Contents.
CHAPTER I.
The King and Bute.
| PAGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct., 1760. | Accession of George III. | 1 |
| National feeling | 1 | |
| The king's education and character | 3 | |
| His plan of government | 6 | |
| His first cabinet | 8 | |
| Influence of the Earl of Bute | 11 | |
| The civil list | 13 | |
| 1761. | The war in Germany | 13 |
| 7 June. | Capture of Belle Ile | 15 |
| The king's covert attack on the whig ascendency | 15 | |
| Opposing views with respect to the war | 17 | |
| The general election of 1761 | 19 | |
| 25 Mar. | Bute secretary of state | 20 |
| 8 Sept. | The king's marriage | 21 |
| Bute's unpopularity | 22 |
CHAPTER II.
The Peace of Paris.
| 1761. | Negotiations for a peace | 23 |
| France and Spain act together in negotiation | 25 | |
| Pitt maintains British honour and interests | 26 | |
| Pitt and his colleagues | 28 | |
| 5 Oct. | Pitt resigns office | 31 |
| 2 Jan., 1762. | The family compact. War declared against Spain | 32 |
| Frederick of Prussia offended | 33 | |
| 25 April. | Newcastle's resignation. Bute succeeds to the treasury | 34 |
| The war in Germany | 35 | |
| British conquests: Martinique, Havana, Manila | 37 | |
| Negotiations with France | 38 | |
| A majority in the commons secured | 39 | |
| The terms of peace | 40 | |
| 10 Feb., 1763. | Definitive treaty signed at Paris | 42 |
| Mar. | The cider tax | 43 |
| 11 April. | Bute retires from office | 44 |
CHAPTER III.
The Grenville Administration.
| 1763. | The new ministers | 45 |
| April. | The North Briton, No. 45, and the general warrant | 46 |
| Aug. | The king's attempts to strengthen the administration | 48 |
| Sept. | Changes in the administration | 49 |
| Nov. | Proceedings in parliament against Wilkes | 50 |
| 19 Jan., 1764. | The commons expel Wilkes | 51 |
| Violation of the privileges of parliament | 52 | |
| Grenville's economy | 53 | |
| Great Britain's colonial policy | 54 | |
| 1763. | Defence of the American colonies | 58 |
| 10 Mar., 1764. | The stamp bill proposed | 59 |
| 22 Mar., 1765. | The bill enacted | 60 |
| American resistance | 60 | |
| The right of taxation | 62 | |
| Unstatesmanlike policy | 63 |
CHAPTER IV.
The King, The Whigs, and Chatham.
| 1765. | The king and Grenville | 64 |
| April-May. | The regency bill | 65 |
| The weavers' riot | 66 | |
| 16 July. | A whig administration formed under Rockingham | 67 |
| Its weakness and difficulties | 68 | |
| Jan., 1766. | Pitt on American taxation | 69 |
| Burke, his character and political principles | 70 | |
| Mar. | Repeal of the stamp act. The declaratory act | 71 |
| July. | Pitt forms an administration, and is created Earl of Chatham | 73 |
| His foreign policy | 74 | |
| Sept.-Nov. | "A forty days' tyranny" | 76 |
| Feb., 1767. | Chatham incapacitated by disease | 76 |
| June, 1763. | Revolt of Mír Kásim | 77 |
| 23 Oct., 1764. | Battle of Baxár | 78 |
| June, 1767. | Parliamentary interference with the E. India Company | 79 |
| 1767-69. | Haidar Alí's invasions of the Karnatic | 80 |
CHAPTER V.
Growth of the King's Power.
| 1767. | C. Townshend and the new American duties | 82 |
| The ministry in Chatham's absence | 85 | |
| Jan., 1768. | Junction with the Bedford party | 87 |
| Feb. | The Nullum Tempus bill | 87 |
| Massachusetts heads resistance to the revenue acts | 88 | |
| 1 May, 1769. | Partial repeal of the new duties decided on | 90 |
| 1761. | Condition of Ireland. Rise of Whiteboyism | 91 |
| The government of Ireland | 93 | |
| 1768-69. | Octennial act and augmentation of Irish army | 94 |
| 1768. | The general election of 1768 | 94 |
| Wilkes returned for Middlesex | 95 | |
| 10 May. | Riot in St. George's Fields | 96 |
| 1769. | Wilkes and the Middlesex electors | 97 |
| French annexation of Corsica. Faltering policy of ministers | 98 | |
| Arrears of the civil list | 99 | |
| The Letters of Junius | 99 | |
| Chatham in opposition | 100 | |
| 28 Jan., 1770. | Grafton resigns. North forms an administration | 102 |
| Triumph of the king's policy | 103 | |
| Discontent with the constitutional machinery | 103 | |
| Chatham and Burke differ on character of needful reforms | 105 |
CHAPTER VI.
