Produced by MWS, Charlie Howard, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
MEMOIRS
OF THE REIGN OF
KING GEORGE THE THIRD.
VOL. I.
[Illustration:
_Houston, pinx.^t_ _G. Cook, sc._
GEORGE III.
London, Published by Richard Bentley, 1844.]
MEMOIRS
OF THE REIGN OF
KING GEORGE THE THIRD.
BY HORACE WALPOLE,
YOUNGEST SON OF SIR ROBERT WALPOLE, EARL OF ORFORD.
NOW FIRST PUBLISHED FROM THE ORIGINAL MSS.
EDITED, WITH NOTES,
BY SIR DENIS LE MARCHANT, BART.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty.
1845.
LONDON:
Printed by S. & J. BENTLEY, WILSON, and FLEY
Bangor House, Shoe Lane.
PREFACE.
THE MEMOIRS OF THE REIGN OF KING GEORGE THE THIRD, by Horace Walpole
(Earl of Orford), now for the first time submitted to the Public, are
printed from a manuscript copy contained in the box of papers which
came into the possession of the late Earl of Waldegrave, under the
circumstances stated in the Preface to “The Memoires of the Last Twelve
Years of the Reign of George the Second.” This manuscript was placed by
Lord Waldegrave in the hands of the late Lord Holland at the same time
with “the Memoires” last mentioned, and hopes were long entertained
that it would have had the advantage of the editorial care which gave
so much additional interest to that work; but from the date of Lord
Holland’s return to office, in 1830, the little leisure he could find
for literary pursuits was diverted from these volumes by engagements of
a more pressing character; and it appeared at his death that he had
never even commenced the task which he was of all persons eminently
qualified to execute. Under these circumstances Lord Euston (now Duke
of Grafton) on whom the property of the manuscript had devolved, as
Lord Waldegrave’s executor, became very desirous that the publication
should no longer be deferred; and happening to consult me on the
subject, my interest was so much excited by a cursory perusal, that I
acceded to the request made to me to prepare the Work for the press.
In this I was further encouraged by the assurance I received of the
zealous co-operation and assistance of the late Mr. John Allen, whose
knowledge of the early years of George the Third’s reign was surpassed
by none of his contemporaries (excepting, perhaps, Lord Holland),
and whose participation in all the studies, and I might almost add
identification with the literary pursuits of that nobleman, would have
given me many of the advantages I should have derived from himself, had
he been still living. I had several conversations with Mr. Allen on the
plan to be pursued in editing the Work, and his hints on the characters
of the individuals described in it were of essential service to me; but
unhappily, before my labours had commenced in earnest, he was taken
ill, and in a few days followed his friend and patron to the grave.
Few of the associates of his latter days valued him more than myself,
or more deeply regretted his loss; and in revising these pages, my mind
has often recurred with melancholy yet grateful satisfaction to the
many agreeable and most instructive hours I have passed in his and Lord
Holland’s society at a house which has acquired an European celebrity
as the great point of intellectual and moral reunion among the most
distinguished political and literary men of the present century.
These Memoirs comprise the first twelve years of the reign of George
the Third, and close the historical works of Horace Walpole. “On their
merits,” to use the words of Lord Holland,[1] “it would be improper
to enlarge in this place. That they contain much curious and original
information, will not be disputed.” In common with the Memoires of
George the Second, “they treat of a part of our annals most imperfectly
known to us,” with the decided advantage of the period being one marked
by events of deeper interest and more congenial in their character
and bearings with those which have since engaged, and still occupy
our attention. The contests between Whigs and Jacobites may not be
undeserving our curiosity; yet they sink into insignificance when
compared with the origin and progress of the American discontents,
in which may be traced the first indistinct rudiments of the great
antagonistic principles and social revolutions of our own time.
