acquainted them with his intentions to continue them, and
hoped, they would behave better for the future.

Mr. Grenville seem'd pleased ; and the Duke of Bedford
express'd much concern for his having displeased the King ;
and assured His ]\Iajesty, that he would endeavour to avoid it
for the future.

They were then to lay before the King, the conditions (I
may so call them) upon which they would continue in His
Majesty's service ; and Mr. Grenville was to bring them.

The conditions indeed were strong, and made in a most
peremptory manner.

First} — That the Marquess of Granby should be declared
Captain General, or Commander-in-Chief.

Secondly. — That His Majesty should promise that Lord
Bute should not meddle at all in the closet, in any publick
affairs.

Thirdly. — That his brother, Mr. Mackenzie, should have
nothing to do with the administration of affairs in Scotland ;
and should be removed from his office of Keeper of the Privy
Seal there.

Fo7irthly. — That m}- Lord Holland should be removed from
being Paymaster General ; and that, given to Mr. Charles
Townshend.

His Majesty told Mr. Grenville often, that he was in their
power ; and he must do, what they would have him. He asked
Mr. Grenville, whether these were conditions} Mr. Grenville



' Cf. the conditions in Grenville Correspondence, iii. 41, 184 sqq. ; U'alpole
(Barker), ii. 125.



l8 CHANGES IN THE MINISTRY, 1765-7

answer'd, No, Sir, questions. The King asked, are they sine
qiid nonsl Yes, Sir.

The King replied, I will not consent to the first ; I have
ofifer'd my uncle to be Captain General ; and he will accept it, if
there should be occasion.

I hear, they affect to give out, that the King's answer was,
that his uncle had advised him to keep the army to himself ; '
and that the naming of Lord Granby, would be an affront, or
injury to old Ligonier.'-

Mr. Grenville, I think, replied, that he did not imagine,
His Royal Highness the Duke would have thought of it : but,
tho' His Majesty might now be engaged, that might not always
remain ; and, would His Majesty think of my Lord Granby
then ? The King was much displeased at this perseverance.

As to my Lord Holland, the King said, I don't much like
turning [him] out : but. with all my heart, Mr. Grenville.

As to my Lord Bute, I don't remember that the King said
any thing. But, as to his brother, Mr. Mackenzie, His Majesty
said, as to taking from him the direction of the affairs in
Scotland, with all my heart, Mr. Grenville : but do you mean
to remove him from his office of Privy Seal ? Yes, Sir.

I am in your hands ; / must do it ; and / will do it : but 1
will tell you how that stands. Mr. Mackenzie applied to me to
give his office for life. (His Majesty insinuated, he had had
enough of that.) The King said, he had refused it : but had
promised Mr. Mackenzie, t/iat he would never turn him out.
After this : Mr. Grenville, I am in j-our power ; I will do it ;
but you will make me do, as King, [that] which I should be a
scoundrel to do, as a private viayi.

• Cf. Walpok (Barker), ii. 69.

- When the Duke of Cumberland fell into disgrace after the convention of
Closterseven, Ligonier (b. 1680) succeeded him as Commander-in-Chief (without the
title of Captain-General held by the Duke) from October 1757. The Marquis of
Granby was at this time high in popular favour, owing to hi> brilliant general-
ship in Germany.



AS TOLD BY THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE I9

N.B. This is represented by some, not to have been said in
quite so harsh a manner : but that His Majesty should say :
Mr. Gren\\\\e, j'ou make vie break my word. ' But Mr. Grenville
insisted upon it ; and my Lord Halifax wrote to my Lord
Holland ; and my Lord Sandwich to Mr. Mackenzie, to dismiss
them from their employments.

It is said, (perhaps in a joke,) that Lord Sandwich asked the
King, who should acquaint my Lord Holland .' and that His
Majesty should answer. Yon, my Lord, luho turned him out.

Thus this affair ended, with regard to the continuance of the
present ^linisters ; whose situation I believe, nobody, that knows
what business is, and what Ministers should be, can envy ; and
ever}' true friend to his country must lament the situation, in
which the King, and the nation are now in {sic'X ; and it requires
the serious consideration of all the true friends to His Majesty,
and the publick, what may be proper to do, upon such an unfore-
seen and, I believe, unheard of exigency.

I am told that the dail>- interviews between His Majesty
and his Ministers are very disagreeable to both.

The Duke of Cumberland having heard, (I think, from my
Lord Lyttelton,) that there was some doubt, about the offer of
the Treasury to my Lord Temple, whether it came from the
King or not. His Royal Highness desired to see my Lord
Temple, my Lord Lyttelton, and my Lord Albemarle. This
was, I think, Wensday, May 22.

