CHAPTER XI.

ATTEMPTS TO FORM A NEW MINISTRY-EVENTS IN AMERICA-FAILURE OF THE BRITISH COMMISSIONERS-VIOLATION OF THE CONVENTION OF SARATOGA.

1778.

In the summer, Lord Chatham being no longer an object of dread and antipathy, the King yielded so far to the importunities of Lord North as to permit a message to be sent through Mr. Fox to the Rockingham party. The substance of the message is thus stated by the Duke of Richmond:

"The proposal was that Lord Weymouth should have the Treasury and Mr. Thurlow be Chancellor; that arrangements should be made to take into office the principal men in Opposition; and that Lords North, Germaine, Suffolk, Sandwich, Dartmouth, and perhaps some more, might quit their employments to facilitate these arrangements; that Lord Weymouth would be most glad to have Lord John Cavendish for Chancellor of the Exchequer, but would take any other we should agree upon; that Lord Rockingham and his friends might by themselves fill up the vacant offices, or take in the Duke of Grafton, Lords Camden and Shelburne." That none of the retiring Ministers were to be attacked, and that the King intended to bestow on them the three blue ribbons then vacant. "As to measures, none were proposed, except to withdraw the troops in general from North America, as from necessity or prudence, and to

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carry on a vigorous war against France, which was stated as unavoidable."

Mr. Fox was in favour of accepting these terms. In writing to Lord Rockingham in the beginning of the following year, he says: "You know how widely we differed upon that matter. What you considered as a step of the most dangerous tendency to the Whig party, I looked upon as a most favourable opportunity for restoring it to that power and influence which I wish it to have as earnestly as you can do. The very circumstances which you thought likely to render the proposed arrangement weak, I considered as means of strength and stability, because it has always been, and I believe always will be, my opinion that power (whether over a people or a king) obtained by gentle means, by the good-will of the person to be governed, and above all, by degrees, rather than by a sudden exertion of strength, is in its nature more durable and firm than any advantage that can be gained by contrary means."* The Duke of Richmond, on the other hand, argued with great force and ability that the means of carrying into effect a Whig policy must consist either in men or in measures. That as the first place in the Ministry was reserved for Lord Weymouth, the first of these securities was wanting; and as no measure except the withdrawal of the troops from North America was specified, the second was likewise deficient. He added a hint to Mr. Fox himself, who had asked whether he might not honourably accept office, if the offer was again renewed and declined. "I can only offer you my opinions, taken not from prejudice, I trust, but from real anxiety for your welfare, that such a step will be far from being for your interest. I am sure you will pardon * "Correspondence of Charles James Fox," vol. i. p. 207.

the sincerity of so near a relation. You have many of those social virtues which command the love of friends, you have abilities in abundance, and your conduct of late years has done much to regain that public confidence which is so necessary to a public man. By a steady perseverance you may accomplish so essential an object. Once more pardon the effusion of a sincere heart, and believe me," &c.

In spite of the logical force of the Duke of Richmond's arguments, it may be doubted whether on this occasion Mr. Fox was not in the right. Lord Weymouth was a personal friend of Mr. Fox, and was extremely acceptable to the King. He was a man of good sense, and by no means wedded to the war. It was agreed that the troops should be withdrawn from North America; and as they could not have been sent there again, the American war must of necessity have ceased; for it was obvious that no Minister could have advised the recommencement of such a contest. As to men, the retirement of Lords North, G. Germaine, Suffolk, Sandwich, and Dartmouth, "and perhaps some more," leaving only Weymouth and Thurlow, would have put the Cabinet entirely in the hands of the Whigs. But perhaps the Duke of Richmond was suspicious of Fox himself. He may have feared the influence which Weymouth might gain over Fox, and the influence of the Court over both. In this way it is possible to account for the rejection of an offer which would have put an end to the American War in 1778, four years before its actual termination, and procured for the country a fair prospect of domestic reforms. It is curious to reflect that five years after this time the Duke of Richmond was for governing the King by "gentle means," while Fox endeavoured to establish his power by "a sudden exertion of strength." But

to return. The present overture being rejected, the King continued to govern through Lord North, the war in America was prolonged, and Mr. Fox, rising with the occasion, became the leader of the Whig party in the House of Commons.

Let us now turn to the progress of the war in America. The great event of Saratoga, although it had been prepared by the skill and foresight of Washington, yet being decided at a distance from his head-quarters, went near to overthrow his authority. The envy of General Gates, the vanity and presumption of General Conway, and the cabals of a number of inferior persons whose machinations Washington too scornfully despised, were all set in motion to misrepresent his character, and to depreciate his wise and successful caution. The difficult circumstances of his position furnished his adversaries with abundant means of attack if he supplied his army by forced requisitions, the names of liberty and property resounded in the ears of a jealous people; if he desisted from these measures, the wants of his soldiers excited discontent in his camp. Yet, being at last roused to defend himself, his honest, straightforward explanations, the support of his friends, and a sense of returning justice, restored him to the good opinion of his deluded countrymen. His popularity was rather increased than diminished by the base attacks which had been made upon him. The conclusion of the Treaty of Alliance with France appeared to open brilliant prospects. Washington was eager to take advantage of this propitious circumstance to strike a final blow. Lord George Germaine, after indulging in a visionary plan of campaign, took fright at the dangers of a French war, and ordered General Howe to evacuate Philadelphia. On the 17th of June that city

was evacuated by 10,000 British troops; on the 28th they were attacked at Monmouth by Washington, and suffered considerably, but repulsed the American troops, and inflicted upon them an equal loss. The British army then retired to New York, and Washington took up his position on White Plains. He remarked with some exultation that, after two years of marches and counter-marches, he had returned to his old position, and that his enemy was busy on works of defence with the spade and the pickaxe. On the 11th of July the Count d'Estaing appeared in the neighbourhood of New York with a French fleet of twelve sail of the line. On their arrival Washington was eager to make a combined attack on the British position, and thus, if possible, end the war. This plan, however, was rendered impracticable by the size of the French ships, which could not pass the bar of New York. It was then proposed to attack Rhode Island, where 6000 English were posted. The approach of a British fleet, however, made d'Estaing fearful of being blockaded or attacked in a confined space, and he preferred going out to sea, with a view to bring the British to a general action. But a hurricane separated the two fleets; d'Estaing went to Boston to refit, and afterwards sailed for the West Indies. Thus the only immediate effect of the French alliance in America was the evacuation of Philadelphia. The alliance itself was not a natural nor a cordial one; and the conduct of d'Estaing in retiring from the scene of action produced an explosion of invective and rage among American patriots. Washington appeased this storm; but when the French proposed to redeem their fame by the conquest of Canada, Washington himself was the first to advise the Congress not to trust too much to the good faith of France. The words of a