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with the governor of my sons and so unexceptionable a man at last I have succeeded so that he and Ld. Ashburnham remain. The effusion of my sorrows has made me say more than I had intended, but I ever did and ever shall look on you as a friend, as well as a faithful servant.' (Vol. ii. p. 420.)

It is clear that, though the King took an interest in the details of all public business and all official promotion, there was no one subject in which he felt so great an interest as in the dispensation of ecclesiastical preferment. We know with what intensity of purpose, at a later period of his life, he fought against Pitt for the appointment to the Primacy, and won the battle, by promoting Bishop Manners Sutton, in preference to his Minister's nominee, Bishop Tomline. In these volumes we see the same solicitude on behalf of those divines who his Majesty thought would best become the episcopal or any other ecclesiastical dignity. The King writes on appointing one clergyman to the Mastership of the Temple, and another to a Crown living :

'Queen's House, Feb. 1st, 1771.

'LORD NORTH,-I have learnt from Lord Talbot that the Mr. Watts who is recommended by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London for the pulpit at the Temple is the person I imagined; he is one of my chaplains, a man of great abilities, and, from my knowledge of him, an excellent preacher; I therefore consent to his appointment, which you will direct to be prepared.' (Vol. i. pp. 54, 55.)

'Queen's House, March 4th, 1771. 53 min. pt. 5 p.m.

'Lord North,-Mr. Scott chusing to decline the living of Worplesden, I very readily consent to Mr. Fountayne's obtaining it, and that the former may wait for the living of Simondsburn in Northumberland; you will therefore direct the warrant to be preferred [sic].' (Vol. i. pp. 60, 61.)

The following, on an Oxford professorship, might be well remembered in days when other claims than those founded on special aptitude for the office are allowed to have weight:—

'Queen's House, March 10th, 1771.

"LORD NORTH,-Your account of Admiral Pye having yesterday carried the election at Rochester by so great a majority gives me much pleasure. I have also received your acknowledgment of the note I sent you, desiring you to consult the Chancellor of Oxford as to the properest person for the vacant Professorship, because I think those offices, having been instituted for promoting learning in the Universities, ought not to be given by favour, but according to merit.' (Vol. i. p. 63.)

The following bear upon promotions on and to the Bench:

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'LORD NORTH,-I learnt from the Chancellor at the House of Lords this day, that a clergyman quitted Bath on Sunday morning to solicit him for a living vacated by the death of the Bishop of Worcester on Saturday night; this I rather think is rather premature; but having since heard it pretty positively asserted that accounts are arrived this day from that place assuring he is dead, I trust if true you will have heard it, in which case I desire you will acquaint the Bishop of Lichfield with his being promoted to. the See of Worcester, and Dr. Hurd to that of Lichfield; the Bishop of Bangor is, I believe, now certainly dead, which will occasion a promotion that will certainly open a small bishoprick for the Dean of Canterbury, who, having good preferments, can be contented with any that may be conferred on him.' (Vol. i. p. 218.)

'Windsor, April 30th, 1781. 'It is not probable that the good Bishop of Winchester will live many hours: Lord North will therefore, as soon as he hears of his death, acquaint the Bishop of Worcester of my appointing him to the See of Winchester, and the Bishop of Litchfield to that of Worcester. Lord Hertford has already my directions to notify the Bishop of Litchfield as Clerk of the Closet the moment he shall find that the present possessor is no more. As to the various translations that this may occasion I desire Ld. North will consult the Archbishop of Canterbury. I owne I think Dr. Horne ought to be the new Bishop; Dr. Graham ought to wait for either Bristol, Landaff, or Carlisle. If he can be told that he will have the first of those three that become vacant he cannot fail of resting contented.' (Vol. ii. p. 368.)

The royal solicitude for the great school which flourished under the protection of Royalty is evinced by the following letter:

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"LORD NORTH,-I have this instant received your letter. will recollect that, when I told you that I thought the Provost of Eton was likely to die, I desired you would, whenever that happened, recollect that I wished it might be given to the man whose literary tallents might make the appointment respectable. I cannot fairly look on Dr. Dampier as exactly answering that character; besides, for a young man, he is greatly preferred. I would much rather give him a deanery than put him where the person pitched upon ought either to have years or avowed tallents; sure it would be very hard on Dr. Roberts.

'I shall therefore only consent to Dr. Davies for the vacant Cannonry [sic] of Windsor, and leave the rest open till you have reconsidered it, for Eton should not be bestowed by favour, but merit.' (Vol. ii. pp. 394, 395.)

These citations prove that the indolence which had been

imputed to the young son of Frederic Prince of Wales was corrected in later years by the conscientiousness of the King and the responsibilities of his position. In no station of life, perhaps, throughout his dominions, was there a man who did harder work, and liked it better, than George III. It is possible enough that, as a lad under the leading strings of the Princess Dowager and Mr. Stone, he may have lounged and sauntered, because he had little to do except lounge and saunter. No literary habits had been cultivated in him, as we perceive by his marvellous spelling (which, however, was not a bit worse than that of many a fashionable gentleman and lady of his time), and probably all literary amusement was withheld from him. No object of interest was presented to attract his attention and employ his time. His example shows how erroneous it is to judge the character of the future man from the accidental habits of the boy. We are convinced that many a youth has been judged as harshly as Prince George, because, having nothing to occupy his mind or inspire him with energy, he appeared listless, indifferent, and lazy. In the case of George III., his preceptors were greatly to blame for not having strengthened and expanded a mind, naturally quick, shrewd, and eager, by a discipline which would have corrected both his prejudices and his obstinacy. Despite this neglect, circumstances increased the native shrewdness and developed the latent energy of his disposition.