The King's Rule.
| 1770. | Two parties in the opposition | 106 |
| The struggle in parliament | 107 | |
| April. | The Grenville controverted elections act | 108 |
| 5 Mar. | The "Boston massacre" | 109 |
| Chatham and his city friends demand a dissolution | 110 | |
| They are foiled by the king | 111 | |
| Dispute with Spain concerning the Falkland islands | 112 | |
| England's foreign policy | 114 | |
| 1770-71. | Changes in the ministry | 115 |
| The law of libel | 116 | |
| The house of commons and the printers | 117 | |
| 1772. | Religious toleration | 118 |
| The royal marriage act and C. J. Fox | 119 | |
| June, 1773. | Affairs of E. India Company. North's regulating act | 121 |
| May. | Clive's acquittal | 122 |
| The king's political predominance | 123 |
CHAPTER VII.
The Quarrel with America.
| 1772-73. | Resistance to law in America | 124 |
| 16 Dec., 1773. | The Boston tea-riot | 126 |
| 29 Jan., 1774. | Franklin before the privy council | 126 |
| The penal acts | 128 | |
| The Quebec act | 129 | |
| 5 Sept. | First meeting of a continental congress | 132 |
| The American loyalists | 134 | |
| The general election of 1774 | 135 | |
| Opinion in England on the American crisis | 136 | |
| Feb.-Mar., 1775. | Bills and resolutions for conciliation | 138 |
| The Americans prepare for war | 139 | |
| 19 April. | Fighting at Lexington and Concord | 140 |
CHAPTER VIII.
The Colonial Rebellion.
| April, 1775. | The American army at Cambridge | 143 |
| May. | Americans seize Ticonderoga and Crown Point | 144 |
| English opinion on the outbreak of war | 144 | |
| 15 June. | Washington appointed American commander-in-chief | 146 |
| 17. | The battle of Bunker hill | 147 |
| The invasion of Canada | 151 | |
| 31 Dec. | Defeat of the Americans at Quebec | 152 |
| The king hires German troops | 153 | |
| 17. | The evacuation of Boston | 155 |
| May-June, 1776. | The Americans chased out of Canada | 155 |
| Spread of the idea of separation | 156 | |
| 28 June. | Unsuccessful attempt on Charleston | 157 |
| 4 July. | Declaration of American independence | 158 |
| 1775. | The war generally popular in Great Britain | 158 |
| The opposition in parliament | 159 | |
| The state of the navy | 161 | |
| Nov. | North's prohibitory bill | 162 |
CHAPTER IX.
Saratoga.
| 27 Aug., 1776. | The battle of Long Island | 164 |
| 15 Sept. | British take New York | 165 |
| 11, 13 Oct. | Carleton's victory on Lake Champlain | 166 |
| 8 Dec. | Washington retreats across the Delaware | 167 |
| 26. | The surprise of Trenton | 168 |
| Partial secession of whigs from parliament | 169 | |
| Impressment for the navy | 170 | |
| 1777. | Arrears of the civil list | 171 |
| Plan for co-operation between Howe and Burgoyne | 172 | |
| June-Nov. | Howe's campaign. Battle of the Brandywine, Sept. 11 | 173 |
| American camp at Valley Forge | 175 | |
| 6 July. | Burgoyne captures Ticonderoga | 176 |
| His difficulties, distress, and failure | 177 | |
| 17 Oct. | The convention of Saratoga | 179 |
| Responsibility for the disaster | 179 | |
| 6 Jan., 1778. | Alliance between France and the Americans | 181 |
| Why England had not yet subdued the Americans | 183 |
CHAPTER X.
