marked the paramount influence of the Crown in the govern ment of the country. Here were the two great parties in the state looking to royal favor alone, as the source of their power. It was never doubted by the ministers, that, if they retained the confidence of the prince regent, they would be able to command the support of Parliament. It was never doubted by the Opposition, that, if invited to accept office, they would be able to maintain their position as firmly as the ministers, whom they were seeking to displace. Both parties were assured, that the support of Parliament would follow the confidence of the Crown. The Whigs had relied upon the personal friendship of the prince regent: but the ministers, having supplanted their rivals by court favor, continued to govern the country, with the acquiescence of an obsequious Parliament. There was no appeal, on either side, to political principles or policy, or to public service; but all alike looked upwards to the court. The Tory

party happened to prevail; and the government of the state was, therefore, conducted on Tory principles. If the Whig party had been placed in power, without any change in public opinion, Whig principles would have been in the ascendant.

on the death

The assassination of Mr. Perceval made an unexpected opening for a new ministry; but the court ap- Negotiations pears to have been resolved that no considerable of Mr. Perce change should follow. Overtures were made to val, 1812. Lord Wellesley and Mr. Canning, to strengthen a government to whose policy they were opposed; but, as had doubtless been expected, they refused such conditions.1

ley, Earl Grey, &c.— Hansard's Debates, xxii. 62, 80. Lord Donoughmore, April 21st, 1812. — Ibid., 525. Mr. Lyttleton, May 4th, 1812, said "It was notorious that the regent was surrounded with favorites, and, as it were, hemmed in with minions." — Ibid., 1163. Moore's Life of Sheridan, ii. 394, 407; Life of Sir S. Romilly, ii. 366; Wilberforce's Life, ii 494; Duke of Buckingham's Memoirs of the Regency, i. 25, et seq., 71, 163, 177, 241, 246; Twiss's Life of Lord Eldon, ii. 193.

1 Twiss's Life of Eldon, ii. 209-213; Court and Cabinets of the Re gency, i. 305.

The old government would have been at once revived, had not the Commons addressed the regent, on the motion of Mr. Stuart Wortley, to take measures "to form a strong and efficient administration." 1 Lord Wellesley was now commissioned to form a ministry: but none of the existing ministers would listen to his overtures; and the Opposition declined to accept such a share of the cabinet as was offered to them; and thus his lordship's mission failed, as the court had, probably, intended.

At length Lord Moira, the intimate friend of the prince, and the unconscious tool of the court,

Lord Moira's mission.

The royal household.

was

charged to consult with Lord Grey and Lord Grenville, on the formation of an administration. He stated that he had received this commission without any restrictions upon the consideration of such points as they judged useful for his service. Nothing could exceed the apparent fairness of this proposal; but, as Lords Grey and Grenville had received information that no changes would be permitted in the royal household, they inquired whether they should be at liberty to consider appointments to those great offices in the household, which were usually included in political arrangements, on a change of ministry. Lord Moira, having obtained the prince's consent to part with the officers of the household, if he should advise it, had assured his royal highness, before he undertook this mission, "that he should not part with one of them." In execution of his promise, he now said that it would be impossible for him to concur in the necessity of changing the household on the formation of a new ministry; and upon this issue the negotiations were broken off. As the views of Lord Moira on the one side, and of the Whigs on the other, had been well known before Lord Moira received his commission, 8 1 Hansard's Debates, 1st Ser., xxiii. 231, 286.

2 Mr. T. Grenville to Marquess of Buckingham, 30th April, 1812. — Duke of Buckingham's Memoirs of Regency, i. 335. From same to sanie, June 1st. Ibid., 836.

8 Mr. T. Grenville to the Marquess of Buckingham. — Ibid., i. 357.

this proposal would seem to have been as illusory as those which had preceded it. But there was yet another artifice practised upon the Opposition leaders. Though Lord Moira had determined not to agree to any alteration in the household, Lord Hertford, Lord Yarmouth, and the other officers had resolved to resign their offices at court, should the Opposition undertake to form a government. But this imporant information was prevented, by court intrigues, from eaching the noble lords who were conducting the negotiations. They insisted upon the change in order to give "to a new government that character of efficiency and stability, and those marks of the constitutional support of the Crown, which were required to enable it to act usefully for the public service." Lord Moira rested his resistance to a claim, — which, according to custom, could hardly have been opposed in any bonâ fide consultations, -on the ground that changes in the household would give countenance to the imputations which had been thrown upon the court. It need hardly be said that his conduct produced the very result which he had professed his anxiety to avert.

against the

The leaders of the Opposition were persuaded of the hollowness of all the proposals which had been made The regent's to them; and, knowing the hostility of the court, animosity were as unwilling as their opponents, that these Whigs. overtures should lead to any result. Had they been less lofty and unbending, they might perhaps have overcome the obstacles which they dreaded. The regent had not the stub. born will of his royal father, and might have been won over o their side again, if they had once established themselves

1 Debates in Lords and Commons, 8th and 11th June, 1812; Hansard's Debates, 1st Ser., xxiii. 356, 397, 594, 606, and Appendix of Papers; Moore's Life of Sheridan, ii. 425; Twiss's Life of Eldon, ii. 214–220.