The little difference, if any, about what had passed was
clear'd up to mutual satisfaction ; and ended with the Duke of
Cumberland's asking my Lord Temple whether, if His Royal
Highness was to bring to my Lord Temple an offer of the
Treasury directly from the King, he (Ld. Temple) could give him
a direct answer ?

Lord Temple replied, No ; he could not, till he had seen
Mr. Pitt ; that tho' the reconciliation with his brother George

' Cf. Grenville Correspondence, iii. 1 87 ; Walpole's Letters, iv. 367.

C 2



26 CHANGES IN THE MINISTRY, 1765-/

did not lay him under any obligation or restraint, with regard
to their publick behaviour, he (Ld. Temple) might have his
delicacies ; and Mr. Pitt might have his delicacies also. '

His Royal Highness then, with the greatest fairness, said,
if you my Lord Temple, and Lord Lyttelton, will go imme-
diately to Mr. Pitt, (as they did,) and I shall find, at night, that
it is still open, with regard to the continuance of the present
Ministers, I will then send to you to know Mr. Pitt's answer :
But, if I should find that it is over, and that His Majesty should
have re-instated his present Ministers, I will not trouble you
with sending to you.

When His Royal Highness went back to the King, he found
that the Ministers (Mr. Grenville, &c.,) had desisted from their
recommendations of Lord Granby, to be Captain General ; and
that His Majesty had consented to all their points ; and that,
in consequence, the old Ministers were re-instated ; and there-
fore His Royal Highness did not send to my Lord Temple, as
he would have done, if it had been open and the Ministers had
not been re-instated.

And thus ended, at that time, this whole affair, to the great
disappointment and mortification of all true friends of their
country who had been informed of it ; and, after having had in
the course of it, at times, the most prosperous appearance.

HoLLEs Newcastle.



II

Fo. 17 b. Claremont : June 29, 1765.

Having in the former part of this letter, given you as exact
an account, as I could, of the rise, progress, and extraordinary
miscarriage of a negotiation for fixing an administration, upon
the best, and most solid constitutional principles, to be composed

' This is the carliesl monlion of Lord Temple's 'delicacies.' Cf. Grenville
Corrcspoitdencc, iii. 65 and iiole.



AS TOLD HV THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE 21

(as was proposed and hoped) of all the most proper persons,
(particularly Mr. Pitt,) from their abilities and characters, and
the best intentioned to the true interest of their country, I shall
now proceed to acquaint you with many very surprizing cir-
cumstances, which have passed since ; and am sorry to observe,
in the beginning, that, notwithstanding all the offers, concessions,
and advances, made by the King himself, and acknowledged by
them to Mr. Pitt and my Lord Temple, they have hitherto
proved ineffectual, by the refusal of my Lord Temple to come
in with Mr. Pitt ; tho' His Lordship owns everywhere that the
King had offer'd him every thing, and more than he could
"expect ; and, tho' Mr. Pitt had, and does declare his entire
satisfaction with every thing that had passed with the King, both
as to measures and persons, and his own readiness and desire to
come into His Majesty's service : but that he could not do it,
if my Lord Temple (which is now unfortunately the case,)
should refuse to come in with him.

The rise of this negotiation, as I understand it, was as
follows :

On Wensday the 12th instant, the week of the Ascot
Races, when the Duke of Grafton and the Marquess of Rocking-
ham were attending His Royal Highness,^ at Windsor Lodge, the
Duke of Bedford had a long audience of the King - (the purpose,
and design of which was publickly talked of, by His Grace's
friends).

His Grace complained in the name of them all, of the cool
reception they met with from the King ; and that His Majesty
had no confidence in them. He asked the King's leave, to go to
Woburn for a month ; and it was supposed that at the end of
the month his Grace and his friends would resign, if His Majesty
did not alter his behaviour towards them.

Upon this. His Majesty sent to the Duke of Cumberland to

' The Duke of Cumberland.

2 Bedford Conespondeme, iii. 287, 288,



22 CHANGES IN THE MINISTRY, 17^5-7

attend him, on Sunday evening following ; ^ and wrote, as I have
heard, a very moving letter to His Royal Highness upon it.

His Royal Highness found the King much displeased with
his present servants. His Majesty complained of the Duke of
Bedford's audience, who spoke for the wliole, and declared, that
if His Majesty did not alter his behaviour to them, by smiling
upon them and shewing them more confidence, they could
not serve him any longer. His Grace went so far, as to insist,
that the King should frown upon those who were in opposition
to his Ministers.

