CHAPTER V.

Repeal of the Stamp Act produces but a short calm-transactions in England Mr. Pitt taken into the Ministry-the strange mixture in his administration-Mr. Townsend made Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr. Pitt accepts the title and dignities of Earl of Chatham-Mr. Grenville's Prohibitory Act against New-York-its effects upon the other Colonies arrival of British troops in Boston-consequences thereof.-Mr. Townsend's plan for taxing the Colonies.-Effects of his measures upon the Americans.-Death of Mr. Townsend, and appointment of Lord North Lord Chatham resigns, and is succeeded by the Earl of Bristol-Lord Hillsborough made Secretary of State for the Colonies.-Resolutions of Boston town meetings-Circular Letter of the Massachusetts Assembly. The Farmer's Letters.— Governour Bernard dissolves the Legislature-effects of this violence.-Seizure of Mr. Hancock's sloop-riot in consequence thereof.-Board of Trade remove from Boston-Meeting at Faneuil Hall.-Arrival of a British Squadron and two Regiments at Boston.-The Governour quarters them in Faneuil Hall-Resolutions of the merchants.-Letter of the Philadelphia merchants to their agents in London-Revival of the Statute of Henry VIII-Resolutions of the Virginia House of Burgesses the Governour dissolves them-Other Assemblies also dissolved. Conduct of Governour Bernard-his recall-and character-Different conduct of Governour Bottetourt-Lord Hillsborough's Circular-Sentiments of the Philadelphia merchants on his conciliatory proposition.

THE universal joy which pervaded all ranks of people in America, as well as in England, on the repeal of the Stamp Act, was but of short continuance. In the first warmth of their transports, they had seemed to forget that Great Britain had, in fact, yielded nothing, or scarcely any thing, in the mere repeal of the Stamp Act, so long as they continued to maintain the right of Parliament to tax them. This right they ei

ther regarded as a question that would never again come into discussion, or they considered the concession now made to them as such an acknowledgment of their power and influence, that they did not fear any serious evil from its exercise.

But they were not long suffered to labour under this delusion. The measures with regard to the Colonies, which followed close upon the heels of the Act of Repeal, showed that the Ministry were determined to punish them for former disobedience, and coerce them to future submission.-So that before the close of the year 1766, the gloom of despondency had again taken possession of the faces so lately brightened with happy anticipations of the time to come. In every Colony, something occurred to mark the return of discontent. Besides the progress of this feeling already noted in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New-York, the General Assembly of Virginia who had in their Spring Session voted a statue to the King, and an obelisk to several of the members of Parliament, in December of this year, postponed the final consideration of the resolution until the next session-which amounted in fact to a strong expression of their altered feelings. But we must exculpate the Marquis of Rockingham and his Administration, from any share in the scheme of oppression which we are now to develope.

Lord Rockingham had discovered, in the course of the debate in the House of Peers on the repeal of the Stamp Act, that his Majesty had not given his confidence to the Ministry of which he was the head, and that he was still under the influence of his favourite, Lord Bute. As a mean of putting a stop to the corrupting progress of this influence, he conceived the idea of uniting Mr. Pitt and the Whig party out of ser

vice, with the Whigs who were now in the Ministry, and for this purpose held a conference with Mr. Pitt. But this extraordinary man, who continued to feel the same scorn of the Marquis and his party, which he had so intemperately expressed, on their first coming into the Ministry upon terms that he thought derogatory to the honour of the Whigs, received his advances with great coldness. Indeed he made some remark almost at the beginning of the conference, which the Marquis construed to imply the necessity of his own removal from the Treasury, and the attempt at union of course failed.

Lord Bute, with a view to get rid of Lord Rockingham and his Administration altogether, had made similar advances to Lord Temple; but with no better sucThat nobleman was too honest to lend himself to the corruptions of Lord Bute, even though his brother formed one of the junto.

cess.

The secret advisers of Carlton House had in the mean time determined upon a change; and Mr. Pitt was once more ordered to wait upon the King. The meeting took place on the 12th of July 1766, and his Majesty opened the negotiation by telling Mr. Pitt that he should put himself altogether into his hands, without proposing any terms.-This was precisely the point to which, six months before, the Americans, if they could have had their choice, would have desired affairs to be brought. And the friends of the Colonies had certainly every thing to hope, from the character and former conduct of Mr. Pitt.

The first thing which Mr. Pitt did after his audience with the King was to send for his Noble brotherin-law-to tell him of the plenary powers with which his Majesty had invested him, and to request his Lord

ship to take the head of the Treasury. If he had stopped here, Lord Temple would perhaps have felt no scruples in accepting the place offered to him-but he presented at the same time a list of names for all the other great departments of the government, which, besides that it excluded all his Lordship's connexions, too plainly indicated that he was not to come in upon a footing of perfect equality with Mr. Pitt, or the latter would have consulted him in those nominations; and upon no other terms would the pride of his Lordship permit him to come in.

Lord Temple said, that he was extremely desirous of conciliating all parties, but that he could not so far forget what was due to his own honour, as to consent either to exclude all his friends, or to look upon Mr. Pitt as absolute master.-Mr. Pitt, however, was not to be shaken from his purpose. No man loved or esteemed Lord Temple more than he did, but that esteem did not extend to his Lordship's family. He despised Mr. Grenville, and dreaded the consequence which his influence might have over his Lordship in the new arrangement.-Lord Temple withdrew therefore, highly irritated and offended; and Mr. Pitt went on to complete his new scheme of a Ministry without him.

The Duke of Grafton was appointed First Lord Commissioner of the Treasury; and the Right Honourable Charles Townsend was made Chancellor of the Exchequer. It was at the motion of this latter gentleman, that the Act had passed some time before for quartering his Majesty's troops on the people of New York. He was considered as a man of brilliant talents, but of no solidity-capricious, insincere, and full of intrigue. Why Mr. Pitt should have made choice of him for so responsible a station, it is diffi cult to explain.

General Conway was continued in his post of Secretary for the Northern Department, and Lord Shelburne succeeded the Duke of Richmond, for the Southern. Lord Camden was made Chancellor of Great Britain, and the Earl of Northington, President of the Council.

Mr. Pitt, who had some years before proudly refused the offered honours of the Peerage, and boasted that he was one of the people, now accepted the title and dignities of Earl of Chatham-thus taking leave of the great theatre of his early glories and deathless renown as a Statesman, to take a seat among the Peers of the Realm. The place which he chose for himself in the new Ministry was that of Lord Privy Seal.

Thus was Lord Rockingham and his friends put out of service, after having been in only about a year; and thus did Mr. Pitt use the unlimited power put into his hands, in the formation of the new Ministry. The former retired from office with the deserved approbation of the whole Kingdom-the latter came into it (it may almost be said) with universal reprobation. His acceptance of the Peerage-his ambition to be the sole dictator in the new arrangements-his abandonment of Lord Temple-and the injudicious selection which he had made for some of the offices, excited a popular clamour against him, and destroyed that confidence which the people had never ceased to repose in the great Commoner. While addresses, and letters of thanks, were addressed to the Marquis of Rockingham from every part of Great Britain, the Earl of Chatham was charged by the same people with having deserted their cause. This however was doing injustice to the motives of Lord Chatham-his policy was not changed by his transfer to the House of Peers; but he had soon reason to regret