War with France and Spain.
| 1777-78. | The opposition and the war | 186 |
| Mar., 1778. | The king's refusal to allow Chatham to form a ministry | 187 |
| 11 May. | Chatham's death | 190 |
| Constitutional importance of the issue of the war | 191 | |
| Abuses in naval administration | 191 | |
| 27 July. | Naval action off Ushant | 193 |
| Progress of the war in America | 193 | |
| Lord Howe and Count d'Estaing | 194 | |
| Mistaken naval policy of Great Britain | 195 | |
| Aug., 1779. | Combined French and Spanish fleets in the Channel | 196 |
| The war in various parts of the world | 196 | |
| 12 May, 1780. | The surrender of Charleston | 198 |
| Jan.-Feb. | Rodney's relief of Gibraltar | 198 |
| 17 April. | His indecisive action off Dominica | 199 |
| Ireland's grievances | 200 | |
| 1779. | The volunteers | 202 |
| Removal of restrictions on Irish trade | 202 | |
| 1779-80. | Activity of the opposition in England | 202 |
| 2-7 June. | The Lord George Gordon riots | 205 |
CHAPTER XI.
Yorktown and the King's Defeat.
| Mar., 1780. | The armed neutrality | 208 |
| 20 Dec. | Dispute with the Dutch: war declared | 209 |
| Defence of Gibraltar | 210 | |
| 5 Aug., 1781. | Battle of the Dogger Bank | 212 |
| 1780. | General election and the new parliament | 212 |
| 2 Oct. | The fate of Major André | 215 |
| 3 Feb., 1781. | Rodney takes St. Eustatius | 216 |
| July, 1780. | French squadron at Rhode island | 218 |
| 16 Aug. | Cornwallis's campaign in the south: battle of Camden | 219 |
| 17 Jan., 1781. | Battle of the Cowpens | 221 |
| 15 Mar. | Battle of Guilford | 222 |
| May. | Cornwallis in Virginia | 223 |
| How England lost command in the American waters | 224 | |
| 19 Oct. | The capitulation at Yorktown | 225 |
| Causes of the disaster | 225 | |
| Reception of the news in England | 226 | |
| Events in the war with France and Spain | 227 | |
| Mar., 1782. | The second Rockingham ministry; the king's defeat | 229 |
CHAPTER XII.
The Rout of the Whigs.
| 1782. | Attack on the corrupt influence of the crown | >231 |
| May. | Legislative independence conceded to Ireland | 232 |
| 12 April. | The "battle of the Saints" | 234 |
| Last scenes of the siege of Gibraltar | 236 | |
| 1780-84. | War in India and in the Indian waters | 236 |
| Quarrel between Fox and Shelburne | 238 | |
| July, 1782. | Shelburne forms a ministry | 240 |
| 30 Nov. | Preliminaries of peace between Great Britain and America | 241 |
| The American loyalists | 242 | |
| 3 Sept., 1783. | Definitive treaty of Versailles | 242 |
| State of parties in parliament | 243 | |
| The coalition between Fox and North | 244 | |
| April. | The Coalition ministry | 245 |
| May. | Pitt's motion for parliamentary reform | 246 |
| Warren Hastings in India | 247 | |
| Nov.-Dec. | Fox's India bills | 249 |
| Dec. | The Coalition ministry dismissed; Pitt prime minister | 251 |
| Struggle on the question of a dissolution | 251 | |
| 25 Mar., 1784. | Parliament dissolved | 254 |
| General election: "Fox's martyrs" | 254 |
CHAPTER XIII.
Social and Economic Progress, 1760-1801.
| General character of the period | 255 | |
| Amusements, gambling, racing, the drama, etc. | 256 | |
| Travelling and the state of the roads | 258 | |
| Literature: poetry, fiction, and serious prose works | 259 | |
| The arts, architecture, painting, etc. | 262 | |
| Natural science | 263 | |
| Voyages of discovery | 263 | |
| Religion | 264 | |
| The criminal law | 265 | |
| The prisons and transportation | 266 | |
| The police system | 267 | |
| Increase of trade and manufactures | 268 | |
| The mercantile system and laissez-faire | 269 | |
| Steam and water power: iron manufacture | 270 | |
| Canals | 271 | |
| Manufacture of textile fabrics | 271 | |
| Failure of domestic industries | 272 | |
| Wages of agricultural labourers | 273 | |
| Regulation of corn trade | 273 | |
| Improvements in agriculture | 274 | |
| Enclosures | 275 | |
| Combinations of workmen to raise wages | 277 | |
| The poor law | 277 | |
| Sufferings of the poor and specially of factory children | 278 |
CHAPTER XIV.
