booby-looking, bursten-bellied, seeming changeling. You may believe me, when I assure you it is a fact, that if any thing should happen to me, he will succeed to my place, and very shortly after come to be first commissioner of the treasury." It would appear that George Grenville, also, foresaw the rise of the booby.' Shortly after North's first appearance in public life, he was met, one morning, by George Grenville, and another gentleman, walking in the park, and as it appeared, rehearsing an oration. "Here comes blubbering North," said the latter to Grenville; "I wonder what he is getting by heart, for I am sure it can be nothing of his own!" "You are mistaken," replied Grenville; "North is a young man of great promise, and high qualifications; and if he does not relax in his political pursuits, he is very likely to be prime minister."

North was appointed to succeed him in the chancellorship of the ex, chequer.

"His lordship, in the early persecution of Mr Wilkes, having exerted himself so strenuously as to lay, in a great measure, the foundation of his future fortunes, it was expected, of course, that as minister of the house of commons he would confirm the happy presages formed of his talents and disposition in this line, by those who were the means of pushing him into so respectable a situation. His lordship did not disappoint them; he surpassed even their highest and most sanguine expectations; the cabinet was his own, in spite of his principal;10 and Wilkes was not only expelled, but incapacitated.

"The time now approached when an opportunity was given to his lordship to smooth the way to the post of first minister. Charles Townshend's port-duties were not so favourably received in America as either their framer or those who employed him expected. If his lordship had any part, at first or second hand, in urging or pressing Charles to that dangerous, and, we fear, ruinous measure, he acted under cover; but now, as minister of the house of commons, he could no longer dissemble or conceal his sentiments. The non-importation agreement entered into by the several colonies, and a dispute with the province of Massachusetts Bay relative to the quartering of the army, having greatly embarrassed administration, two letters were written, which have been already sufficiently commented on. One of them was the circular letter promising that no more duties should be imposed on America, and that those laid on already should be repealed on commercial principles. This letter was certainly written with his lordship's approbation and consent, he being then of the cabinet, and minister of the house of comHow then has he performed his promise, or fulfilled the engagement contained in that letter? By refusing to take off the duty on tea, when he moved for the repeal of the duties on paper, painters' colours, and glass; and giving the most full and confidential assurances to the country-gentlemen in the beginning of the three last sessions, in the committee of ways and means, that taxes were expected from America; that they were the leading object of the present hostile measures; that we were not seeking a pepper-corn, but were contending for a substantial support from America, towards lightening the intolerable burdens we now groan under, from the heavy debt incurred in defending, protecting, and securing that country.

mons.

"The last part of Lord Chatham's political farce was now to be played. The cabinet on his lordship's closet arrangement consisted of himself, the duke of Grafton, the lords Shelburne, Camden, and Charles Townshend, Sir Charles Saunders, and General Conway. Now let us see how the mock-cabinet stood when the repeal of all the American duties was moved there in 1769. Duke of Grafton, and lords Camden, North, Weymouth, Rochford, Hillsborough, and Bristol. Here we may well repeat the words of a certain noble lord," that scarce a second plank of the vessel originally launched was remaining when the noble duke was outvoted in cabinet, on a proposal of a total repeal of the

9 The ostensible cabinet was then composed of Lords Camaen, Hillsborough, Gower, Weymouth, Clare, Rochford, North, and the duke of Grafton-a majority of five to 11 Lord Chatham.

two.

10 Duke of Grafton.

American port-duties; which fatal vote is the true and sole cause of the present civil war.

"The first lord of the treasury at length took it in his head to do what both prudence and spirit had, in our opinion, long before dictated. Finding in the winter 1769, that he was outvoted in cabinet, on a proposition of a total repeal of the American port-duties, and that it was ultimately determined to keep the duty on tea standing, and that the measure in this form was to be submitted to parliament, his grace resigned, and made way for our hero. Accordingly, on the 5th of March, 1770, about six weeks after the noble duke's resignation, and his succeeding to that important post, his lordship moved for leave to bring in a bill to repeal so much of an act passed in the seventh of his present majesty, for levying duties on certain goods imported into America, as related to the duties imposed by said act on the importation of paper, painters' colours, and glass. In his introductory speech on this occasion, he censured, in very severe terms, the conduct of the administration who devised the tax, observing, it was to the last degree absurd to tax the manufactures of Great Britain. As to the tea, that being an article of commerce, and as the consumers in the colonies would continue to have it ninepence a pound cheaper than before the passing of the law, he thought it very proper to have it continued. His lordship

was pressed by many of his friends, as well as his opposers, to consent to a total repeal; but he remained inflexible and unmoved, and after a very warm debate, he carried his motion for a partial repeal, by a majority of 204 against 142. This we look upon to be one of the blackest days Britain ever saw, -a day which probably will be as memorable in the British annals, as ever the Ides of March were in those of ancient Rome. The motion on which the question was put was made by Governor Pownal, by way of amendment, in the following words, and on teas.'

"His lordship, however, had another opportunity to recover his senses, or to endeavour to restore his employers to theirs; for Mr Alderman Trecothick, on the 9th of April following, moved for leave to bring in a bill to repeal the American tea-duty; but the noble lord seeming averse to it, one of the worthy corps of King's friends 12 moved the order of the day, which was carried by a majority of 80 to 52. His lordship chose to defeat this last effort of the friends of their country, to prevent the evils with which we are at present encompassed, by a kind of play at parliamentary cross purposes, and ended the whole with a joke. He insisted, in the first instance, that Mr Pownal's amendment ought to have the weight of a formal motion; and consequently that Mr Trecothick's motion was premature, because it was against a known rule of the house, that any question which had received a negative should be brought in the same session. The joke was entirely in the style of his lordship's other drolleries. Mr Beckford (then lordmayor) perceiving that the ministry were determined not to consent to the motion, and only objected to the point of order to conceal their real intentions, hoped the noble lord would consent to a prorogation of the parliament till after the holidays. "Oh,"-replied his lordship in his truly Attic manner-"I am glad to find that a prorogation will

18 Lord Clare, now Earl Nugent.

content the honourable gentleman;" alluding to the city-petition, lately presented, praying a dissolution of parliament.