The Parliamentary struggles, too, in the case of General Warrants,
are important, not less on account of the stores of constitutional
knowledge they elicited, than from the spirit of free inquiry into
the Prerogatives of the Crown on the one hand and the Privileges of
the People on the other, which necessarily sprang out of them. Nor
is it an uninstructive lesson to observe the efforts made by George
the Third to break up the political parties which had embarrassed the
reign of his predecessor. These topics are among the most prominent
in the History of England during the Eighteenth Century, and they
constitute the staple of the present Work. Some of the best debates
on the Stamp Act, and on the proceedings against Mr. Wilkes, are
here reported with a vivacity and apparent correctness which may be
sought in vain elsewhere; and we meet throughout the Work the same
abundance of anecdote, and the same graphic description of men and
manners, that characterise the Memoires of George the Second. It
gives even more copious details of the negotiations between political
parties, especially those incidental to the fall of Lord Rockingham’s
Administration; the gradual alienation of that nobleman and his
friends from the Duke of Grafton; and the other divisions among the
Whig party, which ended in the long enjoyment of power by their
opponents. The records of these transactions do not, it is true, form
the most dignified department of the historian, but political history
is necessarily incomplete without them; and here Walpole is on his
own ground. Unlike most of the writers who have minutely chronicled
their times, he can neither be charged with obtaining mere imperfect
or occasional glances into the councils of men in power, nor with
suffering himself to be shackled by a sense of official restraint, not
to say responsibility. He possessed entirely the secret of affairs,
at least as long as Conway remained Minister; and so unreservedly
discloses what he knew, that he might not untruly boast, as he does
elsewhere, “that the failings of some of his nearest friends are as
little concealed as those of other persons.”[2]
I have little to add concerning my own share in these Memoirs. They
are printed exactly as the Author left them, except that it has been
thought right to suppress a few passages of an indecent tendency; and
following the example of Lord Holland, “two or three passages affecting
the private characters of private persons, and in no ways connected
with any political event, or illustrative of any great public
character, have been omitted.”[3]
The notes that occur without any distinguishing mark were left by the
Author. It will be perceived that they seldom extend beyond a brief
statement of the rank or relationship of the individuals noticed in the
text. All the other notes are mine.
In compliance with a wish generally expressed after the publication
of the “Memoires of the Last Twelve Years of the Reign of George the
Second,” for additional information respecting many of the characters
described in that work, I have enlarged on the meagre notices left
by Walpole, and endeavoured to correct his errors--taking, as my
model, the annotations of Lord Dover and Mr. Wright on the Author’s
correspondence. My references to those popular works will be found to
have been frequent, and I can venture to add my testimony to their
impartiality and correctness.[4] I may have unconsciously borrowed
from them, where we are treating of the same individuals; but I have
endeavoured, as much as possible, to steer an independent course, and
the subject is sufficiently wide to admit of it. I have also carefully
consulted all the contemporary authorities within my reach, and, in
more than one instance, have received valuable communications from
persons who either lived near the times described by Walpole, or were
actually acquainted with him. My sole object, however, has been to
contribute to the information of readers hitherto little conversant
with the events and characters of the period under our notice. More
detailed criticism on particular transactions, and some biographical
sketches, too long for insertion in the notes, will be given in the
Appendix to the Fourth Volume; but I have no pretensions to encroach on
the province of the historian--especially since the publication of the
last volume of Lord Mahon’s History of George the Third, and the recent
article on Lord Chatham in the Edinburgh Review, both of which have
appeared since this Work went to the press.
It was at first expected that this Work would be comprised in three
volumes, but a more careful examination of the manuscript having proved
a fourth to be indispensable, it is thought best not to delay the
publication of the two volumes already printed, and to reserve the two
concluding volumes until early in the Spring.
I have to acknowledge much kindness from various friends in the
prosecution of my inquiries. Sir Edward Colebrooke, in particular,
has favoured me with the loan of the manuscript autobiography of his
grandfather, Sir George Colebrooke, M. P., Chairman of the East India
Company, an active politician, who lived on confidential terms with
the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Rockingham, and Mr. Charles Townshend; and
I am indebted to Sir George Larpent for the perusal of the papers of
his father, when Secretary to Lord Hertford, during the embassy of the
latter at Paris.
DENIS LE MARCHANT.
7, HARLEY STREET,
_December 4, 1844_.
CONTENTS
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME.
A. D. PAGE
CHAPTER I.
Career of George II. 4
1760. Auspicious circumstances under which George III. ascended
the Throne 5
Firmness of the Administration _ib._
Glory and Fortune in War _ib._
Precipitate Peace _ib._
Communication to the Prince of Wales of the Death of
George II. 6
His Conduct to the Duke of Cumberland 7
The first Council _ib._
George II.’s Will 8
The King’s Speech to his Council 9
CHAPTER II.
1760. Plan to carry the Prerogative to an unusual height 16
Unpopularity and Seclusion of the Princess of Wales 17
Intended Duel between the Earl of Albemarle and General
Townshend 20
Nov. 18. Meeting of Parliament 24
The King’s Speech _ib._
Increase of the Court Establishment _ib._
Interview between Lord Bute and the Duke of Richmond 27
Irish Disputes 31
The King of Prussia’s Victory over Marshal Daun 33
Mauduit’s Pamphlet on the German War _ib._
CHAPTER III.
1761. Ways and Means for the ensuing Year 34
New Promotions 35
Lord Bute 36
Secret Article in the Treaty with the Landgrave of Hesse 39
New Tenure of the Judges 41
Lord Bute appears more ostensibly in the character of
Minister 42
Ministerial Changes 43
Overtures by France for Peace 50
CHAPTER IV.
1761. March 18th. Thanks of the House of Commons to Mr. Onslow,
their Speaker 51
Lord Bath’s Pamphlet 54
Solicitations by France for Peace 55
Mr. Pitt disinclined to negotiate 56
Expedition against Belleisle 57
Negotiation for Peace 58
CHAPTER V.