Early Years of Pitt's Administration.
| 1784. | Significance of Pitt's victory | 280 |
| Change in office of prime minister and in house of lords | 281 | |
| Pitt's character and management of parliament | 282 | |
| The Westminster election | 283 | |
| 1784-85. | Pitt's finance | 284 |
| Aug., 1784. | His bill for the government of India | 286 |
| 18 April, 1785. | His bill for parliamentary reform | 287 |
| May. | His resolutions on Irish trade | 288 |
| 1786. | Establishment of the sinking fund | 291 |
| 26 Sept. | Commercial treaty with France | 293 |
| 1787. | Consolidation of customs and excise | 294 |
| Bill for relief of dissenters | 295 | |
| 1788. | The slave trade question | 295 |
| Foreign policy | 296 | |
| 1785. | Austrian aggression | 297 |
| 1786-87. | French influence in the United Provinces | 298 |
| Oct., 1787. | Restoration of the stadholder | 300 |
| April, 1788. | Triple alliance—Great Britain, Prussia, and the United Provinces | 301 |
CHAPTER XV.
The Regency Question.
| 1785. | Return of Hastings to England | 302 |
| 1786. | Pitt and the charges against Hastings | 303 |
| 13 Feb., 1788. | Trial of Hastings begun | 304 |
| 1788-93. | Cornwallis as governor-general of India | 305 |
| Feb., 1788. | Pitt's (India) declaratory bill | 305 |
| May, 1787. | The Prince of Wales's debts paid | 307 |
| 5 Nov., 1788. | The king's insanity | 309 |
| 10 Dec. | Fox asserts the prince's right to the regency | 311 |
| Pitt's resolutions | 312 | |
| 10 Mar., 1789. | The king's recovery announced | 314 |
| The Irish parliament and the regency | 314 | |
| The French revolution begins | 315 | |
| English opinions on events in France | 317 | |
| 1790. | Dispute with Spain relating to Nootka Sound | 319 |
| 28 Oct. | Convention with Spain | 321 |
CHAPTER XVI.
Declaration of War by France.
| 1790. | General election | 322 |
| 1795. | Acquittal of Hastings | 323 |
| 1791-92. | Struggle for the abolition of the slave trade | 323 |
| 1792. | Fox's libel bill | 324 |
| Pitt's foreign policy | 324 | |
| 1791. | The Russian armament | 326 |
| Nov., 1790. | Burke's Reflections on the French Revolution | 328 |
| May, 1791. | Rupture between Burke and Fox | 329 |
| 27 Aug. | The Declaration of Pilnitz | 331 |
| Revolutionary propaganda | 331 | |
| 1792. | Dismissal of Thurlow | 332 |
| A whig scheme of coalition | 333 | |
| French proposals | 333 | |
| 21 May. | Proclamation against seditious writings | 335 |
| Aug. | British ambassador recalled from Paris | 336 |
| French conquest of Flanders | 337 | |
| The provocations received by England | 338 | |
| Dec. | Disruption of the whig party | 340 |
| 21 Jan., 1793. | Execution of Louis XVI. | 342 |
| 1 Feb. | France declares war on England | 342 |
| War necessary for the safety of Great Britain | 342 | |
| Conduct of C. J. Fox | 343 |
CHAPTER XVII.
The First Coalition.
| 1793. | Change in Pitt's domestic policy | 345 |
| Pitt as a war minister | 346 | |
| Loans raised by Pitt | 348 | |
| Formation of the coalition | 349 | |
| April. | The conference at Antwerp | 349 |
| Success of the allies | 350 | |
| Their discordant aims | 351 | |
| Aug. | The surrender of Toulon | 352 |
| 8 Sept. | York before Dunkirk: the battle of Hondschoote | 353 |
| Dec. | Attempted co-operation with the Vendeans | 354 |
| Siege and evacuation of Toulon | 355 | |
| Mar. | Traitorous correspondence bill | 357 |
| 1793-94. | Repressive proceedings | 357 |
| 1794. | The opposition in parliament | 359 |
| Selfish conduct of Prussia and Austria | 360 | |
| The British retreat through Holland | 362 | |
| The coalition in a shattered state | 363 | |
| Aug. | British conquest of Corsica | 363 |
| 28 May-1 June. | Naval victory: the glorious First of June | 364 |
| Portland whigs coalesce with government | 366 | |
| 1791. | Ireland. Society of United Irishmen founded | 367 |
| 1793. | Catholic relief act | 368 |
| 1794. | Catholic emancipation question | 368 |
| Feb., 1795. | The recall of Fitzwilliam | 370 |
CHAPTER XVIII.
