GeoRGElII 



1760. 



Accession 

 of George 

 III. 

 17GO. 



November. 



Mar. 1761 



Changes in 

 the minis- 

 uy. 



634 



pressed an intention, as the weather was fine, of 

 ing out. In a few minutes, being left alone, he was 

 heard to fall upon the floor ; when his attendants, 

 who were brought into the room by the noise of his 

 fall, lifted him into bed, he desired that the Princess 

 Amelia might be sent for ; but, before her arrival, 

 he expired, in the 77th year of his age, and in the 

 D3d of his reign. In his private character, though 

 his temper was violent, his principles were good, and 

 his conduct frugal, plain, and sincere. His public 

 virtue cannot entirely be sullied by the charge of a 

 predilection for his native country, since that passion 

 itself was a partial virtue. Without having the me- 

 rit of extending patronage, he saw the arts flourish un- 

 der his reign ; and, with an ordinary capacity, he enjoy- 

 ed the longest and most glorious of all English reigns. 



All historians concur in representing the period of 

 his present majesty's accession, as singularly auspi- 

 cious. The war was conducted successfully, by a 

 most popular administration. The natural partiality 

 of subjects, for a young sovereign, was increased by 

 the purity of his morals, and the singular graciousness 

 of his manners. The speech delivered from the, 

 throne, at the first meeting of parliament, was well 

 calculated to support and increase this popularity. 

 " Born and bred a Briton," said the young monarch, 

 " I hold the civil and religious rights of my people 

 equally dear to me, with the greatest prerogatives of 

 my crown." It was strongly recommended, to par- 

 liament, to support our great ally the king of Prus- 

 sia, and the liberality of parliament was evinced in 

 voting more than 19 millions, (including a subsidy of 

 650,000 for his Prussian Majesty,) for the support 

 of 50,000 land forces, and 70,000 seamen.* The 

 civil list was settled at jt'800,.000 per annum, a sum 

 now charged on the aggregate fund, in lieu of the 

 hereditary and other specific revenues, which had 

 been assigned to the late king. A most popular act 

 distinguished this session, which passed at the imme- 

 diate recommendation of the throne. Hitherto the 

 commissions of the judges expired, according to law, 

 with the demise or the sovereign ; and though, in 

 fact, no instance had occurred, since the Revolution, 

 in which the new successor had exerted his privilege 

 of changing them, yet it was thought proper to com- 

 plete their independence, by extending their commis- 

 sions during good behaviour. 



An event which took place the very day on which 

 parliament was dissolved, seemed to bode ill to that 

 union and good harmony which had been so strong- 

 ly recommended in his Majesty's speech, and to ve- 

 rify the fears of those who had predicted the growth 

 of Tory principles in the new monarch, from his e- 

 ducation under the Earl of Bute. The popular and 

 patriotic minister Legge, a man of whom Sir Robert 

 Walpole was accustomed to say emphaticalry, that 

 he never knew a man who had less " rubbish about 

 Mm," was dismissed from the chancellorship of the 

 exchequer, and Sir Francis Dashwood, a well known 

 Tory, was put in his place. At the same time, the 

 compliant Lord Holdernesse, who had intimated to 



BRITAIN. 



Lord Bute at the acoession, that he was ready at a Brita 

 moment's notice to throw up his office, in a pretend- * v 

 ed quarrel with the Whigs, now kept his promise, GEOBC 

 and retired in " seeming anger," but with a pension 

 of L. 3000 per annum. Lord Bute was appointed 

 secretary of state, and Charles Jenkinson, afterwards 

 Lord Liverpool, was made his confidential secretary. 

 His majesty's union with the Princess Charlotte 

 of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, together with their co- 

 ronation, was joyfully celebrated throughout the 

 kingdom. In spite of the late changes in the mi- 

 nistry, war was ably supported. Though the gal- 

 lant Frederick was hardly pressed, Prince Ferdinand, Affair; 

 with the allies, signalized the summer campaign of the cc 

 1761, by defeating the French at Kirch Derken, nem - 

 with the loss of 5000 men. The island of Belleisle 

 surrendered to General Hodgson and Commodore 

 Keppel, after its capital had been taken by storm. 

 Dominica was reduced in the West Indies, and Pon- 

 dicherry in the East. Yet the nation was not so 

 dazzled by the splendour of victory, as to be blind 

 to the expences of the war. A negotiation prefer- 

 red by France was now continued, and promised a 

 fortunate issue, when it was suddenly interrupted by 

 an event, which brought a new enemy to act against 

 us. Spain, deeply meditating the family compact, 

 betrayed her designs, by what was considered as an 

 impertinent interference between the belligerent 

 powers. This necessarily roused Mr Pitt, who, see- 

 ing at once the whole of the project, proposed to de- 

 clare war against that kingdom. But finding him- 

 self unsupported, he somewhat haughtily (perhaps, 

 however, justly) declared, that he would take no 

 part in councils which he was not permitted to go- 

 vern. His resignation immediately followed. His Mr P 

 majesty accepted it with expressions of regret, and, resign 

 as a just reward well due to his services, settled on 

 him a pension of L.3000 a year. He was succeed- 

 ed by the Earl of Egremont. Mr Pitt's vigilance 

 as a minister was soon evinced by the open avowal of 

 that family compact, which his antagonists had de- 

 rided him for suspecting. England was necessarily 

 drawn into a war with Spain ; and Portugal, as the 

 ally of England, was invaded, and nearly given up 

 to conquest. But the influence of Mr Pitt's plans 

 outlived his continuance in office. Martinique surren- 

 dered to our arms, and Spain in a very few months 

 lost Havannah, Manilla, and all the Philippine 

 Islands. The inhabitants of Manilla saved their pro- 

 perty, by promising_a ransom which was never paid. 

 In the mean time, the bravery of the British troops, 

 and the conduct of the Count La Lippe Buckeburgh, 

 who commanded them, changed the fortune of the 

 war in Portugal, and repelled the Spanish invader. 

 In Germany, Prince Ferdinand, ably seconded by 

 the Marquis of Grandby, gave a signal defeat to the 

 French at Grabenstein, and the enemy was driven 

 out of South Cassel. 



The career of victory was stopt by a still more pro 

 desirable event. A negotiation for peace was again f or 

 set on foot. The Duke of Bedford was sent over to 



* It is partkulary worthy of notice, that in this session, ITfith, 200,000 were voted, in consequence of a message from his 

 Majesty to the several provinces of America, expressly as a compensation to them for their extraordinary expenses, incurred by 

 '.fccir vigorous exertions during the war. 



