for that he would would not submit to the proposed condition." Mr. Pitt, firm to his purpose, and dreading with reason, notwithstanding his personal regard and affection for lord Temple, the predominance of the Grenville inte rest in the new cabinet, refused to recede in any point from the arrangement he had formed; and lord Temple finally withdrew, full of resentment.

At the latter end of July 1766, the duke of Grafton, who had forme months before resigned the seals, "not from any objection, as his grace declared in parliament, to the persons or measures of the late ministers, but because they did not possess that efficiency which was necessary to their success," was now appointed to the high office of first lord commiffioner of the treasury; the right honorable Charles Townshend, a man of rifing parliamentary reputation and brilliant talents, but capricious, infincere, intriguing, and wholly deftitute of difcretion or folidity, being made chancellor of the exchequer. The earl of Shelburne, in the room of the duke of Richmond, was nominated secretary of state for the southern department, general Conway being continued in poffeffion of the northern. Sir Charles Saunders was placed at the head of the admiralty, in the room of lord Egmont; lord chief justice Pratt, who had been recently created lord Camden, was declared chancellor of Great Britain; the earl of Northington succeeded the earl of Winchelsea as president of the council; and Mr. Pitt, being advanced to the peerage by the title of earl of Chatham, chose for himself the office of lord privy seal, vacated by the duke of Newcastle. The earl of Bristol was nominated to the government of Ireland, of which he never took poffeffion; the administration of affairs in that kingdom remaining with the lords justices, till at a subsequent period it was confign ed to lord Townshend. Lord Rockingham retired from office with an high character for pure and disinterested patriotism, and without securing place, penfion, or reverfion to himself or any of his adherents. The numerous addresses

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dresses of approbation prefented to this nobleman from the different cities and towns throughout the kingdom, on his unmerited dismission, sufficiently proved the just sense entertained of his eminent services. The merchants of London trading to the West Indies and North America expressed their sentiments in a manner peculiarly respectful and flattering; "We beg leave," say they, " when, your lordship being no longer in a public station, we are exempt from even the suspicion of flattery, to express our sense of the effsential benefits received during your lordship's administration; a period short indeed, but truly memorable for the noblest exertions of a patriot ministry in favor of the civil and commercial interests of these kingdoms; happily dispelling the threatening clouds which hung over us, and opening a system of commerce liberal and useful beyond all former example."

On lord Rockingham's retiring to his mansion in the north, he was met near the city of York by a cavalcade of 200 gentlemen. Addresses, during his residence there, were presented to him by the towns of Leeds, Halifax, Hull, Wakefield, and York, expressive of the highest respect, gratitude, and esteem. Such was at this period the happy afcendancy of whig principles in the nation, and fuch the contrariety between the court and country systems of politics. It is surely superfluous to fay, that the new ministerial arrangement very ill accorded with the idea of that firm, efficient, and extended administration which was calculated to restore the empire, weakened and distracted by the late political contentions and animosities, to its former enviable state of fame and felicity. Mr. Pitt, by imperioufly infifting on the sole nomination of the cabinet ministers, too plainly appeared ambitious to secure to himself a monopoly of power; vainly and unreasonably presuming, that those who owed to his recommendation their advancement, would in all things submit themselves to his guidance and direction

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direction. The principal source of the popular difcontent* however arose from the unexpected circumstance of Mr. Pitt's acceptance of a peerage, in consequence of which he was supposed to, be gained over by the court. He had been so long diftinguished by the title of the GREAT COMMONER, and had on so many occafions professed himself the champion of the PEOPLE, that they had flattered themfelves

