THE

HISTORY OF ENGLAND,

DURING THE

REIGN OF GEORGE III.

CHAPTER I.

Accession of George the Third....Character of the new King.... Aspect of public Affairs....Declaration of the youthful Monarch....State of Parties....The Ministry which he found on his coming to the Throne....Characters of the Duke of Newcastle...Lord Granville...Mr. Legge...Mr. Fox... Mr. Pitt.... Amount of the Civil List....Mr. Onslow retires from the Situation of Speaker of the House of Commons....Unpopularity of the Earl of Bute....Lord Holdernesse resigns....Mr. Legge dismissed....Lord Bute succeeds to the Office of Secretary of State....Negotiations for Peace at Paris and London....Causes of the Failure of the Negotiation....Memorial of M. Bussy rejected with Indignation by Mr. Pitt...who proposes a War with Spain....Family Compact of the House of Bourbon.... Resignation of Mr. Pitt....His Interview with the King.... General Regret of the Nation at his Retirement....Progress of the War in Germany....The English make a Descent on Belleisle.... Success of the British Arms in the East and West Indies....Remonstrances of the British Minister at the Court of Madrid....War declared between England and Spain.... Portugal invited, but refuses to join in the Family Compact. ...France and Spain declare War against Portugal....Spain sends her Armies into Portugal....England sends an Army to support the latter....Defeat of the Spanish Troops....Havannah taken by the British....Conquest of the Island of Martinico and the Caribbee Islands....Reduction of the City of Manilla...and of the Philippine Islands....Death of the Em

VOL. I.

B

press of Russia...who is succeeded by Peter III....Character of that Prince....Peace between Russia and Prussia...and Sweden and Prussia....Death of the Czar Peter III. who is succeeded by Catharine...She declines prosecuting the War with Prussia....France disposed to pacific Measures....Dissensions in the British Cabinet....Ascendancy of the Earl of Bute.... Cessation of Hostilities. ... Preliminaries of Peace signed....Terms of the Treaty.

1760.

GEORGE THE THIRD succeeded his grandfather in the British throne, at a period of our history, and under circumstances, peculiarly interesting. He was the son of Frederick, prince of Wales, and of Augusta, princess of Saxe Gotha; and at the time he was called to sway the British sceptre, had recently completed his twenty-second year. On his accession to the throne he found the country engaged in a continental struggle; but as he was beyond dispute the most powerful monarch in Europe, he was universally allowed to be the arbiter of peace or war. It may be proper, however, before we proceed to detail the affairs of the country over which he reigned, to give a short sketch of the character of the new monarch, as it then presented itself to his subjects, and of the existing state of parties which divided the politics of the day.

The death of the late king, which took place rather unexpectedly to his subjects, occasioned much consternation at court on its being made known, and the intelligence was immediately carried to the secretary of state. The great officers of the crown were convened, and Mr. Pitt repaired to Kew for the purpose of apprizing the heir apparent of the important occurrence. The young sovereign, who, since the death of his father, had resided entirely with the princess-dowager, and preserved a strict neutrality in relation to the contending factions, appeared agi

tated and embarrassed by the novelty of his situation, and the want of acquaintance with the persons by whom he now began to be surrounded; but his conduct gave general satisfaction, and afforded the presage of a prudent and happy reign.

A council was summoned at Carlton House, the residence of the princess-dowager, where his majesty attended in form to transact business; and on this occasion he delivered an address to the council, which presented a favourable specimen of dignified modesty and unassuming firmness: "The loss," said the youthful monarch," which I and the nation have sustained by the death of the king, my grandfather, would have been severely felt at any time; but coming at so critical a juncture, and so unexpected, it is by many circumstances augmented, and the weight now falling on me much increased. I feel my own insufficiency to support it as I wish; but, animated by the tenderest affection for my native country, and depending upon the advice, experience, and abilities of your lordships, as well as on the support of every honest man, I enter with cheerfulness into this arduous situation, and shall make it the business of my life to promote, in every thing, the glory and happiness of these kingdoms; to preserve and strengthen the constitution in both church and state; and as I mount the throne in the midst of an expensive, but just and necessary war, I shall endeavour to prosecute it in the manner the most likely to bring on an honourable and lasting peace, in concert with my allies."

England had now been engaged nearly four years in this continental struggle, and the great body of the people began to grow weary of it. Supplies, large indeed beyond all political calculation of what they could raise, had already been granted by his subjects to the late king; but they were still able and willing to raise more, if more were necessary to