THE KING _versus_ ROCKINGHAM AND THE REPEAL OF THE STAMP ACT
Though in his farewell interview with Grenville, in answer to a question
of the departing minister as to how he had incurred his Majesty's
displeasure, the King stated that his late ministers had put too much
"constraint" upon him, and instead of asking or tendering advice, had
expected obedience, Grenville insisted in attributing his fall to the
machinations of Lord Bute--and this in spite of the fact that George
assured him that Lord Bute "had no hand in advising the present
change."[26]
[26] _Grenville Papers._
[Illustration: _Photo by Emery Walker._
_From a portrait after Sir Joshua Reynolds_
CHARLES WATSON WENTWORTH, SECOND MARQUESS OF ROCKINGHAM
_To face p. 26, Vol. II_]
There is scarcely any doubt that the King spoke the truth, for his
dislike of Grenville was alone sufficient to explain his desire for a
change of ministers. "I had rather see the devil in my closet than
George Grenville", he said emphatically; and though in later years he
spoke with some appreciation of Grenville's talents, he could never
bring himself to forgive the minister's conduct in the last weeks of his
administration. Grenville, however, was by no means alone in his
belief that Bute was even so late as July, 1766, a member of the King's
private junto.[27] The Rockingham Whigs believed it, and made it a
condition of their taking office that Lord Bute neither directly nor
indirectly should interfere in affairs of state. Walpole declared that
the Lord Strange episode early in 1776[28] "proved that notwithstanding
all his Majesty's and Lord Bute's own solemn professions, the latter was
really Minister still; and that no favour could be obtained but by
paying court to him. In such circumstances is it wonderful that the
nation fell into disgrace and confusion, or that the Crown itself
suffered such humiliations? A King to humour a timid yet overbearing
Favourite, encouraging opposition to his own Ministers? What a picture
of weakness!"[29]
[27] "Lord Northumberland's son, Lord Warkworth, having married Lord
Bute's daughter, was admitted to the King's private junto, which met
daily at this time at Mr. Stow's. It consisted of Lord Bute, Lord
Northumberland, Lord Mansfield, Sir Fletcher Norton, Mr. Stow, and Mr.
Stow's brother, the Primate of Ireland."--_Rockingham Memoirs, 1765._
[28] See _supra_, vol. ii, pp. 41-2.
[29] _Memoirs of George III._
The Duke of Richmond, too, was a firm believer in the Bute bogey. "I was
told that Lord Bute went this day about noon to his own house at Kew.
He did not go to the common road over the bridge, but came by riverside
in his coach; from his own garden he crossed alone to that of the
Princess of Wales's at Kew. The King also about the same time went to
the Princess of Wales's at Kew, and stayed there two hours. 'Tis
remarkable, that 'tis said that the Princess was not herself at Kew, so
that this was not accidental, but evidently a meeting of the King's with
Lord Bute settled so beforehand." So runs an extract on July 7, 1766, in
the Duke of Richmond's _Journal_; and five days later appears a
corroborative entry: "The King at about eleven went to the Princess at
Kew, although she was not there. At about one, Lord Bute was seen coming
from Ealing by a by-road, so that 'tis probable he had again been to
meet his Majesty at Kew. Lord Bute had been at Luton between the Monday
and the Saturday; and Martin, who came to London from thence on Thursday
or Friday, knew nothing of Mr. Pitt's being sent for; but that proves
clearly only that Lord Bute did not tell it him; it seems clear, though,
that he knew it by these two meetings with the King, and doubtless he
advised it." The weak point of these statements is that the Duke of
Richmond does not state his authority, who, it seems probable, was
merely a hired spy, not unlikely to so report what he thought would
best please his employers.[30]
[30] For a full investigation of this question, see Jesse: _Memoirs of
George III_. (Second edition, 1867; vol. I, p. 360 _et supra_.)
Even so late as 1782, about the time of the formation of the second
Rockingham administration, Walpole states that, "It was thought the King
saw Lord Bute on that occasion."[31] The truth probably is that Bute
never saw the King in private after Lord Rockingham accepted office, and
in confirmation of this may be quoted a letter of Lord Bute and a
statement addressed by his eldest son, Lord Mountstuart, to the
newspapers in October, 1778. "I know as little, save from newspapers, of
the present busy scene, as I do of transactions in Persia," Bute wrote
to Lord Hardwicke on July 26, 1766, when Lord Chatham became Prime
Minister, "and yet am destined for ever to be a double uneasiness, that
of incapacity to serve those I love, and yet to be continually censured
for every public transaction, though totally retired from courts and
public business." "He, Lord Bute, does authorize me to say," so ran the
circular letter of Lord Mountstuart, "that he declares upon his solemn
word of honour that he has not had the honour of waiting upon his
Majesty but at his _levee_ or Drawing-room; nor has he presumed to offer
an advice or opinion concerning the disposition of offices, or the
conduct of measures either directly or indirectly, by himself or any
other from the time when the late Duke of Cumberland was consulted in
the arrangement of a ministry, 1765, to the present hour."
