PRIME MINISTERS. HENRY PELHAM. 1753.

1754.

DUKE OF NEWCASTLE. 1755.

1756.

DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE.

1757.

NEWCASTLE.

1758.

1759.

1760.

1761.

A bill for the naturalization of Jews is passed, but in consequence of the popular opposition is repealed next session.

Death of Henry Pelham, who is succeeded as Prime Minister by the Duke of Newcastle (a).

Pitt refuses to support the payment of subsidies to Hesse and Russia, and is discharged from his post of Paymaster of the Forces.

Henry Fox is made Secretary of State.

England makes an alliance with Prussia.

War is declared between England and France.

Byng (son of the Byng mentioned in 1718) fails to relieve
Minorca.

Resignation of Newcastle. The Duke of Devon-
shire becomes nominal Prime Minister (b),
Pitt Secretary of State with real power.
The bill for the establishment of a national militia is
passed.

Execution of Byng.

Pitt is dismissed by the king, April 9.

Newcastle tries to form a ministry without Pitt, but fails, and has to receive Pitt, June 28 (c) The country is for eleven weeks without a govern

ment.

July. Cumberland is defeated at Hastenbeck, and capitulates at Klosterseven.

Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick is made commander-in-
chief of the English and Hanoverians.

A series of small expeditions are made against Cher-
bourg and other places on the French coast.
A subsidy of £670,000 begins to be paid yearly to Prussia.
Naval victories off Carthagena and Basque Roads.
Louisburg and Cape Breton taken.

Capture of Guadaloupe and bombardment of Le Havre.
Victory of Minden; Ferdinand of Brunswick, in com-
mand of the allies, defeats the French under Mar-
shal de Broglie.

The capture of Quebec under General Wolfe ensures
the conquest of Canada.

Naval victories at Lagos and off Quiberon Bay.
Oct. 26.

Death of George II.

GEORGE III., 1760-1820 (60 YEARS). Born 1738; Married, 1761, Charlotte-Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Lord Bute is made Secretary of State.

Pitt resigns because the rest of the ministry refuse to go to war with Spain.

PRIME MINISTERS. NEWCASTLE, 1762.

LORD BUTE.

1763.

GEORGE GRENVILLE.

1764.

1765.

A Bribery Act is passed, in which pecuniary penalties are attached to the offence.

War is declared by England against Spain.

Newcastle resigns, nominally because Bute refuses to continue the subsidy to Prussia, in reality because he is never consulted either in matters of policy or of patronage (a).

Lord Bute becomes Prime Minister (b).

Capture of Havannah, capital of Cuba.

Capture of Manilla, capital of the Philippine Islands.
Preliminaries of peace are signed at Fontainebleau.
Several peers disapproving of the peace are deprived of
their lord-lieutenancies (c).

Fox, Paymaster of the Forces, receives a seat in the
Cabinet, and secures a majority for the peace in the
Commons (319 to 65), though strenuously opposed
by Pitt.

[During this year the secret service money amounted
to £82,000.]

The Peace of Paris between England, France, Spain,
and Portugal is signed. England keeps her con-
quests in America, including Canada, and gains
considerable advantages in the West Indies. In
India, Pondicherry is restored unfortified.
Unconstitutional dismissal of placemen for their votes in
Parliament.

Lord Bute, frightened by his unpopularity, resigns
(April), and is succeeded by George Grenville,
with Lords Egremont and Halifax (the Triumvirate)
(d) (e).
Proceedings are begun, under a general warrant (ƒ),
against Wilkes for number 45 of the North Briton.
He is arrested, but released under Habeas Corpus Act,
on the ground of his privilege, by Chief-Justice Pratt.
Wilkes is denied his privilege by Parliament, notwith-
standing remonstrances of Pitt and a protest by
seventeen peers.

Wilkes and the printers obtain damages against the
king's messengers for illegal imprisonment.
Attempt of the king to get Pitt to join Grenville.
Coalition between Bedford and Grenville, known
as the Bedford ministry (g).

Wilkes is expelled from the House of Commons. Great
riots in favour of Wilkes.

Grenville passes an Act imposing customs duties on the
American colonies, and gives notice of the Stamp
Act.

The Stamp Act (h) for America is passed, notwith-
standing the protests of six colonies.

The king shows the first symptoms of madness.
In the proposed Regency Bill his mother's name is ex-

PRIME MINISTERS.
GEORGE
GRENVILLE.
1765.

LORD ROCKINGHAM. 1766.

DUKE OF GRAFTON.

1767.

1768.

1769.

1770.

LORD NORTH.

cluded (a); this irritates the king against Grenville. Through the Duke of Cumberland he applies to Pitt, who will not join without Lord Temple, who is pledged to Grenville.

July. The duke then goes to Rockingham, who forms a ministry (b).

A Declaratory Act, stating that England has authority over the colonies both in legislation and taxation, is passed.

Repeal of the American Stamp Act.

Pitt strongly supports this measure, but repeatedly refuses to join the ministry.

The House of Commons by resolution condemns all general warrants as illegal.

July. Fall of the Rockingham ministry. Pitt
forms a strong government under the Duke
of Grafton as nominal chief, and himself
becomes Earl of Chatham (c).

Chatham soon falls ill, and Grafton becomes real Premier.
Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer, passes

an Act for taxing American imports by various small customs duties (the total produce of which is estimated at not more than £40,000). Death of Charles Townshend. Lord North becomes Chancellor of the Exchequer.

At the general election (d) Wilkes having been at the bottom of the poll for the city is elected for Middle

sex.

Riots and disturbances in favour of Wilkes. He is imprisoned for his former libels.

Chatham gets better, but leaves the government
on grounds of general ill-health.

Jan. The first letter signed "Junius" appears in the
Public Advertiser.

Feb. 16.

Wilkes is re-elected for Middlesex.

Feb. 17. Wilkes is declared incapable of sitting in the
present Parliament by 235 to 89.

March 16. Wilkes again elected for Middlesex.
election declared void the next day.

The

April 13. Wilkes elected for Middlesex (fourth time) by 1143 to 296 for Colonel Luttrell.

April 16. Luttrell is seated in the House of Commons
by 197 votes to 143.

Resignation of the Duke of Grafton. Jan. Lord
Chatham is unable to get the Bedford section of the
Whigs (e) to agree with him, and the king gives
the seals to Lord North (ƒ).

Charles Yorke accepts the Chancellorship, and dies
three days afterwards (probably by suicide).
March. All the American import duties are removed
except the tax on tea.