LONDON:
HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS,
SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN,
13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.
1853.
LONDON:
Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street.
In the selection and arrangement of the Correspondencecontained in these Volumes, the intrusion of unnecessarycommentaries and political opinions has been carefullyavoided. The letters themselves are so lucid and complete,that the interest of the publication has been left to restupon their details as far as possible. But as a collection ofcommunications of this confidential nature, written fromday to day upon passing events, must necessarily involvenumerous allusions which, intelligible at the time, areeither obscure or liable to misapprehension now, occasionalnotices of the principal topics and circumstances referredto have been introduced wherever they appeared to berequired. By the help of this illustrative frame-work acertain degree of continuity has been attempted to bepreserved, so that the reader will have no difficulty inblending these materials into the history of the periodthey embrace.
The Close of Lord North's Administration—The Second RockinghamCabinet—Mr. Thomas Grenville's Mission to Paris—The ShelburneAdministration—Lord Temple Appointed Lord-Lieutenantof Ireland—Irish Affairs.
The Renunciation Bill—The Fall of the Shelburne Administration—TheCabinet Interregnum—The Coalition Ministry—Resignationof Lord Temple.
Mr. Pitt's Administration—Lord Temple Created Marquis ofBuckingham—His Private Notes on the Coalition.
The Breach Between the Marquis of Buckingham and Mr. ThomasGrenville.
Mr. W. W. Grenville Joins Mr. Pitt's Administration.
The Dawn of Free Trade—The Assembly of Notables—Affairs ofHolland—Arthur Wellesley—The Marquis of Buckingham Assumesthe Government of Ireland for the Second Time.
Irish Correspondence—The India Declaratory Bill—Trial ofWarren Hastings—Contemplated Changes in the Administration—TheKing's Interference in Military Appointments—The IrishChancellorship—The King's Illness—Views of the CabinetRespecting the Regency.
As no inconsiderable portion of the Correspondence containedin these volumes relates to the structure and conductof Cabinets, throwing light upon public affairs from thosesecret recesses to which historians rarely have access, itmay be useful, by way of introduction, to glance at certaincircumstances which, during the period embraced in thework, exercised a special influence over the Government ofthe country: an influence no less directly felt in thecouncils of Ministers than in the measures and combinationsof the Opposition.
The history of Administration in the reign of George III.presents some peculiarities which distinguish it in a verystriking degree from that of most other reigns. The key[Pg 2]to these peculiarities will be found in