1761. July 8th. Announcement of the King’s intended Marriage 62
The Princess Dowager’s Aversion to her Son’s Marriage 63
Schemes of Mr. Fox 64
Colonel Graeme despatched to Germany to select a Queen 65
Serious Crisis in the Cabinet 67
Lofty Conduct of Mr. Pitt 69
His Draught for a Treaty with France _ib._
Sept. 7th. Arrival of the new Queen 70
Her mental and personal Characteristics 71
Disposal of the vacant Bishopricks 73
Lord Talbot and the Barons of the Cinque Ports 74
CHAPTER VI.
1761. Interposition of Spain in behalf of France 77
Oct. 5th and 9th. Resignation of Mr. Pitt and Lord
Temple 80
Effect on the Nation of Mr. Pitt’s Secession from the
Cabinet 82
His Acceptance of a Peerage for his Wife, and of a
Pension _ib._
His Injudicious Conduct _ib._
Address to him from the Common Council of London, and
from Provincial Towns 85
Nov. 3rd. Meeting of Parliament 86
Choice of a Speaker 87
Nov. 6th. The King’s Speech 88
The Address _ib._
Nov. 9th. The King and Royal Family dine in the City
with the Lord Mayor 89
Mr. Pitt’s Reception at Guildhall _ib._
Riots 90
CHAPTER VII.
1761. Nov. 13th. Mr. Wilkes’s Censures on the King’s Speech 91
Debate on continuing the War 92
The Queen’s Dowry voted 99
Ministerial Manœuvres on the Secession of Mr. Pitt _ib._
Nov. 25th. Meeting at the St. Alban’s Tavern 100
Policy of the Court 101
Debate on the War in Germany _ib._
George Grenville’s Desertion of Pitt 104
CHAPTER VIII.
1761. Debates in Parliament on the German War 109
Dec. 11. Discussion on our Affairs with Spain 112
Colonel Barré’s insulting Conduct to Mr. Pitt 120
Family-compact between France and Spain 123
Portugal invaded by Charles the Third of Spain 125
CHAPTER IX.
1762. Jan 1st. Fuentes, the Spanish Ambassador, quits England 127
Jan. 4th. War declared against Spain 128
Divisions in the Council respecting the War with Spain 129
Expedition to the Havannah 131
Jan. 19th. Meeting of Parliament _ib._
Court Intrigues in France against Marshal Broglio and
his Brother 138
Preponderating Influence and Haughtiness of Lord Bute 139
The Duke of York’s Contempt of Lord Bute and the Scotch 140
Proceedings in the Parliament of Ireland 141
March 19th. Bill for continuing the Militia 142
CHAPTER X.
1762. March 22nd. News of the Conquest of Martinico 143
War in Portugal 144
Pacific Disposition of the new Czar 150
His Popular Measures 151
Meditated War with Denmark by the Czar and the King
of Prussia 152
Insurrections in Ireland quelled by the Earl of Hertford 154
The Portuguese War, and the War in Germany 155
Private Negotiation with the Court of Vienna 157
April 28th. Creation of seven new Peers _ib._
Buckingham House purchased by the Queen 159
Seclusion of the King and Queen _ib._
CHAPTER XI.
1762. May 12th. Debate in the House of Commons on a Vote
of Credit and the Support of Portugal 161
May 26th. The Duke of Newcastle’s resignation 168
Lord Bute is declared First Lord of the Treasury 171
Sir Francis Dashwood, Chancellor of the Exchequer _ib._
CHAPTER XII.
1762. Honours heaped on Lord Bute 176
Lord Halifax appointed to the Admiralty 177
First Appearance of “The North Briton” _ib._
Its excessive Audacity 178
Sketch of its Author, John Wilkes 179
Churchill, Wilkes’s Associate 180
Capture and Recapture of Newfoundland 183
The French Camp surprised by Prince Ferdinand _ib._
Propensity of the Court for Peace _ib._
The Empress Catherine 184
Horrible Conspiracy against Peter the Third 185
Catherine raised to the Throne 186
Murder of Peter 187
Effect of the Russian Revolution on the King of Prussia 188
CHAPTER XIII.
1762. August 12th. Birth of the Prince of Wales 190
Treasure of the Hermione _ib._
Conquest of the Havannah _ib._
Indifference of the Court on that event 191
Negotiations for Peace _ib._
Reception in France of the Duke of Bedford _ib._
Beckford elected Lord Mayor 193
Duel between Lord Talbot and Wilkes 194
Disgust at the Union of Bute and Fox 195
Purchase of a Majority to approve the Peace 199
CHAPTER XIV.
