A fingular defence of Lord BUTE.

IN But

N April 1763, the Earl of Bute refigned his office of firft commiffioner of the Treafury; and through his own recommendation, was fucceeded in that department by Mr. Grenville. The Earl of Sandwich, by the interest of Mr. Fox, now Lord Holland, took Mr. Grenville's feat at the head of the Admiralty. The reft of the administration remained in their former places; Earl Grenville, Prefident of the Council, Lord Henley, Lord Chancellor (or keeper of the Great Seal) the Earls of Halifax and Egremont, Secretaries of State.

Upon Lord Bute's return to town from Knarefborough, where he had paffed a month or fix weeks in the neighbourhood of Harrogate Waters for the recovery of his health, he lived upon good terms with all the King's Minifters, till the death of Earl Grenville, towards the end of the fummer 1763.

This was the incident which occafioned the firft material difference of opinion between the Ministers of that time and the Earl of Bute, the former infifting that the bufinefs of government could not go on, unless the Duke of Leeds was made Prefident of the Council in Lord Grenville's room, and the Earl of Bute, with whom they conferred upon this fubject, advifing, with all deference and juftice to the worth and honour of his Grace the Duke of Leeds, that they should think of fome other great perfon more trained to public bufinefs, and the fitteft that could be found to fupply the place of the able Minifter, deceased.

The diverfity of opinion upon this point was not decided, when the Earl of Egremont alfo died. The confequence of two fuch vacancies, in a finall circle of five or fix Minifters, was to fufpend all bufinefs of cabinet council; a condition of public affairs which could not endure a long delay.

It must be remembered too, that the adminiftration which the Earl of Bute left behind him, at his retirement from the Treafury, was not thought to be fufficiently strong, when entire: Mr. Grenville, the intended Minifter in the Houfe of Commons, being deftitute of connections there, untried, and not fortified with the world's opinion. But when that Ministry had loft the fupport of the Earls of Granville and Egremont, the remnant was univerfally confidered as too feeble and ruinous to admit of common repair or amendment.

The urgent neceffity, therefore, of filling up the cabinet council for the fake of daily bufinefs, and the conjunctural neceffity of doing it by the most powerful auxiliaries, fuggefted to the Earl of Bute the thought of compofing a firm administration by a coalition of Mr. Pitt with the then furviving Ministers, as a measure rendered feemingly practicable by those openings which the hand of Providence had made in two of the highest offices. He met Mr. Pitt, and tried to conciliate him to the King's fervice in conjunction with his brother-in-law, Mr. Grenville. The attempt met with infuperable ditficulties on the part of Mr. Pitt, who would not liften to any propofition by which he fhould be yoked in bufinefs with Mr. Grenville. When the Earl of Bute found his first project of a coalition inadmiffible, he reforted to a fecond expedient for the gaining of Mr. Pitt to the public, by fuch arrangements as might foften the removal of thofe among the K.'s fervants, whom that gentleman did not approve of in the stations they then held; and he parted at laft from that meeting with Mr. Pitt in a belief that the latter would engage in adminiftration.

Mr. P. was foon afterwards admitted to the honour of two or three conferences with a much higher perfon, in which his conditions were fully propofed VOL. II.

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and confidered, and which ended unfortunately in his excufing himself from then entering into the K.'s fervice.

As my meaning is not either to blame or excuse any bady for the iffue of this negotiation, I fhall not ftate here the conditions upon which that treaty fplit; further than negatively, that they had no relation to the E. of B.'s political situation, which had never been mentioned or pointed at in the conversation between Mr. P. and him, or in the subsequent conferences before-mentioned.

The E. of B.'s fucceffive plans of a new administration proving thus abortive in the experiment, the K. permitted the fubfifting members of his cabinet council to remain in their several departments, and to fill up the vacancies in that body according to their own judgment; and they accepted of his gracious indulgence, offering no terms whatsoever relative to the E. of B. nor making any ftipulations whatsoever with him.

