HISTORY OF EUROPE. 17 
CHAP. If. 
State of the Ministry on Mr. Pitt?s Death—Lord Hawkesbury refuses to une 
dertake the Government, but accepts the Cinque-Ports—Lord Grenville has 
an Audience of has Majesty—Reflections on the result of it—Component 
“Parts of the New Administration—New Opposition—Old Opposition— 
Lord Sidmouth’s Party—The Catholic Question—Iord Grenville has a 
second Audience of his. Majesty— Difficulty started about the Army— 
Third Audience—New Administration finally settled— New Cabinet.—Mr. 
Fox declines being first Lord of the Treasury—Auditorship of the 
Exchequer Bill—Debates on the Lord Chief Justice being appointed to 
a Seat in the €abinet—Disposition of the Court and Country towards the 
New Ministry—Opposition of the Ex-ministers—Imperfect Union of the 
Parties composing the New Ministry—Reflections on the Coalition be- 
tween Lord Grenville and Mr. Fox. 
T was doubtful, if Mr. Pitt had 
lived, whether the administration 
ever which he presided, could have 
gone on, without some radical 
change in sits composition, or some 
material addition to its strength. 
The principle of exclusion, on which 
it had been originally founded, was 
odious and unpopular, and the late 
misfortunes on the continent, had 
diffused a very general opinion over 
the country, that some essential 
change was neeessary in the con- 
ductof our foreign affairs, in order 
to extricate us from the unprece- 
dented difficulties in which we were 
involved. But, whatever might 
haye happened if Mr. Pitt had sur- 
yived, his death at so critical a 
juncture, was considered as a vir- 
tual dissolution of the administra- 
tion. His colleagues were men of 
Vor, XLVUI. 
little weight or consideration in the 
country. Small account was made of 
their talents er experience, and 
since the affair of lord Melville, the 
reputation in which they stood for 
integrity was far from being clear. 
If they were not peculators them- 
selves, they were regarded by the 
public as abettors and defenders of 
peculation. If they had not ventur- 
ed openly to justify that offence, — 
they had endeavoured to extenuate ' 
its guilt, and to screen from punish- 
ment those accused of it. But, be- 
sides the want of public confidence 
in these ministers, they were disu- 
nited and without 2 head. As they 
were connected together by no pub. 
lic principle, or party attachment, no 
sooner had the death oftheir patron 
dissolved the only tie that united 
them, than symptoms ‘of disunion 
C | and 