[31] _Last Journals._
This is supported by Brougham, who states explicitly that the King,
after the period specified, never had any connexion with Lord Bute
directly or indirectly. "Nor did he ever see him but once; and this
history of that occurrence suddenly puts the greater part of the stories
to flight which are current upon this subject. His aunt, the Princess
Amelia, had some plan of again bringing the two parties together; and on
a day when George III was to pay her a visit at her villa at
Gunnersbury, near Brentford, she invited Lord Bute, whom she probably
had never informed of her foolish intentions. He was walking in the
garden when she took her nephew downstairs to view it, saying there was
no one there but an old friend of his, whom he had not seen for some
years. He had not time to ask who it might be, when on entering the
garden he saw his former minister walking up an alley. The King
instantly turned back to avoid him, reproved the silly old woman
sharply, and declared that, if ever she repeated such experiments, she
had seen him for the last time in her house."[32]
[32] _Historical Sketches of Statesmen._
It is further related by Galt, how the Princess Dowager and Lord Bute
laid a plan to take the King by surprise, "so that Lord Bute should, as
if by chance, obtain permission to see the first dispatches received by
the King while at Carlton House; it being frequently the custom for the
Secretary of State to transmit them at those periods. When the green box
was brought to the King, he, as usual, was about to retire to read the
papers contained therein, when 'The Favourite' took up two candles, and
made as if to precede the King to his closet, in the hope that, when
there, he would be invited to remain and acquaint himself with the
contents of the documents, by which means he might informally return to
political business. But the young monarch was on his guard," says the
chronicler, "and stopping at the door of his apartment, took the candles
himself, bowed dismissal to the candidate, and shut the door: a hint
fully understood, and considered as a final rejection." This episode
presumably took place in the latter part of 1765, after which year we
are assured, when his Majesty was announced at Carlton House, Bute
always retired by the private staircase.[33]
[33] _George III, his Court and Family._
* * * * *
The offer made to Lord Rockingham to form a government took most people
by surprise, for that peer had not been marked out as a Prime Minister,
being, indeed, in the public eye associated less with politics than with
the turf, and distinguished chiefly by his singular wager with Lord
Orford on a race between two geese at Newmarket. Devoid of ambition, he
had no craving for power, and was reluctant to accept office when that
course was proposed to him by the Duke of Cumberland, who detected in
him sterling ability, which, however, was not visible to the King. "I
thought that I had not two men in my Bedchamber of less parts than Lord
Rockingham,"[34] said the sovereign, who later twitted the Prime
Minister with his silence in Parliament: "I am much pleased the
Opposition has forced you to hear your own voice, which I hope will
encourage you to stand forth in other debates."[35]
[34] Walpole: _Memoirs of George III_.
[35] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_.
The Rockingham administration was undeniably weak--"a lutestring
ministry, fit only for summer wear," Charles Townshend called it. The
Duke of Grafton, one of the Secretaries of State, was unreliable, and
Conway, the other, whose courage on the field was imperturbable,[36] on
the Treasury Bench was infirm of purpose; while the Duke of Newcastle,
who had reluctantly yielded his claim to the Treasury and accepted the
post of Lord Privy Seal (to which, as a propitiatory gift, was for the
nonce attached the patronage of the Church), and Lord Winchelsea,
President of the Council, were old men. Every effort was made to secure
the support, or at least the neutrality, of Pitt, and, with this object
in view, places were found for his friends--the Duke of Grafton and
General Conway, as already mentioned, were made Secretaries of State,
his brother-in-law, James Grenville, was appointed Vice-Treasurer of
Ireland, and his confidential legal adviser, Nuthall, one of the
Secretaries of the Treasury, while Lord Lyttelton was offered the post
of Cofferer of the Household, and Chief Justice Pratt was raised to the
peerage as Baron Camden. Pitt, however, had no kindly feeling for an
administration that divided the Whigs, and, though not actually hostile,
he let it be clearly known that he had no confidence in it. "The
openings from Lord Rockingham to your Lordship and Colonel Barre, you
will easily believe do not surprise me," he wrote in reply to Lord
Shelburne in December, 1765; "nothing being so natural as for ministers,
under the double pressure of affairs all in confusion, and doubtful
internal situation to recur to distinguished abilities for assistance."
