TOWNSHEND, RIGHT HON. CIIARLKS. 



TOWNSHBND, RIGHT HON. CIIARLKS. 



in his absence Newcastle, with the aid of Walpole and the queen, had 

 brought the kiug to approve of a contrary policy. Townehend now 

 determined to resign. Angry words, and even blows, passed between 

 him and Walpole before he did so. A particular account of their 

 quarrel is given by Archdeacon Coxe, in his ' Memoirs of Sir Robert 

 \\ ,-ilpole.' 



Lord Townshend's resignation took placo on the 15th of May 1730. 

 He retired immediately to his seat at Rainham, and, never again 

 returning to London, devoted himself to agricultural pursuits for the 

 remainder of his life. Ho introduced the cultivation of the turnip 

 from Germany into this country. Lord Chesterfield visited him in 

 his retirement, to press his coming to London to be present at an 

 important debate, and Lord Townshcnd refused, saying that he 

 remembered Lord Cowper, though a staunch Whig, had been 

 betrayed by personal pique into voting with the Tories, and he added, 

 "I know I am extremely warm, and I am apprehensive, if I should 

 attend the House of Lords, I also may be hurried away by the impe- 

 tuosity of my temper to adopt a line of conduct which, in my cooler 

 moments, I may regret." " He left office," says Lord Mahon, " with 

 a most unblemished character, and what is still less common a 

 most patriotic moderation. Had he gone into opposition, or even 

 steered a neutral course, he must have caused great embarrassment 

 and difficulty to his triumphant rival. But he must thereby have 

 thwarted a policy of which he approved, and hindered measures 

 which he wished to see adopted. In spite of the most flattering 

 advances from the opposition, who were prepared to receive him with 

 open arms, he nobly resolved to retire altogether from public life. 

 He withdrew to his paternal acres at Rainham, where he passed the 

 eight remaining years of his life in well-earned leisure or in agricul- 

 tural improvements." (' History of England from the Peace of 

 Utrecht,' &c., vol. ii., c. xv.) 



Lord Townshend died on the 21st of June 1738, in his sixty-third 

 year. He wns an able and honest minister, but his ability and honesty 

 were unfortunately uncontrolled by temper or prudent tact. He 

 was not conspicuous as an orator. Lord Chesterfield has left a 

 description of his speaking which is not altogether flattering. " The 

 late Lord Townshend always spoke materially, with argument and 

 knowledge, but never pleased. Why? His diction was not only 

 inelegant, but frequently ungrammatical, and always vulgar; his 

 cadences false, his voice unharmonious, and his action ungraceful. 

 Nobody heard him with patience; and the young fellows used to 

 joke upon him, and repeat his inaccuracies." (' Letters/ vol. ii., 

 p. 318.) 



TOWNSHEND, RIGHT HONOURABLE CHARLES, was the 

 second son of the third Viscount Townshend, by Audrey, only child of 

 Edward Harrison, Esq., governor of Madras, and grandson, of the 

 subject of the preceding article. He was born in 1725. He entered 

 the House of Commons in 1747, and very soon gave earnest of his 

 future distinction. He supported the Pelham administration, and was 

 selected to move the address on the opening of the session in Novem- 

 ber 1749, after the full establishment of peace by the treaty of Aix-la- 

 Chapelle. The Marriage Bill, introduced in 1753, was opposed by 

 Townshend in a speech of singular power and beauty, which, happily 

 combining humour, argument, and eloquence, fixed his reputation as 

 a debater. An excellent report of the speech has been preserved, and 

 is printed in the ' Parliamentary History,' vol. xv., p. 58. Lord Hills- 

 borough, who replied to Townshend, began his speech by remarking, 

 " I am very sensible of the danger I am in, when I rise up to speak 

 after the honourable gentleman who spoke last ; his manner of speaking 

 is so engaging, there is such a music in his voice, that it pleases the 

 ear, though it does not inform the understanding : at the same time 

 he expresses his sentiments in such beautiful terms, is so ingenious in 

 finding out arguments for supporting his opinion, and states those 

 arguments in so strong a light, that he is always most deservedly heard 

 with attention, and even with a sort of prejudice in favour of every- 

 thing he says.'' (Id., p. 62.) This is a clear and decisive testimony to 

 the position which Townshend had now taken in the house, and to that 

 eloquence, of which Flood, comparing Townshend with Barre", Con way, 

 and others, towards the end of his career, observed, " He is the orator; 

 the rest are speakers." (' Charlemont Correspondence,' p. 27.) 



Townshend's speech on the Marriage Bill has been commemorated 

 by another contemporary, Horace Walpole, earl of Orford. " A second 

 adversary appeared against the bill. This was Charles Townshend, 

 second son of my lord Townshend, a young man of unbounded ambi- 

 tion, of exceeding application, and, as it now appeared, of abilities 

 capable of satisfying that ambition, and of not wanting that applica- 

 tion ; yet to such parts and such industry he was fond of associating 

 all the little arts and falsehoods that always depreciate, though so 

 often thought necessary by a genius. He had been an early favourite 

 of Lord Halifax, and had already distinguished himself on affairs of 

 trade, and in drawing plans and papers for that province ; but not 

 rising in proportion to his ambition, he comforted himself with 

 employing as many stratagems as had ever been imputed to the most 

 successful statesman. His figure was tall and advantageous, his action 

 vehement, his voice loud, his laugh louder. He had art enough to 

 disguise anything but his vanity. He spoke long, and with much wit, 

 and drew a picture with much humour at least, if not with much 

 humility, of himself and his own situation, as the younger son of a 



BIOG. DIV. VOL. VI. 



capricious father, who had already debarred him from an advantageous 

 match. ' Wera new shackles to be forged to keep young men of abili- 

 ties from mounting to a level with their elder brothers ? ' " Lord 

 Orford proceeds to draw a comparison between Townshcnd and Con- 

 way, who also distinguished himself on the same side in this debate, 

 and to speculate on their future careers. " What will be their fates 

 I know not, but this Mr. Townshend and Mr. Conway seemed marked 

 by nature for leaders, perhaps for rivals, in the government of their 

 country. Tho quickness of genius is eminently with the first, and a 

 superiority of application ; the propriety and amiableness of character 

 with the latter. One grasps at fortune ; the other only seems pleased 

 to accept fortune when it advances to him. The one foresees himself 

 equal to everything ; the other finds himself so whenever he essays. 

