THE COALITION MINISTRY.
Although Lord Shelburne resigned, yet the rest of the administration still clung to office. Mis majesty, it is said, sent for Pitt, and requested him to form a cabinet of his own. Pitt, however, probably conscious that he could not withstand the power of the coalition, declined; and day after day elapsed without any new ministry being formed. The house of commons adjourned from time to time, with the view of forwarding a new arrangement; but none could be made. Twice the king sent for Lord North, hoping to induce him to undertake the formation of a new administration; but as his majesty required that Fox should be given up, he was twice refused. In the meantime the business of the nation was suspended, and great confusion was created by this ministerial interregnum. At no time, in truth, was an able administration more necessary than at this time. Tumults were spreading throughout the kingdom, from the disembodying of the militia, and the discharge of seamen and sailors without pay; the treaty with France and Spain was not ratified; no commercial alliance was adjusted with America; and the affairs of the East India Company demanded instant attention. Seeing that there was no prospect of a new ministry being formed, on the 24th of March, Mr. Coke, one of the members for Norfolk, moved an address to the king, “that he would be graciously pleased to take into consideration the unsettled state of the empire, and condescend to comply with the wishes of this house, in forming an administration entitled to the confidence of the people.” Coke’s motion was carried with only four dissentient voices; and his majesty replied to the address, that it was his “earnest desire to comply with the wishes of his faithful commons.” Still nothing was done; and on the 31st of March, Lord Surrey moved another address, “assuring his majesty that all delays in a matter of such moment have an inevitable tendency to weaken the authority of government; and most humbly entreating his majesty, that he will take such measures towards this object as might quiet the apprehensions of his faithful subjects.” This motion was, however, withdrawn, on the assurance of Mr. Pitt, that he had that day resigned as the chancellor of the exchequer. The king was now obliged to yield: two days after this a new ministry was formed from the ranks of the coalition. In its arrangement the Duke of Portland became first lord of the treasury; Lord North secretary for home affairs; Mr. Fox secretary for foreign affairs; the Earl of Carlisle obtained the privy seal; Lord John Cavendish was re-appointed chancellor of the exchequer; Admiral Keppel was again placed at the head of the admiralty; Lord Stormont became president of the council; the great seal was given in commission to Lord Loughborough, Mr. Justice Ashurst, and Mr. Baron Hotham: while Lord Mansfield accepted the temporary office of speaker of the house of Lords; Lord Townshend became master-general of the ordnance; Burke was reinstated as paymaster of the forces; Charles Townshend became treasurer of the navy; Colonel Fitzpatric was made secretary at war; and Lord Northington was appointed to the government of Ireland. The usual changes took place likewise in his majesty’s household. The seven ministers who formed the new cabinet were, Portland, North, Fox, Cavendish, Keppel, Carlisle, and Stormont, the majority of whom were of the old Whig or Rockingham party. But, although the king had consented to this heterogeneous ministry, no pains were taken at court to conceal the dislike which was borne towards it; nor was this ministry looked upon with greater favour by the nation at large. They had obtained power by unworthy means; and this operated to diminish public confidence in their measures, whence it was not long before it was seen that this administration would share the fate of Lord Shelburne’s. It was an unnatural union of parties; and therefore its integral parts could never be so cemented together as to prevent their final separation.
RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMERCIAL INTERCOURSE WITH AMERICA, ETC.
After a long debate on the subject of parliamentary reform, which subject was brought into the house by Mr. Pitt, and was attended with no beneficial results, some important debates took place on the modes or arranging our commercial intercourse with the United States. A bill was passed in order to its promotion, repealing the restraining act; and other obstacles were removed by a temporary bill, vesting the power of making future regulations in the crown. Another subject which claimed the attention of the house, was the case of the American loyalists. Few believed that congress or the provincial assemblies would pay any attention to the recommendations of England, or that these loyalists would be allowed to recover their confiscated property. The care of providing for them, therefore, devolved on parliament. An act was passed appointing commissioners to inquire into their losses and services; and it was agreed in a committee of supply, that all American officers who had borne arms for the king should be allowed half-pay. As foreseen, congress, although they fulfilled the terms of the provisional articles on behalf of the loyalists to the very letter, paid no attention to the cold and formal recommendation of restoring their property; and subsequently a host of them soon found themselves compelled to quit their native country for ever. So numerous were the claims made upon the parliament, that in the whole they received more than twelve millions of money. This was noble generosity on the part of Great Britain, for at this time she had no money to spare. One of the first measures, indeed, or the new ministry, was to obtain a loan of twelve millions, and to put a stamp-duty on receipts, in order to meet, the expenses of the state—expenses which had chiefly been incurred by the recent war. During this war, in truth, England had increased her national debt by more then £130,000,000 sterling.
PITT’S PLAN FOR REFORMING THE TREASURY ETC.
In the course of this session, Mr. Pitt brought in a bill for making some economical reforms in the treasury. In his speech on this subject, he demonstrated that extravagant abuses existed; and his bill was carried in the commons, but lost in the lords. But though ministers could not countenance Pitt’s plan, they were under the necessity of producing one of their own. At the end of June, Lord John Cavendish carried a bill through the house, for abolishing certain offices in the exchequer, and limiting the salaries of others after the death of the present possessors. In consequence of a motion made by Pitt five months before, Lord John Cavendish also presented to the house a book, containing a list of accountants, who having received public money by way of imprest, had not yet accounted for it; and of those persons from whom balances of declared accounts were still due. By this book it appeared that a sum of about £44,000,000 sterling was still unaccounted for; and this induced Mr. Pitt to move an address to the king, requesting him to take measures for the recovery of this sum, and to prevent similar delinquencies for the future. This was objected to by ministers; but it was allowed to pass with a few trifling amendments. About the same time, Lord Mali on introduced a bill for preventing bribery at elections; and Alderman Sawbridge made his annual motion for a reform in parliament, both of which were negatived.
GEORGE III. 1782-1784