[36] "I don't pretend to be like Henry Conway, who walks up to the mouth
of a cannon with as much coolness and grace as if he was going to dance
a minuet."--George Stanhope.
It was not long after this letter was written that Lord Rockingham, in
the desire to counteract the dislike of the Court and to convert a part
of the strong opposition into supporters, obtained the reluctant consent
of the King to make overtures to Pitt to join the ministry. "I have
resolved, most coolly and attentively, the business now before me,"
George wrote to Lord Rockingham on January 9, "and am of opinion that so
loose a conversation as that of Mr. Pitt and Mr. Townshend is not
sufficient to risk either my dignity or the continuance of my
administration, by a fresh treaty with that gentleman, for if it should
miscarry, all public opinion of this ministry would be destroyed by such
an attempt." Rockingham, however, was firm, and pointed out that, "Your
Majesty's administration will be shook to the greatest degree, if no
further attempt is made to get Mr. Pitt to take a cordial part, is much
too apparent to be disguised."[37] The King's objection however, was
amply justified, for, as he had anticipated, Pitt refused to introduce
his opinion, unless in the royal presence and by the royal command, an
offer which was declined by the Prime Minister, who sought an ally and
not a successor.[38] Not content with the rejection of Lord Rockingham's
overtures, Pitt dealt a blow at the ministry when he publicly stated he
had no confidence in it. "Pardon me, gentlemen, confidence is a plant of
slow growth in an aged bosom; youth is the season of credulity," he said
in his speech in the debate on the Address, January 14. "By comparing
events with each other, reasoning from effects to causes, methinks I
plainly discover the traces of an over-ruling influence.[39] There is a
clause in the Act of Settlement obliging every minister to sign his name
to the advice which he gives to his sovereign. Would it were observed! I
have had the honour to serve the Crown, and if I could have submitted to
influence, I might still have continued to serve; but I would not be
responsible to others."
[37] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_.
[38] _Chatham Correspondence._
[39] Dr. Hunt believes that the "over-ruling influence" Pitt thought he
detected was that of the Duke of Newcastle.
In the endeavour to secure the repeal of the Stamp Act Lord Rockingham
had more to contend against than a refractory House of Commons, for the
King threw the weight of his influence against the measure, and though
this was not openly avowed, yet it militated none the less effectually
against the administration. That George interfered in this matter has
been denied by some writers, but the best authorities, almost without
exception, agree that this was the case, and, indeed, a perusal of the
memoirs of those who were concerned in the American question confirms
this view. Nicholls remarks: "Lord Rockingham repealed the Stamp Act,
and from that hour the King determined to remove him";[40] but as a
matter of fact George's efforts to displace the Prime Minister dated
from the day he became acquainted with the latter's determination to
carry the repeal; and, as will be seen, he left no stone unturned to
achieve his object. "From a _personal inclination_ of the King, and
influenced by Lord Bute and the Princess Dowager, the followers of Court
favour went the other way, and half the Court at least voted in
opposition to administration."[41]
[40] _Recollections and Reflections._
[41] Lord Hardwicke: _Memorial_.
Yet all the time he was intriguing against the ministers, George hid his
duplicity under a more or less encouraging manner.[42] "I just take up
my pen to thank you for your attention in sending me a few particulars
of this day's debate in the House of Commons, which, by the great
majority, must be reckoned a very favourable appearance for the repeal
of the Stamp Act in that House," he wrote to Lord Rockingham on January
21, 1766,[43] and on the same day he stated to General Conway: "Nothing
can in my eyes be more advantageous than the debate in the House of
Commons this day;"[44] but in reference to this same division Sir
Lawrence Dundas told the Duke of Bedford that a person ("whom" wrote his
Grace, "he did not name, but I suppose to be Colonel Graeme) had
informed him he never saw the King so affected as he was at the result
of the last great majority in the House of Commons."[45] Indeed, while
the official correspondence of the King expressed nothing but cordiality
towards the ministers and satisfaction at their various successes, and
while Lord Talbot and some of the "King's friends" were making an overt
show of support, Lord Rockingham became aware that Lord Chancellor
Northington was organising opposition against the measure within the
ministerial ranks. "The Crown itself seemed inclined to consign its
members to turn against its own measures," says Walpole. "Lest mankind
should mistake the part 'The Favourite' intended to take on the Stamp
Act, Lord Denbigh,[46] his standard-bearer, and Augustus Hervey, asked
leave to resign their places, as they proposed to vote against the
repeal. The farce was carried on by the King; and to prevent any panic
in the minds of those who might have a mind to act the same part, his
Majesty told them that they _were at liberty to vote against him and
keep their places_."[47]
[42] "Lord Rockingham afterwards declared that he had never enjoyed such
distinguished marks of the royal kindness as during a period when the
influence of Great Britain was paralysed; every foreign capital had the
knowledge that the existing Prime Minister would not remain in office
ten minutes after a successor could be found for him."--Trevelyan:
_Early Life of Fox_.