 Charles Townsl\end scorns to have no passion but ambition ; Harry 

 Conway not even to have that. The one is impetuous and unsteady ; 

 the other cool and determined. Conway is indolent, but can bo 

 assiduous; Charles Townshend can only be indefatigable. The latter 

 would govern mankind for his own sake ; the former, for theirs." 

 (' Last Ten Years of the Reign of George III.,' vol. L, p. 296.) 



In the changes in the administration which followed the Duke of 

 Newcastle's death in 1754, Townshend received the appointment of a 

 lord of the Admiralty. On the Duke of Newcastle's resignation in. 

 November 1756, and the formation of a ministry by the Duke of 

 Devonshire, with Mr. Pitt as secretary of state, Townshend was 

 appointed to the lucrative post of treasurer of the chamber. There 

 are some letters in the 'Correspondence of Lord Chatham' which, 

 show the importance that was attached at this time to Charles Town- 

 shend's support, and the trouble taken to secure him (vol. i., pp. 181, 

 seq.). Townshend demanded the place of cofferer, a lucrative post in 

 the household. This was already engaged. The treasurership of the 

 chamber was then offered, and represented as *' in every respect exactly 

 equal to the cofferer." Lord Bute went to Townshend, and, not finding 

 him, to Townsheud's brother, afterwards Marquis of Townshend, to 

 press his acceptance of this office, and with the aid of the Prince of 

 Wales's name, succeeded in satisfying him. This ministry was but 

 short lived. Pitt resigned in the spring of next year, in consequence 

 of the dismissal of Lord Temple, and Townshend resigned also. 

 Townshend refused offers to join the new ministry, which Lord Walde- 

 grave had been commissioned to form. After some months of fruitless 

 negotiations the king was obliged to return to Pitt, and in the ministry 

 formed by him as premier in June 1757, Townshend resumed his post 

 of treasurer of the chamber. 



In March 1761, Townshend was appointed secretary-at-war. The 

 next year, Lord Bute's ascendancy having led to the resignations of 

 Pitt and Lord Temple in the first instance, and shortly aftsr of the 

 Dukes of Newcastle and Devonshire, an offer was made to Townshend 

 of the secretaryship of the plantations, which he refused. Mr. Nuthall 

 writes to Lady Chatham, October 14, 1762 : " My countryman the 

 right honourable Charles Townshend was yesterday sent for by the 

 Earl of Bute, who opened to him this new system, and offered him 

 the secretaryship of the plantations and board of trade, which he nob 

 only refused, but refused all connection and intercourse whatsoever 

 with the new counsellor, and spoke out freely. He was afterwards 

 three times with the king, to whom he was more explicit, and said 

 things that did not a little alarm. On his coming out of the closet, 

 Mr. Fox met him and gave him joy : he asked, ' For what ? ' Mr. Fox 

 replied, ' Of your being secretary of state for the plantations.' Mr. 

 T. answered, 'Don't believe that, sir, till you hear it from me.' Mr. Fox 

 was struck, and said he was greatly astonished, for he had understood 

 that this had been settled." (' Correspondence of the Earl of Chatham,' 

 vol. iii., p. 183.) Towushend however supported in parliament the 

 preliminaries for the peace, but soon after was among the opposition 

 to Lord Bute's ministry. On Lord Bute's resignation, in 1763, it was 

 rumoured that Townshend was to be offered the place of first lord of 

 the Admiralty. Ho was afterwards appointed first lord of trade and 

 the plantations. In the fruitless uegociations which took place with 

 Mr. Pitt towards the close of the year, Townshend was one of those 

 named by Pitt to the king. (' Chatham Correspondence,' vol. iii, 

 p. 265.) 



Mr. Grenville's Stamp Act, introduced early in 1765, was zealously 

 supported by Charles Townshend in a speech which elicited from 

 Colonel Barre", in reply, one of his most successful parliamentary 

 efforts. Townshend had concluded with the words, "And these 

 Americans, children planted by our care, nourished by our indulgence, 

 protected by our arms until they are grown to a good degree of 

 strength and opulence, will they grudge to contribute their mite to 

 relieve us from the heavy load of national expense which we lie 

 under ?'' " They planted by your care !" cried Colonel Barre" : "No, 

 your oppressions planted them in America;" and so he went on, over- 

 throwing each clause of the peroration. Under Lord Rockingham's 

 administration, formed in July 1765, Townshend held the place of 

 paymaster of the forces. It appears from a letter of Mr. Conway's, 

 who was secretary of state and leader of the Houso of Commons in 

 this administration, that the posts held by him had been offered 

 to Towushend, and refused by him. Afterwards, with a vacillation 

 characteristic of him, and by which he acquired the name of the 

 weathercock, he repented his refusal, and was willing to sacrifice the 

 superior profits of paymaster for the greater honour of secretary aud 



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