England's Darkest Days.
| 1795. | A desire for negotiation | 372 |
| 8 April. | Marriage of the Prince of Wales | 373 |
| Difference between Pitt and Grenville | 373 | |
| 5 April. | Treaty of Basle | 374 |
| Treaties with Austria and Russia | 374 | |
| Feeble conduct of war in the Mediterranean | 375 | |
| June. | The expedition to Quiberon | 376 |
| War in the West Indies | 377 | |
| Scarcity, riots, and democratic agitation | 378 | |
| Nov. | Repressive legislation | 379 |
| 1796. | Bonaparte's campaign in Italy | 380 |
| British fleet evacuates the Mediterranean | 381 | |
| Overtures and unsuccessful negotiations for peace | 382 | |
| Financial difficulties: the Loyalty loan | 384 | |
| Ireland—United Irishmen adopt a military organisation | 386 | |
| Dec. | French attempt an invasion of Ireland | 386 |
| 27 Feb., 1797. | Suspension of cash payments | 387 |
| 14. | Battle of Cape St. Vincent | 388 |
| 18 April. | Preliminaries of peace between France and Austria signed at Leoben | 390 |
| The mutinies in the navy | 391 | |
| Negotiations at Lille | 396 | |
| 17 Oct. | Treaty of Campo Formio | 397 |
| 11. | Battle of Camperdown | 398 |
| A partial secession of whigs from parliament | 399 | |
| Nov. | The triple assessment | 400 |
CHAPTER XIX.
Irish Rebellion and Naval Supremacy.
| 1798. | Threatened invasion of England | 401 |
| The Irish peasantry look to France for help | 404 | |
| 1797-98. | Rebellion in Ulster averted by severities | 405 |
| 12 Mar., 1798. | Arrest of rebel leaders in Dublin | 407 |
| Cruel measures adopted in midland and southern counties | 407 | |
| 23 May. | Outbreak of rebellion in Kildare | 408 |
| Rebellion in Wexford | 409 | |
| 21 June. | Rebels routed on Vinegar hill | 411 |
| 20 Aug. | French under Humbert land in Killala bay | 413 |
| 27. | "The race of Castlebar" | 413 |
| Other attempts at invasion | 414 | |
| 1 Aug. | The Battle of the Nile | 416 |
| Mar.-May, 1799. | The defence of Acre | 418 |
| 4 May. | Storming of Seringapatam and death of Tipú | 420 |
| 1798. | Paul of Russia proposes a coalition | 421 |
| Dec., 1798. - Jan., 1799. | The second coalition formed | 423 |
| 1798. | British troops withdrawn from San Domingo | 424 |
CHAPTER XX.
Isolation in Europe and the Irish Union.
| 1799. | Campaign of Suvorov | 425 |
| A French fleet in the Mediterranean | 426 | |
| June. | Nelson and the Neapolitan jacobins | 427 |
| Aug.-Oct. | The expedition to the Helder | 429 |
| Paul of Russia deserts the coalition | 431 | |
| 9 Oct. | Bonaparte returns to France | 432 |
| Jan., 1800. | The convention of El Arish | 432 |
| 25 Dec, 1799. | Bonaparte's letter to the king | 433 |
| April. | Payment of the income tax | 434 |
| Scarcity of wheat | 435 | |
| April, 1800. | Investment of Genoa | 436 |
| 14 June. | The battle of Marengo | 437 |
| Bonaparte proposes a naval armistice | 438 | |
| Unprofitable expeditions | 439 | |
| 9 Feb., 1801. | The Treaty of Lunéville: isolation of England | 440 |
| Paul's anger against England | 440 | |
| Dec., 1800. | The armed neutrality | 441 |
| Great Britain's maritime supremacy | 443 | |
| Scarcity and desire for peace | 443 | |
| Irish independence a source of weakness | 445 | |
| Oct., 1798. | Pitt contemplates union on a protestant basis | 446 |
| 1799. | Hopes of the catholics excited | 447 |
| How the government secured a majority | 448 | |
| 1 Aug., 1800. | The union enacted | 450 |
| Sept. | Pitt proposes catholic emancipation | 451 |
| Feb., 1801. | The king refuses his assent: Pitt will resign | 452 |
| 20. | The king's insanity | 453 |
| Mar. | Pitt's promise to the king | 454 |
| 14. | Pitt resigns office | 455 |
| Appendix I. | On Authorities | 459 |
| II. | Administrations of Great Britain, 1760-1801 | 470 |
| III. | The Grenvilles | 476 |
Maps.