[43] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_.
[44] _Ibid._
[45] _Bedford Correspondence._
[46] Basil Fielding, sixth Earl of Denbigh.
[47] Walpole: _Memoirs of George III_.
No self-respecting minister could tolerate this situation, and at the
beginning of February Lord Rockingham intimated to the King that "a
ministry undermined by the Household could not much longer drag on a
precarious existence;"[48] but his representation availed nothing, for a
day or two after, on some point in connexion with a Scotch petition,
ministers secured a victory only by 148 to 139 votes, on which occasion
in the minority were Lord Mountstuart, Jeremiah Dyson, a Lord of Trade,
Lord George Sackville, lately appointed by Lord Rockingham
Vice-Treasurer of Ireland, Lord Strange, Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster, and several Grooms of the Bedchamber. Even more humiliating
was the defeat of the Government on February 3 in the House of Lords,
when the opposition carried the question "to enforce the execution of
the Stamp Act _vi et armis_," by 63 to 60 votes.
[48] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_.
It seemed to all lookers-on that the days of the ministry were numbered.
"The situation of ministers became every day more irksome and
precarious," said Walpole; "the talk is of a new administration," Lord
Hardwicke informed his brother; and Lord Chesterfield wrote on February
10: "Most people think, and I among the rest, that the date of the
present ministers is pretty nearly out." The immediate result of these
manoeuvres was to damage the prestige of the ministry abroad, and, in
support of this statement, Lord Rockingham showed the King "an
intercepted letter of the Russian Minister to his Court, in which he
advised his mistress not to hasten to conclude the new treaty of
commerce between England and Russia with the present ministers, for
they could not maintain their ground. Lord Rockingham pointed out the
damage the King brought on his own affairs by having a ministry who did
not enjoy his confidence. This the King denied, and said they had his
confidence."[49]
[49] Walpole: _Memoirs of George III_.
The difficulties of the ministry elated the Court, but its joy was
premature, for the American question was too important to be settled by
royal bribes. On February 7, when, after General Conway had called the
attention of the House of Commons to "the calamitous condition of
America," Grenville moved an address to the King to enforce the laws,
the motion being rejected by 274 to 134 votes. The joy of the ministers
at their victory was tempered with disgust at the treachery of the
Court, for the minority had included, besides all Lord Bute's
friends--the private junto--nearly a dozen of the King's household.
Again, on the following day, the Prime Minister remonstrated with the
King. "I humbly presume to trouble your Majesty on the event of last
night in the Commons. The appearances there fully justify what I have
presumed to mention to your Majesty in some late conversations, and make
it necessary for me, both as a faithful and in truth most affectionate
servant, to hope that your Majesty will be graciously pleased to allow
me to attend your Majesty at any time in the course of this day, that I
may open to your Majesty the sentiments and opinions of a heart, which I
will assert has no motive but its affection and duty to your Majesty,
and its anxiety for the welfare of this country in the present critical
situation."[50] The King's reply consisted of evasions and professions,
which were shown by subsequent events to be merely misleading.[51]
[50] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_.
[51] Walpole: _Memoirs of George III_.