The King proposed to His Royal Highness, to tr>' Mr. Pitt
again. The Duke named the Duke of Grafton as a proper
messenger ; which His Majesty approved of ; His Grace was ex-
pected in town, the next da}', and was to go to Hayes, to inform
Mr. Pitt, from the King, of the Duke of Bedford's last audience,
and to desire Mr. Pitt to come to His Majesty to form an
administration.

The Duke of Grafton went that day (Monday) to Hayes,
and return'd in the evening. He found Mr. Pitt very lame,
with the gout in both his feet ; but always ready, proud and in
duty bound, to fling himself at His Majesty's feet, begging to
have a day's warning, and a night's rest in London.

The Duke of Grafton could only talk upon general things ;
as he had no other commission than a message from the King
desiring to see Mr. Pitt. His Grace was pleased, upon the
whole, with Mr. Pitt's language.

Upon the Duke of Grafton's return from Hayes, His Royal
Highness wrote to Mr. Pitt, from Richmond, by the King's
order, to be at the Queen's House,^ on Wensday morning.
And the Duke was to see the King, himself, in the evening.

His Ro>-al Highness received on Tuesday evening an
answer from Hayes ; that he (Mr. Pitt) wa^s penetrated with the
Kings condescension, and ashamed of fhc tronbic, His Royal
' June i6. - Buckingham House, in St. James's Park.



AS TOLD BY THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE 23

Highness had had on his account, but without desiring either
to see His Royal Highness before or after his audience. I am
well enough acquainted with His Royal Highness, to know,
that if the great point is carried, of engaging Mr. IMtt, His
Royal Highness will think himself ver\' happy.

Mr. Pitt was between three and four hours with the King, on
the Wensday.^ His conversation was entire!}" upon measures.
In regard to home politicks there was no difference ; and he
was entirely satisfied and pleased with the King's agreeing to
his warmest wishes ; particularly with His Majesty's promising
Lord Chief Justice Pratt every thing he asked for him at present ;
not a word of removing the present Chancellor.

His foreign politicks were not thought so reasonable ; nor
did the King come in to them, viz. a Triple Alliance with Russia
and Prussia, which he insisted upon was absolutely necessary,
before he could take any part in government.

His Majesty express'd the impropriety of the immediate
entering into such measures ; that they would be alarming to
all Europe and required some consideration ; that he could not
propose them to his present Ministers ; and that, unless Mr.
Pitt engaged himself in his service, he could not come into his
proposal. His Majesty desired him to consider of it in its full
extent, and would see him again.

His Royal Highness was desired to order him (Mr. Pitt) to
attend the King again on Saturday. Mr. Pitt was then very
shy of naming anybody for employments ; talked a little, but
not strongly, of Lord Temple for the Treasury ; wished Lord
Egmont might remain at the head of the Admiralty ; mentioned
Sir Charles Saunders and Admiral Keppel to be of that Board ;
proposed Sir George Savile for Secretary at War ; wished the
Duke of Newcastle President ; and that the Duke of Marl-
borough might be kept in, at any rate.

The Duke of Grafton was sent for, and desired to see Mr,

' June 19.



24 CHANGES IN THE MINISTRY, 1 765-7

Pitt again before Saturday ; and His Royal Highness believed
that he would be more explicit ; and that it would do on
Saturday.

In the audience of Saturday, Mr. Pitt accepted} satisfied with
the King's telling him, that he was not averse to the treaty he
proposed with Russia and Prussia, if found practicable upon
further consideration of it. No arrangement was settled, or
even talked of: but His Majesty was to see Lord Temple, on
Tuesday ; and immediately after that every thing was to be settled.

My Lord Temple, in his audience of the King, absolutely
declined coming into His Majesty's service, for private reasons,
which he could not disclose to anybody : but the publick one
he gave was, that, in the bad state of Mr. Pitt's health, as he
(Ld. Temple) was not in the House of Commons himself, it
might frequently happen that Mr. Pitt could not be there ; that
he could not be sure of Mr. Pitt's assistance in the House of
Commons, when perhaps he should be most in need of it ; and
that he had no other person in the House of Commons upon
whom he could entirely depend.'

Mr. Pitt has been with the King since, and, as I hear,
extremely laments and blames my Lord Temple's refusal ;
declares his own readiness to come in, and his entire satisfaction :
but, as he has had so long a friendship with my Lord Temple ;
and as they have never once difTer'd, in either publick or private
affairs ; as his ill state of health would frequently prevent him
from attending His Majesty, he should, if my Lord Temple was
not in His Majesty's service, not have one person, whom he
could trust to convey to His Majest}' his thoughts upon any
occasion wherein he might think His Majesty's service is
concern'd.