(At the End of the Volume.)
| 1. | Great Britain, showing the parliamentary representation. | ||
| 2. | The United States of America (northern section) | } | illustrating the War of Rebellion and the Treaty of Sept. 3, 1783. |
| 3. | The United States of America (southern section) | ||
Errata.
[Transcribers' Note: These corrections to errata have been applied to the e-book]
Page 4, line 25, for "George" read "William".
" 10, note, for "From about 1760" read "From the Revolution".
" 49, line 23, for "of state in Egremont's place" read "and took the northern department".
" 55 " 4, for "1657" read "1660".
" " " 9, for "cotton" read "grain".
" 71, lines 8, 9, omit comma after "matters," and for "including taxation. The court party" read "whatsoever. Some of the king's household".
" 115, line 23, for "northern" read "southern".
" " " 24, for "southern" read "northern".
" 121 " 3, for "cousin" read "aunt".
" 130, lines 11, 12, for "French laws and customs were swept away" read "The administration of the law was confused".
" 135, line 7, for "astride on iron rails" read "to ride upon a rail".
" 144 " 29, for "up" read "down".
" 220 " 29, for "stony" read "strong".
" 245 " 36, for "1788" read "1778".
" 259 " 33, for "1774" read "1770".
" 263 " 5, for "steel" read "copper".
" 282 " 12, for "than" read "to".
" 351 " 31, for "1,500 (Austrians)," read "11,000".
" 394 " 27, for "Commander" read "captain".
" 467 " 40, for "Karl von Martens" read "F. de Martens".
" 468 " 41, for "Clerque" read "Clergue".
" 470. Newcastle's administration, secs. of state, E. of Egremont, for "succ. March, 1761," read "succ. Oct., 1761"; for E. of Bute, "succ. Oct., 1761", read "succ. March, 1761". Ld. privy seal, after "E. Temple" read "D. of Bedford succ. Nov., 1761".
" 471. Grenville's administration, secs. of state, s. dept. for "E. of Sandwich" read "E. of Halifax, succ. Sept., 1763"; n. dept. for "E. of Halifax" read "E. of Sandwich, succ. Sept., 1763".
Rockingham's administration, secs. of state, s. dept. after Conway read "D. of Richmond, succ. May, 1766"; n. dept. for "D. of Richmond" read "H. S. Conway, succ. May, 1766".
" 473. North's administration, secs. of state, s. dept. for "E. of Sandwich, E. of Halifax, E. of Suffolk, Visct. Stormont" read "E. of Rochford, succ. Dec, 1770, Viscount Weymouth, succ. Nov., 1775, E. of Hillsborough, succ. Nov., 1779"; n. dept. for "Viscount Weymouth, E. of Hillsborough," read "E. of Sandwich, succ. Dec, 1770, E. of Halifax succ. Jan., 1771, E. of Suffolk succ. June, 1771, Viscount Stormont succ. Oct., 1779".
" 475. Pitt's administration, admiralty, for "Hood" read "Howe".
" 478, col. 1, line 32, for "afterwards" read "previously".
" " " 2 " 50, Bridgewater, for "Earl of" read "Duke of".
" 481 " 1 " 27, Cumberland, for "George" read "William".
" 482 " 1 " 26, Emmet, for "Robert" read "Thomas".
" 487 " 1 " 51, Lincoln, for "Earl of (Clinton), 195, 197, 198" read "American general, 195, 198".
" 491 " 2 " 25, Queensberry, for "Earl of" read "Duke of".