In pursuance of their powers, they promoted the Earl of Sandwich to the late Lord Egremont's Seals, and the Duke of Bedford to the Council Chair of the late Lord Granville. By what inducements or change of circumftances thofe gentlemen were led from their former purpofe of placing the Duke of Leeds at the head of the K.'s Council, is a fecret to themselves. Certain it is, the E. of B. had no hand in either of the two promotions just now spoke of; for, upon the failure of his fyftem, he refolved to concern himself no more in the affairs of adminiftration. He saw it impoffible to mix in their confultations with friendly intercourfe, a minifter being at the head of the Treafury whom he had fo lately confented to displace for the fake of Mr. Pitt. He faw it to be equally impracticable, if he was willing, to offer fecret advice to his Sovereign, independently of his official minifters; for, if they had a

fpark

fpark of dignity, or even a grain of pride in their compofitions, they could not continue a day in the K.'s fervice, after finding their fentiments in bufinefs, or recommendations to office, over-ruled, or other measures and promotions obtruded upon them, by a person with whom they had fo recently been offended. He wrote a letter, therefore, (not to Mr. Grenville, or any other of the minifters) but to his gracious Sovereign, humbly stating the refolution, which, for the K.'s fervice, as well as for his own eafe, he had thought himself obliged to take; and then to remove, if poffible, all occafions of jealoufy, he retired to his house in Bedfordshire for the whole enfuing winter 1763-4

Now, because it is not my purpose to dress up an artificial tale, I do affert what I moft fincerely and honestly believe, and think I have folid grounds for believing, that, from the period when his plan miscarried of strengthening government by the acquifition of Mr. Pitt, in Autumn 1763, he hath been a private man, taking no fhare or part whatfoever in any of the proceedings of administration, or acts of state, either by confultation with the fervants of the Crown, or by difcourfe and fecret fuggeftion to the high perfonage who fo worthily wears

it.

The letter abovementioned gave Mr. Grenville no claim to expect of the E. of B. his retirement from the concerns of state; no right to complain of breach of faith, if he should afterwards have ftepped forwards and been received by the Crown into the management of affairs, either open and avowed, or fecret and confidential; because that letter had nothing in it of the nature of a compact with Mr. Grenville, or any other perfon: it could not poffibly be any part of his inducements for continuing in office, after the flight he had met with in feeing Mr. Pitt fo much preferred before him by the negotiation

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gotiation of September 1763; for the letter was not wrote till he had digefted that indignity, and agreed to stay in the K-'s fervice; nay, there was a paffage in the letter, which exprefsly mentioned Mr. Grenville's determination to keep his employment, as an event that had then actually taken place.

The letter, as I have faid, was declaratory of the E. of B.'s wifh and intention to withdraw from the K.'s business, for reasons which concerned the quiet of his M- -'s government, as well as the repofe of the E. of B. himself. He has, however, fince the period abovementioned, obferved his refolution with as much punctuality, as if he had been bound by the moft folemn engagement; ift, he hath not fince that time offered advice to the K. for the taking or forbearing of any step in public affairs, domeftic, provincial, or foreign; in particular, he did not lead the Royal opinion upon the fubject of the late Regency-bill either in its first concoction or fubfequent alterations, or in the removal of the late Miniftry, or the appointment of the prefent. Neither hath he asked his M. for any place, penfion or emolument, for his acquaintance, friends, relations, or for himself.

2dly, He hath not confulted or discoursed with the late Minifters upon any branch of public bufinefs, fince the time fpecified: Indeed he hath scarce been in the fame room with any of them, except, perhaps, in a public place, and that very rarely; nor hath he applied to thofe gentlemen for any favour of government, except a fmall place of about 100l. per annum, which he employed an acquaintance to afk in his Lordship's name of Mr. Grenville in the fummer 1764, and which that gentleman promised to give when it fhould fall; and this has not happened.

Thus