the impeachment of Lord Melville, Mr. Hiley Addington, and Mr. Bond, who had been promised places, spoke and voted against the Government, differences arose between himself and Mr. Pitt, which led to his resignation.1 the Catho Meanwhile, the only matter on which Mr. Pitt and Evasion of the king were at variance, was not suffered again to lic Question disturb their friendly relations. Mr. Pitt had renewed by Mr. Pitt. the assurance which he had given the king in 1801, that he would not revive the question of Catholic emancipation, during his Majesty's life.2 Not satisfied with this assurance, the king required "an explicit declaration that he would never, at any time, agitate or support the question of Catholic emancipation, or the repeal of the Test Act." This latter pledge Mr. Pitt, it would seem, contrived to evade ; but he was careful to avoid the forbidden ground, and was even obliged to oppose others who ventured to trespass upon it. Though Mr. Pitt recovered the king's confidence, his Majesty continued to form his own independent opinions, and to exercise a large influence in the government and patronage of the State.6 ministry, The death of Mr. Pitt, in the midst of defeats, and dis- Grenville asters to the European cause in which he was engaged, 1806. once more forced upon the king an administration, formed from a party in whom he had no confidence. It was necessary to accept the ministry of "all the talents," 1 Rose's Corresp., ii. 368–375. 4 Lord Sidmouth's Life, ii. 464. 6 Rose's Corresp., ii. 122, 124, 141, 158, 160. Mr. Pitt was anxious that his friend and biographer, Dr. Admission of Lord Ellen borough to cabi net. under Lord Grenville and Mr. Fox'; and personal intercourse soon overcame the king's antipathy to the latter. Lord Sidmouth having a strong body of parliamentary friends, who, to use the words of his biographer, "constituted a species of armed neutrality, far too powerful to be safely overlooked," and being "understood to enjoy the favour and confidence of the king, and to be faithfully devoted to his Majesty's interests,' was induced to join a party with whom he had neither connexion, nor political sympathies. The king's friends were not to be neglected, and were amply provided for. Lord Sidmouth himself, "not wishing to excite jealousy by very frequent intercourse with the king," declined the Presidency of the Council, and accepted the less prominent office of Privy Seal.5 It As there was a difficulty in admitting any of Lord Sidmouth's political friends to the cabinet, Lord the Ellenborough, the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench, was associated with him, in order to give weight to his counsels. This arrangement was open to grave constitutional objections. had been the policy of our laws to render the judges independent of the Crown; and now the first criminal judge became one of its confidential advisers. Though the appointment was successfully defended in Parliament, where the precedent of Lord Mansfield was much relied on, it was generally condemned by 1 Rose's Corresp., ii. 236. 2 Twiss's Life of Eldon, i. 510. 5 Ibid., 416; Mr. Abbot's Diary, with Lord Ellenborough by his side, put him in mind of a faithful old steward with his mastiff, watching new servants, lest they should have some evil designs against the old family mansion."-Lord Sidmouth's Life, ii. 417. 713 Will. III. c. 32; 1 Geo. III. c. 23. public opinion, and no similar appointment has since been made.1 Difference the admi of the army. Before the new ministry was completed, the king with the was alarmed at a supposed invasion of his prerogative. king On the 1st February, Lord Grenville proposed to his nistration Majesty some changes in the administration of the army, by which the question was raised whether the army should be under the immediate control of the Crown, through the Commander-in-Chief, or be subject to the supervision of ministers. The king at once said that the management of the army rested with the Crown alone; and that he could not permit his ministers to interfere with it, beyond the levying of the troops, their pay and clothing. Lord Grenville was startled at such a doctrine, which he conceived to be entirely unconstitutional, and to which he would have refused to submit. For some time it was believed that the pending ministerial arrangements would be broken off; but on the following day Lord Grenville presented a minute to his Majesty, stating that no changes in the management of the army should be effected without his Majesty's approbation. To the doctrine thus amended, there could be no reasonable objection, and the king assented to it. Army and The Grenville ministry fell, like that of Mr. Pitt in 1801, Differences by proposing a measure affecting the king's religious king on the scruples. As all the circumstances regarding this mea- Navy Sersure will be described elsewhere 3, it is sufficient here to say that on proposing the Army and Navy Service Bill,by which some of the disqualifications of officers in the 1 Hans. Deb., vi. 308; Lord Campbell's Lives of Chief Justices, ii. 451; Lives of the Chancellors, vi. 584; Lord Sidmouth's Life, ii. 417; Chapter on Administration of Justice. 2 Ann. Reg., 1806, 26; Lord Sidmouth's Life, ii. 416. 3 Chapter XII., on Civil and Religious Liberty. vice Bill. Activity of friends. army The king's friends, and the opponents of the ministry, the king's did not neglect this favourable opportunity of turning his Majesty's well-known religious scruples to account; but soon directed his personal influence against his ministers. On the 4th March, Lord Sidmouth "apprised his Majesty of the nature and details of the measure; "2 said he should himself oppose it; and soon afterwards tendered his resignation to Lord Grenville. On the 12th, the Duke of Portland wrote to the king, expressing his belief that the measure had not received his Majesty's consent, and that it could be defeated in the House of Lords. "But for this purpose," said his grace, "I must fairly state to your Majesty, that your wishes must be distinctly known, and that your present ministers should not have any pretext for equivocating upon the subject, or any ground whatever to pretend ignorance of your Majesty's sentiments and determination, not only to withhold your sanction from the present measure, but to use all your 1 Lord Malmesbury's Corresp., iv. 381-384. 2 Lord Sidmouth's Life, ii. 459— 462. 2 influence in resisting it." Writing on the same day, his grace said: “His Majesty has signified his orders to my nephews, Lords George and James Thynne, to vote against it." On the following day a person came to Lord Malmesbury from the Queen's house, authorised to say, "that his Majesty's wishes, sentiments, and intentions, respecting every measure which may lead to alter the legal restrictions the Catholics are liable to, are invariably the same as they always have been, and always will be so." 3 The king himself also intimated to Lord Grenville, that "he should certainly think it right to make it known that his sentiments were against the measure.”4 al of the Hence it appears that courtiers and intriguing statesmen were still as ready as they had been twenty-five years before, to influence the king against his ministers, and to use his name for the purpose of defeating measures in Parliament; while the king himself was not more scrupulous in committing himself to irregular interference with the freedom of parliamentary deliberations. On this occasion, however, opposition to Withdrawthe ministry in Parliament by the king's friends, obnoxious was averted by the withdrawal of the measure. announcing its abandonment to the king, the ministers committed a second indiscretion. They reserved Pledge proto themselves, by a minute of the cabinet, the right the king, of openly avowing their sentiments, should the tholic Petition be presented, and of submitting to his Majesty, from time to time, such measures as they might deem it advisable to propose.5 The king not 1 Lord Malmesbury's Corresp., V. 369. 2 Ibid., 371. 3 lbid., 373. On bill. Ca 4 Letter to Mr. T. Grenville, 14th March, 1807 (Court and Cabinets of Geo. III., iv. 135). 5 Hans. Deb., ix. 231-247; Life posed by and remo val of the ministers. |