1762. Nov. 8th. Preliminaries of Peace with France and Spain 204
Embassy to the Court of Spain offered to Lord Sandwich 205
Insult to the Duke of Cumberland _ib._
Resignation of Lords Ashburnham and Kinnoul 206
Lord Lincoln’s Ingratitude to the Duke of Newcastle 207
The Duke of York obliged to go to Italy 209
Attempt to propitiate Walpole 211
CHAPTER XV.
1762. Conference between the Duke of Cumberland and Mr. Pitt 219
Anxiety of the Ministers 220
Nov. 9th. Debates in both Houses on the Preliminaries
of Peace 222
The Minority on the Division 232
Exultation of the Princess of Wales on the Preliminaries
being carried 233
Severe political Persecution _ib._
Numerous Dismissals from Place 234
CHAPTER XVI.
1763. Jan. 2nd. Death of John Earl Granville 236
Attack on Patent Places 239
Triumph of the Court 241
Favour shown to the Friends of the Stuarts 242
Observance of the Jacobite Fast _ib._
Committee to inspect Madhouses 244
Accounts of the Navy 245
The Standing Army 246
CHAPTER XVII.
1763. Address to the King 248
Sir Francis Dashwood’s Budget 250
Tax on Cider 251
Discussion on Ways and Means _ib._
Ardent Opposition to the Cider Tax _ib._
Petition from Newfoundland 252
March 28th. Debate in the House of Lords on the Cider-bill 253
March 30th. Passing of the Bill _ib._
April 8th. George Grenville first Lord of the Treasury and
Chancellor of the Exchequer 258
Removal of Sir Francis Dashwood _ib._
Ministerial Changes and Promotions 259
CHAPTER XVIII.
1763. The Bedford Faction 260
Ambition of the Duchess of Bedford 261
Reversions granted by Lord Bute before his resignation 265
Walpole’s Feelings towards that Minister _ib._
His Political Acts 266
April 8th. Death of Lord Waldegrave 267
CHAPTER XIX.
1763. April 19th. Lord Bute’s pretended Abdication of Business 270
The “Triumvirate” who succeeded him 271
Grenville’s Ingratitude to Lord Bute 273
April 23rd. The memorable Forty-fifth Number of the
“North Briton.” 274
April 30th. Wilkes apprehended on a General Warrant 276
Committed close Prisoner to the Tower 277
May 3rd. He is taken by Habeas Corpus to the Court of
Common Pleas 278
He is discharged from Confinement 279
Triumph of Wilkes _ib._
His Endeavour to obtain Warrants against the Secretaries
of State 280
Discontent in the Cider Counties _ib._
Mortifications of the Court 281
Wilkes challenged by Forbes 282
Aug. 21st. Sudden Death of Lord Egremont 283
CHAPTER XX.
1763. Perplexity of the “Triumvirate” 284
Lord Bute’s unsuccessful Manœuvres 285
Aug. 25th. Lord Halifax and Mr. Grenville remonstrate
with the King 286
Schemes of the Bedford Faction _ib._
Aug. 28th. Mr. Pitt sent for by the King 288
Negotiation with the former _ib._
The Treaty broken off 289
Causes of the Rupture 290
The King’s Account of his Interviews with Pitt 291
Ministerial Arrangements 295
CHAPTER XXI.
1763. Secret Power of Lord Bute 298
His Rupture with Pitt 299
Unanimous Attempt to destroy Wilkes 301
Death of Augustus the Third, of Saxony 306
The Pope invites the Duke of York to Rome 307
Humiliation of the helpless Line of Stuart _ib._
Nov. 3rd. Charles Yorke resigns the Attorney-Generalship _ib._
Unfavourable Commencement of the new Lord-Lieutenant’s
Power in Ireland 308
CHAPTER XXII.
1763. Nov. 15th. Opening of Parliament 309
Wilkes’s “Essay on Woman” laid before the House of
Lords 310
Persecution of Wilkes 313
He complains in the House of a Breach of Privilege 314
Warm Debate on the Question _ib._
Wilkes wounded in a Duel by Martin 317
Nov. 16th. The King’s Speech read to the Commons 318
Postponement of the farther Hearing on Wilkes 319
Bestowal of the Bishoprick of Osnabrugh 320
CHAPTER XXIII.
1763. Nov. 23rd. Important Question as to the Privilege of
Parliament 321
Abandonment of General Warrants 323
Debate on the Proceedings against Wilkes 324
“The Moderator,” a new scurrilous Paper 329
Dec. 3rd. Riot on the attempt to burn “The North
Briton.” 330
Dec. 6th. Debate on this subject in the House of Lords 331
Triumph of Wilkes 333
Attempt to assassinate Wilkes _ib._
The East India Company and Lord Clive 334
Outlawry against Wilkes 335
CHAPTER XXIV.