Thus this great affair stands at present, as far as I have been
informed of it.

' But compare Pitt's letter, Greiiri/le Conespoudeticc, iii. 60.
- Cf. GrenvilU Correspondence, iii. 201.



AS TOLD BY THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE 2$

Some time passed after this ' ; and the Duke heard nothing
from the King ; and it was imagined the reason of that silence
was, that His Majesty had still some hopes that Mr. Pitt would
change his mind. But in a day or two His Majesty sent for
the Duke of Cumberland ; and directed him to form a plan of
administration, out of such as would serve him.

The Duke of Cumberland immediately sent for us ; - and the
outlines of the plan were consider'd, viz. the Duke of Grafton,
and Mr. Charles Townshend, or General Conway, Secretaries of
State, the Marquess of Rockingham, at the head of the Treasurj',
with Mr. Townshend, or Gen' Conway, Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer.

Much negotiation and altercation there was, in fixing the
Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Exchequer ; at last
Mr. Townshend peremptorily refused to accept either, declaring
his own inclination to accept, but that his brother, my Lord
Townshend, would not permit him to do it.'^

Mr. Conway would by no means be Chancellor of the
Exchequer : but, upon Mr. Townshend's refusal, did agree to be
Secretary of State ; and a very good one he will be.

The other employments were thrown out but nothino-
absolutely settled, except (I think) my Lord Winchelsea for
President of the Council ; as I had in the beginning of this
negotiation absolutely refused to be President of the Council,
when it was offer'd to me.

After His Royal Highness had talked very fully to the

' On the two negotiations ending the one May 20 and the other June 23, see
;ra//<?/d (Barker), ii. 115-124, 131-3. In the published correspondence of Chatham
the two negotiations are scarcely mentioned. Writing July i (ii. 316), Pitt alludes to
' this crisis of my life, the most difficult and painful on all accounts which I
have ever experienced.' Also (ii. 378) it is stated that Pitt, in the June conference,
had refused to acquiesce in Mackenzie's restoration to an office of influence
but consented to his having a sinecure emplojTnent.

- Grenville did not know of this till July 2 (Correspondence, iii. 205).

' Cf. Grenville Correspondence, iii. 65 sqq. Also bubsequcntl\ , iii. 210. Ci.
Walpole {Letters, iv. 381, 382), on his vacillations.



26 CHANGES IN THE MINISTRY, I "65-7

Marquess of Rockingham, the Duke of Grafton, (I think,) and
myself, I had our principal friends here with me, on the 30th,
named in the enclosed list ; ' and you will see b>- it what passed.
There were twelve for forming a new administration, upon
consideration of all the circumstances, and six against it,- except
Mr. Pitt could be prevailed upon to be a part of it.

I went the next day to Windsor Lodge ; and found, that
the report of what had passed here, the day before, and the
opinion given by six of my best friends, that no administration
should be formed, except Mr. Pitt was a part of it, had made
such an impression upon the Duke, that His Royal Highness
had absolutely determined to go, the next day, to the King,
and give up the whole, finding, that it was not in his power, to
serve His Majesty in this great point, or to form any plan of
administration.

I told His Royal Highness, that I hoped he would alter his
resolution ; that I came on purpose, to persuade him to go on,
and form an administration ; that I was surprized to see His
Royal Highness of that opinion, at a time, when, I thought, we
stood upon better ground, than we had ever yet done.

That when the negotiation was on foot, some weeks ago,
and Mr. Pitt had then refused, I myself was doubtful, whether
it was then advisable or practicable to form an administration
with any prospect of success ; that the case was very different
at present.

That then, tho' very unjustly, it was reported and believed,
that there was no real design to have Mr. Pitt in such a situa-
tion and with those persons without which he would not or

' The list is appended lu ihis letter. Cf. Walpolc (Barker), ii. 134.

' The names have been printed in Albemarle's Rockingham, i. 218. On this
meeting see Charles Yorke's Journal, quoted in Harris's Hatdwicke, iii. 448 :
♦All but three or four were for accepting.' His Majesty expressed his wonder
at the Duke of Newcastle's asking opinions, and thought that ' he ought to have led
their opinions.' ' The Duke of Newcastle listens loo much to the younger people,
their passions and disgusts. '



AS TOLD BY THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE 2^

could not come ; that the negotiation with Mr. Pitt was pure
amusement ; that Mr. Pitt had then never seen the King ; or
had had any direct offer from the King to my Lord Temple, or
sufficient satisfaction upon measures, either at home or abroad ;
that, tho' I knew this (as I did) to be false, yet as long as that
opinion prevailed, it equally did mischief, and would and did
prevent many of our best friends from taking any share in any
new administration to be made.

