34 THE INFLUENCE OF GRENVILLE ON PITT’S FOREIGN POLICY. 
Prussia was decidedly in earnest. Malmesbury was then on his way 
to England, and immediately after his arrival in London, on April 4, 
Pitt resumed with enthusiasm his scheme of a Prussian subsidy. In¬ 
structions were drawn up ordering Spencer at Berlin to open negotia¬ 
tions with the King in person.* On April 8, four days after Malmes¬ 
bury’s arrival, Grenville fulfilled his intentions by announcing his 
resignation to George III,f though conformably to Pitt’s request this 
action was not made public. On April 10 Malmesbury wrote to L. 
Crawford from the Secretary of State’s office, inclosing a letter to Har- 
denberg notifying him of what England proposed to do and urging 
him to delay signing a treaty with France until he had heard from 
Berlin ; { but Pitt was too late. The peace of Basle had been signed on 
April 5, and as soon as the news reached London all hope of Prussian 
aid w r as put aside. Fortunately for Pitt’s reputation, the English 
agents to whom instructions had been sent were wise enough to defer 
[their execution and to write for further instructions. § Spencer had 
'indeed sought an interview with the King of Prussia, but had made no 
disclosure of Pitt’s proposals. Grenville’s resignation was withdrawn, 
and the incident was closed without comment, for in England it was 
entirely unknown outside the Cabinet, || while on the continent only 
Hardenberg and Frederick William II had any suspicions of it. Even 
here all that was known was that Spencer had intrigued for a hearing, 
and Hardenberg could not enjoy the satisfaction of feeling that his 
diplomatic intrigue—for such alone it was—had nearly disrupted Pitt’s 
Cabinet.!! 
*This is shown by Spencer’s letter to Grenville of April 24, 1795. Auckland, III, 
298. Charles Arbuthnot, writing to Croker February 22, 1845, states that “ Mr. 
Dundas (Lord Melville) acted for a short time as Secretary of State for Foreign 
Affairs, and sent the instructions to Berlin.” Croker, II, 371. 
| Dropmore, III, 50. The reply of George III, on April 9, shows that the King 
had at first agreed with Grenville, but that he had been won over to the side of 
Pitt by repeated Austrian reverses. 
X Malmesbury, III, 254. 
| Spencer to Grenville, April 24, 1795. Auckland, III, 298. 
j| Miles, who was a very shrewd collector of information, was entirely ignorant 
of the Prussian subsidy plan ; yet he thought himself informed of what was going 
on in the Cabinet. From December, 1794, to March, 1795, he was corresponding 
on his own account with Barthelemy, and was constantly writing to Pitt that France 
was favorable to a peace with England; but no attention was paid to him. Miles, 
II, 217-243. The debates in both houses of Parliament during the period exhibited 
an entire ignorance of Pitt’s plan either by the opposition or by the governmental 
supporters not included in the Cabinet. 
[f Spencer’s overture at Berlin has been treated by historians in various ways. 
Sybel, who covers the Treaty of Basle very thoroughly, makes no mention what¬ 
ever of an English offer to Prussia. Bourgoing (IV, 165) states that one of the 
reasons why Barthelemy exceeded his instructions and signed the treaty of Basle 
was that he knew England was reverting to the idea of subsidizing Prussia, but no 
authority is given. Schlosser (VI, 607) says : “Lord Henry Spencer, who came 