1763. Lord Sandwich offers himself for the High Stewardship of
Cambridge 339
His “Flying Pension” 337
Disgraceful Grant to Count Virri _ib._
Dismissal of General A’Court _ib._
Negotiation between Grenville, Conway, and Walpole 338
CHAPTER XXV.
1764. Jan 16th. Marriage of the Princess Augusta with the
Hereditary Duke of Brunswick 348
His marked Opposition to the Wishes of the King _ib._
Jan. 19th. Debates on Wilkes’s Complaint of Breach of
Privilege 349
Jan. 20th. Sir William Meredith and Sir George Saville 350
The “Essay on Woman” 354
Feb. 9th. The Marriage Bill 359
Feb. 13th. Debate on Breach of Privilege _ib._
Cases of Carteret Webbe and Wood 361
CHAPTER XXVI.
1764. Feb. 17th. Debates on the Legality of General Warrants,
and the Conduct of Wilkes, continued 368
Feb. 21st. Treatise entitled “Droit le Roi,” condemned
by the Lords 383
CHAPTER XXVII.
1764. The Earl of Egmont 387
March 9th. The Budget 388
Taxation of the American Colonies 389
March 23rd. Appearance of the “Lettres, Mémoires, et
Négotiations du Chevalier d’Eon,” &c. 392
Contest at Cambridge 395
April 12th. Lord Clive appointed Governor-General of
India 397
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1764. April 19th. Prorogation of the Parliament 401
Walpole’s Conduct on the Dismissal of General Conway 402
May 9th. Mr. Conway’s regiment given to the Earl of
Pembroke 415
May 22nd. Trial of Carteret Webbe for Perjury 417
The Earl of Northumberland Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland 418
ERRATA.
VOL. I.
Page 42, line 3 from bottom, omit the sentence beginning “His
Lordship’s mother.”
” 60, line 14 from bottom, _for_ by the aversion _read_ by
aversion.
” 352, line 3 from bottom, _for_ the illustrious line of the family
_read_ the last line of the illustrious family.
” 311, line 3 from bottom, _for_ deshonorer jamais _read_ deshonorer
à jamais.
VOL. II.
Page 89, line 2 from bottom, _for_ Minister at Tunis, &c., in 1802,
_read_ Minister at Turin. He died in 1801.
” 316, line 3 from bottom, _for_ _l._ _read_ lbs.
” 399, line 3 from bottom, _for_ Burton Veyncourt _read_ Burton
Pynsent.
*.* The names Dowdeswell and Mackenzie have been printed in the text as
Walpole wrote them, Dowdswell and Mackinsy.
MEMOIRS
OF THE REIGN OF
KING GEORGE THE THIRD.
CHAPTER I.
Motives for writing these Memoirs.--Their assistance to History.--
Causes of contradictory Opinions in the Writer.--Career of George
II.--Auspicious circumstances under which George III. ascended the
Throne.--Firmness of the Administration.--Our Glory and Fortune
in War.--Precipitate Peace.--Communication to the Prince of Wales
of the death of George II.--Mr. Pitt and the Princess Amalie.--
Anecdotes of the Accession of the new King.--His conduct to the
Duke of Cumberland.--The first Council.--George the Second’s
Will.--Anecdotes.--The King’s Speech to his Council.--Mr.
Pitt and Lord Bute.--Duke of Newcastle.--Duke of Devonshire.--
The King’s Mother.--Earl of Bute.--Views of other Ministers.--
Union of Pitt and Newcastle.--City Politics.--Inscription on
Blackfriars Bridge.--Jacobites at St. James’s.
Whoever has taken the trouble of reading my Memoirs, which relate the
transactions during the last ten years of King George the Second, will
have seen, that I had taken a resolution of interfering no more in
public affairs. It was no ambition, or spirit of faction, that engaged
me in them again. Inconstancy, or weariness of retirement, were as
little the motives of my return to action. I am going to set forth
the true causes; and if I am obliged to make more frequent mention of
myself than I should wish to do, it will be from the necessity I am
under of unfolding the secret springs of many events in which I was
unwillingly a considerable actor. It is to gratify no vanity that I
relate them: my portion was not brilliant. And though my counsels might
have been more serviceable to my country and to my friends, if they had
been more followed, they were calculated to produce neither glory nor
profit to myself, and were much oftener neglected than listened to. Nor
should they be remembered here, if many miscarriages had not accrued
from the neglect of them, as was felt and confessed by those to whom
they had been suggested.
How far I have been in the right or in the wrong, I leave to the
judgment of posterity, who shall be impartially informed; and who may
draw some benefit from the knowledge of what I have seen; though few
persons, I believe, profit much from history. Times seldom resemble one
another enough to be very applicable; and if they do, the characters
of the actors are very different. They, too, who read history most,
are seldom performers in the political drama. Yet they who have
performed any part in it, are at least able to give the best account
of it, though still an imperfect one. No man is acquainted with the
whole plot; as no man knows all the secret springs of the actions of
others. His passions and prejudices warp his judgment, and cast a mist
before the most penetrating sagacity. Yet, partial as the narratives
of the actors must be, they will certainly approach nearer to truth
than those of spectators, who, beholding nothing but events, pretend
to account for them from causes which they can but suppose, and which
frequently never existed. It is this assistance to history which I now
offer, and by which I may explain some passages, which might otherwise
never be cleared up.