Lord Rockingham was a patient man, but when, three days after his
interview with the King, one of the supporters of the ministry, John
Offley, Member of Parliament for Oxford, wrote to inform him of a report
that was being spread in political circles "that Lord Strange had
yesterday an interview with the King, who assured him he did not wish
for the repeal of the Stamp Act, only wished that it might be altered,"
the Prime Minister felt that the time had come when a conciliatory
attitude would be the veriest folly. Having obtained the assurance of
Lord Strange that he had given publicity to the statement attributed to
him, Rockingham waited on the sovereign, not once, but, Lord Albemarle
thinks, three times, on each occasion obtaining some slight
satisfaction. "It would seem", Lord Albemarle remarks, "as if the
minister had determined not to quit the royal presence until he had
secured 'the word of a King.'"[52] In vain the King endeavoured to evade
a direct answer, in vain he contrived to confuse the issue: Lord
Rockingham was determined that, unless the King gave him authority to
contradict the report, he would forthwith resign. George at last
realised it was advisable to suffer the humiliation of withdrawing from
an untenable position as there was no other course open to him that was
not infinitely more disagreeable. Indeed, he saw that if Lord Rockingham
resigned, it would be necessary to undergo the greater ignominy of
begging him to remain, for at the moment there was no one to take his
place. The objections to Bute were insuperable, and even the King's
courage was not great enough to attempt again to impose him on the
nation; of Grenville, George had declared he "would sooner meet him at
the end of his sword than let him into his closet"; while Pitt's
attitude towards the repeal of the Stamp Act made him less acceptable
than the present Prime Minister. In the end, therefore, he gave the
desired contradiction in writing. "I desire you would tell Lord Strange
that I am now, and have been hitherto, for modification; but that when
many were for enforcing, I was then for a repeal of the Stamp Act."[53]
[52] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_.
[53] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_; Walpole: _Memoirs of George
III_; etc. "The King complained that Lord Rockingham had taxed him with
breach of his word."--Walpole: _Memoirs of George III_.
Thus reinforced, Lord Rockingham remained at the head of affairs, though
he was so disgusted that he would have welcomed an opportunity that
would have enabled him to escape from an unenviable position. He
realised, however, it was his duty to do all in his power to repeal the
Stamp Act, and, in spite of all difficulties, he persevered until the
Bill received the Royal Assent on March 18. The King had frequently
assured Lord Rockingham that members of the Household who voted against
the repeal were actuated by conscientious scruples and that when once
that question was settled they would return to their allegiance; but
ministers soon discovered there was no truth in this, for the opposition
of the King's friends continued.[54]
[54] Albemarle: _Memoirs of Rockingham_.
The end was now not far off. "The ministry is dead and only lying in
state, and Charles Townshend who never spoke for them is one of the
mutes," said a keen observer. The Duke of Grafton, after a visit early
in May to Pitt at Hayes, said in the House of Lords that the Government
wanted "authority, dignity, and extension," adding that "if Mr. Pitt
would give his assistance, he should with pleasure take up the spade and
dig in the trenches;" and he followed up this disloyal speech by
resigning on May 14 the seals of his office. These were offered in the
first instance to Lord Hardwicke, who declined them but accepted an
office without emolument, and afterwards to the Duke of Richmond, who
accepted them. Intrigues were then set on foot by Lord Northington, and
these were so successful that on July 7, to quote Horace Walpole, "His
Majesty with the most frank indifference, and without even thanking them
[the ministers] for their services, and for having undertaken the
administration at his own earnest solicitation, acquainted them
severally that he had sent for Mr. Pitt."[55]
[55] _Memoirs of George III._
The Rockingham ministry, in spite of the King's attitude, had done well
during its year of office, for, besides the repeal of the Stamp Act and
the conclusions of an advantageous commercial treaty with Russia, it had
rescinded the unpopular Cyder Tax and had passed the important
resolution that, except in cases provided for by Act of Parliament,
general warrants were illegal. It was, indeed, an enlightened
administration, and deserved the encomium delivered by Burke. "They
treated their sovereign with decency; with reverence. They
discountenanced, and, it is hoped, for ever abolished, the dangerous and
unconstitutional practice of removing military officers for their votes
in Parliament. They firmly adhered to those friends of liberty who had
run all hazards in its cause, and provided for them in preference to
every other claim. With the Earl of Bute they had no personal connexion,
no correspondence of councils. They neither courted him nor persecuted
him. They practised no corruption, nor were they even suspected of it.
They sold no offices. They obtained no reversions of pensions, either
coming in or going out, for themselves, their families, or their
dependents. In the prosecution of their measures they were traversed by
an opposition of a new and singular character; an opposition of placemen
and pensioners. They were supported by the confidence of the nation. And
having held their offices under many difficulties and discouragements,
they left them at the express command, as they had accepted them at the
earnest request, of their royal master."[56]
[56] _A Short Account of a late Short Administration._