But all that I said was upon a presumption or previous
declaration or supposition that some of my Lord Bute's principal
friends should be permitted to have any influence or inter-
position in the management of publick affairs, either at home or
abroad, in England or Scotland.

His Royal Highness reflected upon what I had said ; and
himself was pleased to add, that he saw so much confusion if we
did not form a new administration, that, as the King would on
no account resume again the last administration, viz. the Duke
of Bedford, Mr. Grenville, &c., he was assured the King would
then think he had no choice but to fling himself absolutely into
the hands of my Lord Bute and the Tories.

I also observed, that, at present, [all was] far different from
what it was, when His Royal Highness advised the King to
resume his old Ministers ; Mr. Pitt had in the most generous
manner declared his entire satisfaction with what had passed
with the King ; and that the only reason he did not come into
the King's service was that my Lord Temple would not come
with him ; for which he blamed my Lord Temple extremely.
I said, that being the case, if those measures were followed at
home and abroad which Mr. Pitt had recommended to the King,
and His Majesty had consented to, I was persuaded, so far from
giving any opposition, that I\Ir. Pitt would support them ; and I
am still of that opinion.

General Conway was present the whole time ; and the
Marquess of Rockingham came in at last ; and I must do them



28 CHANGES IN THE MINISTRY, 1 765-7

both the justice, that they supported my opinion as strongly as
possible.

We then went to the point ; and we three entirel)- agreed in
ever>' thing we proposed to His Royal Highness.

The first point was, the removing some of my Lord Bute's
friends, and particularly my Lord Despenser, Master of the
Great Wardrobe, Lord Bute's most intimate friend. And we
pressed extremely the removal of my Lord Litchfield, (Gen
Conway and I,) both as a Tory and principal friend of my Lord

Bute.'

Lord Rockingham had some doubt as to the removal of my
Lord Litchfield ; as it might make the Tories unanimously take
part against us, at the first setting out. But we all agreed that
Mr. Mackenzie should not be restored to his office in Scotland ;
or have any employment whatever, either in England or Scot-
land, in lieu of it.

It was said, (with what truth I know not,) that Mr. Pitt had
consented to the restitution of Mr. Mackenzie as necessary for
the King's honor.'-

It was also agreed to make my Lord Chief Justice Pratt
a Peer. There was some difference of opinion whether that
should be done immediately or not : but it was agreed after-
wards to do it immediately ; of which opinion I was most
strongly.

His Royal Highness then determined to see Mr. Charles Yorke
himself, and to offer him to be Attorney General ; and desired my
Ld. Rockingham to see Charles Townshend. Mr. Yorke made
difficulties, (which, I hope, tho' I don't know it. are by this time
removed ;) apprehending that it would appear, that Sir Fletcher
Norton '' was removed for the part he took in the prosecution of

' Cf. Albemarle's Kockiiigkam , i. 214 notes.
- Ultimately Pitt agreed to his restoration (see below, p. 84).
' The Attorney-General. In the debate on the resolution declaring the illegality
of General Warrants, Februar> 1764, he is reported to have said that ' if I was a



AS TOLD BV THE DUKE OF NEWCA.sTLE 29

Wilkes ; which might carry with it an imputation upon him for
the part which he had had in that transaction.

Lord Hardwicke was ofifer'd First Lord Commissioner of
Trade, which he very civilly declined. Charles Townshend's
answer you will have seen in this letter.

To all these points His Royal Highness most readily, and
warmly assented ; except to the removal of my Lord Litchfield ;
which, however, His Royal Highness promised us to attempt,
tho' he fear'd he should meet with difficulties : and all of them
are done, except that.

The next point met also with difficulty ; and that was, the
making the Duke of Portland Lord Chamberlain, and not the
Earl of Northumberland. It was apprehended that also would
be attended with difficulty. But we so strongly represented the
ill consequence of giving an employment of that dignity, and so
near His Majesty's person, to my Lord Northumberland at this
time ; ' and the great satisfaction it would be to us all, and to
all the honest men of the Kingdom, to see a man of the Duke
of Portland's great consequence, family, fortune, character,
and steddiness to the true friends of his country, placed there ;
that the Duke, who has the highest opinion of His Grace's dis-
tinguished merit, and character, determined to press it to the