I have a new reason for repeating here, what I have said in former
pages, that these are memoirs, not history. The inequality, and perhaps
even the contradictory opinions which may appear in them from being
written at different periods, forbid this work to aim at the regular
march of history. As I knew men more, I may have altered my sentiments
of them;--they themselves may have changed. If I had any personal
causes for changing my opinion, I have told them fairly, that the
fault may be imputed to my passions, rather than to those I speak of.
The actions of the persons must determine whether they altered, or I
was prejudiced. But, though this dissonance may cast unequal colours
on my work, I choose to leave it as I wrote it, having at each period
spoken truth as it appeared to me. I might have made it more uniform
by correction; but the natural colouring would have been lost; and I
should rather have composed than written a history. As it stands an
original sketch, it is at least a picture of my own mind and opinions.
That sketch may be valuable to a few, who study human nature even in a
single character.
But I will make no farther apology for a work which I am sensible has
many faults; which I again declare I do not give as a history; and to
which, if it has not merits sufficient to atone for its blemishes,
I desire no quarter may be given. Remember, reader, I offer you no
more than the memoirs of men who had many faults, written by a man
who had many himself; and who writes to inform you, not to engross
your admiration. Had he given you a perfect history, and a flattering
picture of himself, his work would have been a romance, and he an
impostor. He lived with a contempt of hypocrisy; and writes as he lived.
George the Second, contradicting the silly presages drawn from
parallels, which had furnished opposition with names of unfortunate
Princes, who were the second of their name, as Edward, Richard,
Charles, and James, terminated his career with glory both to himself
and his people. He died, crowned with years and honours, and respected
from success; which with the multitude is the same as being beloved. He
left a successor in the vigour of youth, ready to take the reins, and a
ministry universally applauded, united, and unembarrassed by opponents.
No British monarch had ascended the throne with so many advantages
as George the Third. Being the first of his line born in England,
the prejudice against his family as foreigners ceased in his
person--Hanover was no longer the native soil of our Princes;
consequently, attachment to the Electorate was not likely to govern our
councils, as it had done in the last two reigns. This circumstance,
too, of his birth, shifted the unpopularity of foreign extraction from
the House of Brunswick to the Stuarts. In the flower and bloom of
youth, George had a handsome, open, and honest countenance; and with
the favour that attends the outward accomplishments of his age, he had
none of the vices that fall under the censure of those who are past
enjoying them themselves.
The moment of his accession was fortunate beyond example. The
extinction of parties had not waited for, but preceded the dawn of his
reign. Thus it was not a race of factions running to offer themselves,
as is common, to a new Prince, bidding for his favour, and ready each
to be disgusted, if their antagonists were received with more grace;
but a natural devolution of duty from all men to the uncontroverted
heir of the Crown, who had no occasion to court the love of his
subjects, nor could fear interrupting established harmony, but by
making any change in a system so well compacted. The administration
was firm, in good harmony with one another, and headed by the most
successful genius that ever presided over our councils. Conquest had
crowned our arms with wonderful circumstances of glory and fortune; and
the young King seemed to have the option of extending our victories and
acquisitions, or of giving peace to the world, by finding himself in a
situation so favourable, that neither his ambition nor moderation could
have been equitably reprehended. The designs and offences of France
would have justified a fuller measure of revenge; moderation could want
no excuse.
A passionate, domineering woman, and a Favourite, without talents, soon
drew a cloud over this shining prospect.
Without anticipating events too hastily, let it suffice to say, that
the measure of war was pushed, without even a desire that it should be
successful; and that, although successful, it was unnaturally checked
by a peace, too precipitate, too indigested, and too shameful, to merit
the coldest eulogy of moderation.
The first moment of the new reign afforded a symptom of the Prince’s
character; of that cool dissimulation in which he had been so well
initiated by his mother, and which comprehended almost the whole of
what she had taught him. Princess Amalie, as soon as she was certain
of her father’s death, sent an account of it to the Prince of Wales;
but he had already been apprised of it. He was riding, and received
a note from a German valet-de-chambre, attendant on the late King,
with a private mark agreed upon between them, which certified him of
the event. Without surprise or emotion, without dropping a word that
indicated what had happened, he said his horse was lame, and turned
back to Kew. At dismounting he said to the groom, “I have said this
horse is lame; I forbid you to say the contrary.”