13

"The session of 1771 was a very warm one; the dispute with Spain relative to Falkland's island,—the attack on the judges and the administration of justice in the courts of law,-the contest with the printers' and the city-magistrates,—rendered it still more so; but he surmounted all difficulties much better than was at first expected by his most sanguine friends. The session of 1772 was distinguished by his carrying a most difficult point in the house of commons, the Royal marriage-bill. This recommended him strongly to the junto and his royal master, and procured him the ribbon. The session of 1773 was marked by his conducting the East India inquiry, and the bill for new-modelling the affairs of the East India company in Asia and Europe. He was strongly opposed in the cabinet on this measure; but by his perseverance and address he surmounted all the impediments thrown in his way. He had other persons' blunders to answer for as well as his own, during this session. Lord Hillsborough-having been imposed on by some mercenary planters in St Vincent's-disposed of the Caribb islands to the interested informants, which caused an insurrection.

"We come now to the fatal period in which the foundation of the ruin which at present threatens this seemingly devoted empire with destruction was laid,—we mean the spring-session of 1774. The affairs of America had now continued for almost seven years in the greatest confusion. Our threats were set at defiance,—our mere acts of governmental power were disregarded, our soothings were despised,—our promises were disbelieved: in fine, after making the king descend from his dignity; after ministers had pledged themselves for the performance of what, according to the sound principles of the constitution, they would deserve to have suffered on a block for; after troops had been sent to bully the most refractory colonies into submission, and had been as precipitately withdrawn out of a regard to their personal safety; after their assemblies had been dissolved, to compel them to acquiesce in measures they were averse to, and again convened and permitted to sit, without any satisfaction given or promised; after an absolute act of parliament had been explained by an arbitrary vote of both houses, as purporting to contain a description of persons not then in being, and creating offences of high treason by a constrained and unnatural interpretation of the law; in fine, after America had been in a manner cut off, and its affections estranged from this country for full seven years, and all regular government partly at an end, nothing was yet done. Administration seemed supine and negligent in proportion to the magnitude and number of difficulties they had to encounter with. The riots, however, at Boston the preceding autumn, and the burning of the tea, at length roused a country-gentleman, who gave notice that he would, on a certain day, move the house to resolve itself into a committee to take the affairs of America into consideration. Before that day arrived, his lordship saw the necessity of taking the inquiry out of the hands of opposition, who were then in possession of it, and who

14

15

13 Wheble and Thompson, for breach of privileges in reporting and misrepresenting the debates of the house.

25th of Henry VIII. for trial of offences committed beyond sea. 15 Colonel Jennings.

might possibly move some resolution it would be extremely embarrassing to get rid of: he therefore informed the house, that he would, on such a day, move the house for a committee for the same purpose.

"On the day appointed, his lordship moved several resolutions, on the first of which the Boston port-bill was framed. His lordship supported that measure on positive assurances that the East India company would be indemnified for their tea that was destroyed, and that the whole affair would consequently drop. The next bill he brought in was that for altering the charter of the province of Massachusetts bay; he recommended this in the same manner. He assured the house that the present bill was at the special request of the principal inhabitants, traders, and land-owners. Both these assurances proved ill-founded; his lordship was deceived, or purposely deceived parliament. The first measure was very ill-received in America; but the second threw the people into a ferment little short of rebellion.

"The session of 1775, or the first of the present parliament, was opened in a most extraordinary manner. The naval peace establishment was reduced 4,000 men; and though we were informed that General Gage was fortifying Boston Neck, in order to protect himself against hostilities, every thing appeared as tranquil in parliament as if nothing had happened in America. His lordship was a second time awaked from his deceitful slumbers; he accordingly produced some garbled extracts of mutilated letters full of false or exaggerated facts, vague surmises, idle reports, and silly predictions, from the several tools and instruments of power on the spot. His lordship was-strange as it may appear— able to procure a majority of three to one; the navy was augmented 6,000 men, and the army 4,000; a string of penal bills were enacted, full of the most foolish as well as the most barbarous policy; and his lordship closed his parliamentary campaign with assuring his friends and opponents repeatedly that he would have an army of 10,000 or 12,000 men at Boston; that our friends in America were much more numerous than our enemies; but if we should be obliged to proceed to extremities, our force at Boston would be strong enough to compel obedience without striking a blow. His lordship was again grossly mistaken; for obedience was not compelled by fright, terror, or blows, we got as bad as we gave, and we threw away three millions of money at least, and several valuable lives, without bringing America to our feet. 16

"Well, the session of 1776 arrived. His lordship confessed he was deceived, both in the strength of his adversaries, and the real disposition of his friends. He now disclaimed all thoughts of conquest and taxation. America must acknowledge the supremacy and commercial control of this country; that was all he desired. This, however, not being highly relished by the friends of taxation, his lordship soon changed his mind; and by the time that he had led parliament too far to recede, he declared for taxation and unconditional submission, in imitation of his noble and spirited coadjutor; and taking breath, during the Christmas holidays, led parliament a little further, by taking 20,000 foreigners into British pay. With this formidable army of 70,000 landforces, and 80 ships and frigates of war, at an expense of £15,000,000,

16 A favourite phrase of his lordship's during the latter part of the session 1774.