2 Debates in House of Lords, 3d, 5th, and 8th June, 1812; Hansard's Debates, 1st Ser., xxiii. 332–356, and App. xli.; Twiss's Life of Eldon, ii. 216, 217; Life of Romilly, iii. 42; Horner's Memoirs, ii. 111, 311; Lord Grenville to the Marquess of Buckingham, June 6th and 9th, 1812; Duke of Buckingham's Memoirs of Regency, i. 353, 377; Mr. T. Grenville. Ibid., 354.

at court.

"He

So thought many of their disappointed followers: but the great lords judged otherwise, and proudly shrank from the ungracious task of combating the disfavor of the prince, and the intrigues of his courtiers. The prince, indeed, had now become so violent against the Opposition, that we are reminded of George III. in the days of the Coalition. told Lord Wellesley that he had no objection to one or two of them individually, but as a body he would rather abdicate the regency than ever come into contact with them.”1 And again, after the failure of Lord Moira's mission, "three times that day, before dinner and after dinner, he declared that if Lord Grey had been forced upon him, he should have abdicated." 2

Reconstitution of the

ministry un

erpool.

8

These negotiations, meanwhile, had served their purpose. The old administration was immediately reconstituted, under the Earl of Liverpool; and when der Lord Liv- complaints were made, in the House of Commons, that a strong administration had not been formed in compliance with their address, the blame was thrown upon the impracticable leaders of the Opposition. The ministers were now safe, and gained an easy triumph over Mr. Stuart Wortley and Lord Milton, who endeavored to unsettle the government, by further representations to the regent. Henceforth the ascendency of Tory politics, which George III. had established, and which the regent had of Tory poli- been expected to overthrow, was maintained more firmly than ever. By the influence of the Crown it had been created; and by the same influence it was upheld during the regency, and throughout the reign of George IV. All opposition being thus defeated, and the ministers and the court party being agreed, the prince regent had no further need of personal interposition in the government of the country.

Ascendency

tics.

1 Duke of Buckingham's Memoirs of the Regency, i. 323.

2 Moore's Memoirs, by Lord John Russell, i. 360.

8 June 11th, Hansard's Debates, 1st Ser., xxiii. 397.

queen, 1820.

On his accession to the throne, he was dissatisfied with ministers for resisting his demands for a larger Proceedings civil list; but submitted to their judgment, and against the even, in his speech to Parliament, disclaimed any wish for an increased revenue.1 Soon afterwards his painful relations with the queen led to proceedings of which his ministers could not approve: but in which, - with the honorable exception of Mr. Canning,2 — they were induced to support him. The king's personal feelings and honor were concerned; and the embarrassing conduct of the queen herself, led them to accept the responsibility of measures to which the king already stood committed. No sooner had he succeeded to the throne than he desired to obtain a divorce; but his ministers, at that time, resisted his wishes, and explained their objections, in some able minutes of the cabinet. He obtained from them, however, an assurance that, if her Majesty should return to England, they would no longer oppose him in his cherished object. They were little prepared for so embarrassing an event; but it was soon to be brought about by the offensive measures which the king had taken, and his ministers had sanctioned, against her.

The queen had already been irritated by two great insults. Our ambassadors, acting upon their instructions from home, had prevented her recognition as Queen of England at foreign courts; and her name had been omitted, by command of the king, from the liturgy of the Church. Even the legality of this latter act was much doubted. It was at

1 Twiss's Life of Eldon, ii. 363; Com. Journ., lxxv. 110.

2 See Stapleton's Life of Canning, 290–295, 315–323.

8 10th and 14th February, 1820; Stapleton's Life of Canning, 266, 279,

299.

4 Twiss's Life of Eldon, ii. 368.

5 Debates in Lords and Commons, 1820, on the papers relating to the conduct of the queen. Dr. Phillimore, writing to the Marquess of Buckingham, 16th Jan. 1821, said: "The general opinion of lawyers is, I think, unfavorable to the claim." - Duke of Buckingham's Memoirs of George IV., i. 109.