We now turn to those letters which exhibit in the strongest light the King's resolute opinions on the most important events of Lord North's Administration, viz. the conflict with the City arising out of the dispute with Wilkes, and the conduct of the American War. There is no more curious retrospect in modern English history than that of London in the early part of George III.'s reign as compared with the London of the present day. In those days the great merchants and bankers lived within a stone's throw of the Exchange which had witnessed the origin of their fortunes. They did not dream of using the City only as a place of business to be visited for five or six hours in the daytime, and then abandoned for a suburban villa. All the energy, a West-end mansion or spirit, and independence which characterised the commercial leaders of the Metropolis were concentrated within the sound of Bow Bells. The Court of Aldermen, instead of recruiting its ranks from the retail dealers and tradesmen of Cornhill and Cheapside, enlisted into the Corporation merchants like Beckford who had property in the West Indies or country gentlemen like Wilkes. Such a class of men, combining opulence

with intelligence and power, was predisposed to very liberal views in politics. It regarded itself as deprived of its just political influence. Some few of its members had bought boroughs; but, as a class, it was not powerful in Parliament, was powerless in the counties, and was, of course, insignificant at Court: its Liberalism, therefore, was extreme. The City was for the first twenty years of George III.'s reign the focus of opposition to the Court, and teemed with resentful remonstrances on occasions which-strange as it may sound to modern ears-provoked courtly addresses from Manchester and Birmingham. It is impossible,' writes the King (Letter 311), 'to draw up a more dutiful and affectionate address than the one from the town of Manchester, which really gives me 'pleasure as it comes unsolicited.' On the unfortunate dispute in which the House of Commons became entangled with the City about the arrest of one of its servants the King wrote thus warmly :

"LORD NORTH,-Though I sent Lord Hillsborough to you with 'Queen's House, March 17th, 1771. my opinion, that, as the Lord Mayor has presumed to set the privilege of the House of Commons of ordering printers to be brought to the bar at nought, and even to issue a warrant for committing the Messenger to the Compter for executing the duty of his office, the authority of the House of Commons is totally annihilated if it is not in an exemplary manner supported to-morrow by instantly committing the Lord Mayor and Alderman Oliver to the Tower; as to Wilkes, he is below the notice of the House.' (Vol. i. p. 64.)

At the same time the following paragraph shows the very sensible view the King had taken of the origin of the quarrel :

'You know very well I was averse to meddling with the printers, but now there is no retracting; the honour of the Commons must be supported.' (Vol. i. p. 64.)

Again, when the question of ordering the Lord Mayor to attend in his place next night had given rise to one of the most acrimonious debates of the Session, and had been carried by the friends of privilege, the King shows how earnest his own feelings were in the following letter:

'Queen's House, March 19th, 1771.
'3 min. pt. 9 a.m.

'LORD NORTH,-The conduct of the majority seems to have been of that firm and dignified kind which becomes those that are on right ground. I am not surprized that the whole House, except Alderman Sawbridge, Alderman Oliver, and Sir Joseph Mawbey, joined in condemning the conduct of the Lord Mayor, and in asserting the privilege

of the House, which, if not in an exemplary manner supported on this occasion, must annihilate [sic] the House of Commons, and thus put an end to the most excellent form of Government which has been established in this kingdom. Go on with resolution, and this affair will be happily concluded. It occurs to me that the mode of conducting the Lord Mayor ought to be well considered, that no rescue may ensue. Might not the conducting him by water be the most private manner?' (Vol. i. p. 65.)

These protracted debates must have been very wearisome to the Royal mind, which, doubtless, regarded such an effusion of words as a grave impediment to business, and saw its own way clearer. But even while his indignation at the insolence of the Lord Mayor made him impatient of any delay in punishing him, the King showed by the following letter that he had taken the full measure of another and more conspicuous agitator than Brass Crosby:

'Queen's House, March 20th, 1771. 55 min. pt. 9 a.m.

LORD NORTH,-I am sorry the business of committing the Lord Mayor could not be concluded last night, for every delay in a breach of privilege of so enormous a kind seems to indicate to the bystander a less attachment in the House of Commons to its own authority than every wellwisher can desire; besides, whatever time is given to the Lord Mayor is in reality allowing consultation and plans of disturbance to the factious. I owne I could have wished that Wilkes had not been ordered before the House, for he must be in a jail the next term if not given new life by some punishment inflicted on him, which will bring him new supplies; and I do not doubt he will hold such a language that will oblige some notice to be taken of him.' (Vol. i. p. 66.)

The Speaker, be it remembered, had thrice ordered Wilkes to attend; and Wilkes had thrice refused to attend except in his own place as a Member. This contumacy the House, warned by past experience, was too wise to visit with punishment, and ultimately allowed the order to drop. This, as the King justly surmised, must have been a sad disappointment to Wilkes.

We now proceed to cite those letters and paragraphs which illustrate the King's sanguine obstinacy in continuing the struggle with the American Colonies. This correspondence abounds with them. The first letter which we shall quote was written after the reception of the news that the people of Boston had boarded the teaships of the East India Company in the harbour, had flung overboard their contents to the value of 18,000l., and had tarred and feathered several adherents of the Government :

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