Mr. Pitt was the first who arrived at Kensington, and went to Princess
Amalie for her orders. She told him nobody could give him better
counsel than his own. He asked if he ought not to go to the Prince? she
replied, she could not advise him; but thought it would be right. He
went. I mention these little circumstances, because they show from Mr.
Pitt’s uncertainty, that he was possessed with none of the confidence
and ardour of a man who thinks himself a favourite.
From Kew the new King went directly to Carleton House, which belonged
to the Princess Dowager; ordering his servants and the Privy Council to
wait for him at Saville House, then his own residence; and adjoining
to Leicester House, where the Princess usually lived. The Duke of
Cumberland went to Leicester House, and waited two hours; but was
sent for, as soon as the King knew it, to Carleton House, where he
determined to stay, and avoid the parade and acclamation of passing
through the streets: at the same time dismissing the guards, and
ordering them to attend the body of his grandfather.
To the Duke of Cumberland he marked great kindness, and told him it
had not been common in their family to live well together; but he
was determined to live well with all his family. And he carried this
attention so far, as to take notice to the Duke after council, that
his friend Mr. Fox looked in great health. And again, when the Privy
Council had made their address to his Majesty by the mouth of the
Archbishop, it not being thought decent that the compliment on the
death of his father should be uttered by the Duke, the King remarked
it, and expressed an apprehension that they had put a slight upon his
uncle. Nor would he suffer the name of his brother, the Duke of York,
to be mentioned in the public prayers, because it must have taken place
of that of the Duke of Cumberland.
At that first council the King spoke to nobody in particular but his
former governor, Lord Waldegrave. His speech to them he made with
dignity and propriety. In whatever related to his predecessor, he
behaved with singular attention and decency, refusing at first to give
the word to the guard; and then only renewing what the late King had
given. He sent to Princess Amalie to know where her father’s will was
deposited. She said, one copy had been entrusted to her eight or nine
years before; but thinking the King had forgotten it, she had lately
put him in mind of it. He had replied, “Did not she know, that when
a new will was made, it cancelled all preceding?” No curiosity, no
eagerness, no haste was expressed by the new King on that head; nor the
smallest impediment thrown in the way of his grandfather’s intentions.
A Gentleman[5] of the Bedchamber was immediately dismissed, who refused
to sit up with the body, as is usual. Wilmot[6] and Ranby,[7] the late
King’s physician and surgeon, acquainted the King with two requests of
their master, which were punctually complied with. They were, that his
body might be embalmed as soon as possible, and a double quantity of
perfumes used; and that the side of the late Queen’s coffin, left loose
on purpose, might be taken away, and his body laid close to hers.
In his first council the King named his brother the Duke of York,
and Lord Bute,[8] of the Cabinet. As no notice was taken of Lord
Huntingdon, it indicated an uncertainty, whether he, who had been
Master of the Horse to the King when Prince, or Lord Gower, who had
held that office under the late King, should fill the post. To the
Speaker of the House of Commons the King said, it should not be his
fault if that assembly did not go upon business earlier in the day than
they had done of late: a flattering speech to an old man attached to
old forms.
The King’s speech to his council afforded matter of remark, and gave
early specimen of who was to be the confidential minister, and what
measures were to be pursued: for it was drawn by Lord Bute, and
communicated to none of the King’s servants. It talked _of a bloody
and expensive war, and of obtaining an honourable and lasting peace_.
Thus was it delivered; but Mr. Pitt went to Lord Bute that evening, and
after an altercation of three hours, prevailed that in the printed copy
the words should be changed to _an expensive but just and necessary
war_; and that after the words _honourable peace_ should be inserted,
_in concert with our allies_. Lord Mansfield and others counselled
these palliatives too; but it was two o’clock of the following
afternoon before the King would yield to the alteration. Whether,
that the private Junto could not digest the correction, or whether to
give an idea of his Majesty’s firmness, I know not: but great pains
were taken to imprint an idea of the latter, as characteristic of
the new reign; and it was sedulously whispered by the creatures of
the Favourite and the mother, that it was the plan to retain all the
late King’s ministers, but that his Majesty would not be governed by
them, as his grandfather had been. In confirmation of part of this
advertisement, the King told the Duke of Newcastle and Mr. Pitt, that
he knew their attachment to the Crown, and should expect theirs, and
the assistance of all honest men.
Mr. Pitt was too quicksighted not to perceive what would be the
complexion of the new reign. His favourite war was already struck
at. He himself had for some time been on the coldest terms with Lord
Bute; for possession of power, and reversion of power, could not
fail to make two natures so haughty, incompatible. It was said, and
I believe with truth, that an outset so unpromising to his darling
measures, made Mr. Pitt propose to the Duke of Newcastle a firm union
against the Favourite; but the Duke loved intrigues and new allies too
well to embrace it. And from that refusal has been dated Mr. Pitt’s
animosity to Newcastle; though the part the latter took more openly
and more hostilely against him afterwards was sufficient cause for
that resentment. Whether these two men, so powerful in parliament and
in the nation, could have balanced the headlong affection that attends
every new young Prince, is uncertain,--I think they could. A war so
triumphant had captivated the whole country. The Favourite was unknown,
ungracious, and a Scot: his connexion with the Princess, an object of
scandal. He had no declared party; and what he had, was insignificant.