* The diffenfions prevailing amongst the patriotic leaders of the oppofition, or WHIG party, at this period, at once gratified the malignity and facilitated the manœuvres of the PANDEMONIUM of Carlton-House. The Newcastle or Rockingham connection, acceding with improvident eagerness to the overtures of the court, after the positive rejection of the lords Chatham and Temple, quickly found their administration rested on a basis much too weak to be permanent. Lord Chatham, subsequently invested with full powers, instigated by ambition and resentment, fell into that fatal error which he afterwards fo deeply and bitterly lamented. On the total failure of his high and fanguine expectations, he saw how greatly he had deviated from the path of true wifdom, in not adopting a plan of generous and liberal comprehenfion. In the celebrated pamphlet already quoted, are to be found many memorable observations relative to the system of court policy, introduced at the acceffion of the present sovereign. "To secure to the court," says this then patriotic writer, " the unlimited and uncontrolled use of its own vast influence, under the fole direction of its own private favor, has for some years past been the great object of policy. For the future, court and administration were to be confi dered as things totally different. By this operation, two systems of administration were to be formed one which should be in the real fecret and confidence; the other merely oftenfible, to perform the official and executory offices of the state. This COURT FACTION proceeded gradually, but not flowly, to destroy every thing of strength which did not derive its principal nourisament from the immediate pleasure of the court Mettre le Roi hors de page became a fort of watch-word; as a foundation of their scheme, the CABAL have eftablished a fort of rota in the court. All forts of parties by this means have been brought into administration, from whence few have had the good fortune to escape without disgrace. In the beginning of each arrangement, no profeffions of confidence and support are wanting to induce the leading men to engage. But while the ministers of the day appear in all the pomp and pride of power, while they have all their canvas spread out to the wind, and every fail filled with the fair and profperous gale of royal favour, they find, they know not how, a current which fets directly against them, which prevents all progress, which even drives them backwards. That the CABAL may be enabled to compass all the ends of its institution, its members are scarcely ever to aim at the high and responsible offices of the state. They are distributed with art and judgment through all the fecondary but efficient departments of office, and through the households of all the branches of the royal family. If an attack be made upon one of this corps, immediately he flies to sanctuary, and pretends to the most inviolable of all promises. Conscious of their independence, they bear themselves with a lofty air to the exterior ministers. Like JANISSARIES, they derive a kind of freedom from the very condition of their servitude. They may act just as they please, provided they are true to the ruling principle of their institution. The name by which they choose to distinguish themselves, is that of the KING'S FRIENDS. The whole system, comprifing the exterior and interior administrations, is commonly called, in the technical language of the court, double cabinet-in French or English as you choofe to pronounce it."

selves no other title could have for him equal attraction, He had now voluntarily dissolved that connection which was formerly his pride and his boast. He was no longer one of the people; and the people, conceiving their peculiar interests henceforth neglected, perhaps abandoned, no longer reposed their trust and confidence in him. Thus, what he gained in dignity he lost in popularity and power: and even impartial and dispassionate persons were of opinion, that though there was nothing in his acceptance of a peerage which necessarily implied a dereliction of principle, yet, in his peculiar circumstances, it afforded such a presumption of vanity and versatility as might easily excite, and in some degree excuse, the anger and prejudice now prevailing against him. But before we enter upon the interesting events which took place under the new administration, events so nearly affecting the welfare and even the exiftence of the British empire in the West, it will be expedient to advert to those transactions in the East, which, in confequence of the aftonishing successes of the English arms in India, must now be regarded as forming an essential part of the general history of the British nation.

The WAR on the continent of HINDOSTAN terminated, as we have seen, in the entire subversion of the Gallic empire in the East. By the peace of Fontainebleau, Pondicherry, Chandernagore, and the other settlements of France had indeed been restored; but the ascendancy acquired by England was so great, that a political competition could scarcely be faid in the present situation of things to exift. The events succeeding the memorable revolution of 1757 in Bengal, and which it will now be proper in a clear and fummary manner to recount, seemed, in splendor and magnitude, to furpafs all former exploits, and to make the wonders recorded by ancient historians of Alexander and Lucullus credible. No sooner was Meer Jaffier Ally Khan invested with the sovereign authority as Subah of Bengal and its dependencies, than he appeared, as might well be expected, filled with all those apprehenfions and jealoufies of the English power by which his predecessor Su-Rajah Dowla had been actuated. He augmented his army by numerous levies, at the fame time pleading inability to discharge the arrears due by treaty to the company. Being, however, compelled to take the field against Ramnarain, the Nabob of Patna, who refused to acknowledge his authority, he found it necessary to folicit aid of the governor and council at Calcutta; and colonel Clive, by their order, accordingly joined him with his troops, first conditioning that the revenues of the districts of Burdwan, Nuddea, and Houghley, should be affigned over in perpetuity to the company. On the approach of the Subah and the English general, Ramnarain submitted, and was confirmed in his government most reluctantly by Meer Jaffier, through the mediation of colonel Clive, who saw that he might prove an useful check on the too great power of the Subah. The phirmaund of the Emperor now arrived, by which Meer Jaffier was declared lawful possessor of the Subahdary, and colonel Clive was created an Omrah of the empire; receiving also from the bounty of the Emperor the titles of Zubdut-Ulmulk, Nusseera-Dowla, Sabut-Jung-Bahader; i. e. the perfection of the empire, the sword of victory, the experienced warrior.

On the 23d of June 1758, the anniversary of the victory of Plaffey, colonel Clive was nominated to the government of Bengal, and the Subah paid him on this occasion a visit in person at Calcutta, where he was magnificently entertained, and returned apparently well satisfied to his capital of Moorshedabad. New causes of discord however soon arose. Sha Zadda, eldest son of the Emperor, and heir to the imperial crown of Hindostan, at this period left secretly the Court of Dehli, where his father, oppressed by a tyrannic and rebellious faction headed by the prime Vizier, possessed scarcely the shadow of authority, and appeared in arms on the frontier of the Subah's dominions, having actually passed the Carumnassa, which is the boundary