Nor would he probably have dared to stem such a body of force as would
have appeared against him. At least the union of Pitt and Newcastle
would have checked the torrent, which soon carried everything in favour
of Prerogative. Newcastle’s time-serving undermined Mr. Pitt, was
destructive to himself, threw away all the advantages of the war, and
brought the country to the brink of ruin.
Yet this veteran, so busy, so selfish, and still so fond of power,
for a few days acted the part he ought to have adopted in earnest. He
waited on the King, pleaded his age, and begged to be excused from
entering on a new reign. The King told him he could not part with him.
Fortified with this gracious and comfortable command, he next consulted
his friends. It was not their interest to point out to him the ridicule
of thinking to rule in the Cabinet of a third George, almost a boy.
Four days more determined the Duke to take a new court-lease of
folly.[9]
The Duke of Devonshire,[10] though greatly younger, might not have
been without difficulties too, if he had pleased to remember them. He
had been ill-treated in the late reign by the Prince and the Princess
Dowager, hated the Favourite, and had declared he would quit, whenever
the new reign should commence; but he thought better of it.
The Princess, whose ambition yielded to none, was desirous to figure in
the new era, and demanded to be declared _Princess-Mother_. Precedents
were searched for in vain; and she missed even this shadow of
compensation for the loss of the appellation of _Queen_--a loss which
she showed a little afterwards she could not digest.
The Earl of Bute seemed to act with more moderation. His credit was
manifest; but he allotted himself no ministerial office, contenting
himself for the present with the post of Groom of the Stole, which
he had filled under the Prince, and for which room was prepared, by
removing the Earl of Rochford[11] with a large pension. Lord Bute’s
agents gave out, that he would upon no account interfere or break with
Mr. Pitt. The latter, however, did not trust to these vague assurances,
but endeavoured to maintain the preceding system: talked to the King of
the Duke of Newcastle as first minister, and as wishing him to continue
so; and said he had never chosen any other channel for his addresses or
demands to the late King--an intimation that he would make none through
Lord Bute. For himself, he had meddled with nothing but the war, and he
wished his Majesty to give some mark that he approved the measures of
the late reign.
The other ministers were not less attentive to their own views. The
Duke of Bedford[12] insisted on returning to the Government of Ireland,
and that Lord Gower[13] should remain Master of the Horse; but the
latter point was accommodated by the removal of Sir Thomas Robinson
(with a pension) from the Great Wardrobe, which was bestowed on Lord
Gower; and Lord Huntingdon continued in the post he had enjoyed under
the Prince. Mr. Mackenzie, the Favourite’s brother, was destined to
be Master of the Robes, but was forced to give way to the Duke of
Newcastle, who obtained it for Mr. Brudenel;[14] for though bent on
making his court, his Grace as often marred his own policy as promoted
it.
Yet this seeming union of Pitt and Newcastle, on which the influence
of the former in some measure depended, disgusted the City. They said,
that Mr. Pitt had temporized with Newcastle before from necessity, but
now it was matter of election. Yet by the intervention of Mr. Pitt’s
agents, the City of London recommended to the King to be advised by
his grandfather’s ministers; and they even hinted at the loss the King
of Prussia would suffer by the death of his uncle. Their attachment
to their idol did not stop there. The first stone of the new bridge
at Blackfriars was laid by the Lord Mayor a few days after the King’s
accession, and on it was engraved so bombast an inscription in honour
of Mr. Pitt, and drawn up in such bad Latin, that it furnished ample
matter of ridicule to his enemies.
The Favourite, though traversed in his views by the power of these two
predominant men, had not patience to be wholly a cypher, but gave many
lesser and indirect marks of his designs. A separate standard was to be
erected. Lord George Sackville had leave to pay his duty to the King,
and was well received; which gave such offence to Mr. Pitt, that Lord
George was privately instructed to discontinue his attendance. Lady
Mary Stuart,[15] daughter of the Favourite, and Lady Susan Stuart,[16]
daughter of the Earl of Galloway, a notorious and intemperate Jacobite,
were named of the Bedchamber to the Lady Augusta, the King’s eldest
sister; and Sir Henry Erskine[17] was restored to his rank, and
gratified with an old regiment. The Earl of Litchfield, Sir Walter
Bagot, and the principal Jacobites, went to Court, which George Selwyn,
a celebrated wit, accounted for, from the number of Stuarts that were
now at St. James’s.