s own. When this scheme was before the lords,
Thurlow poured ridicule upon it, and spoke of its author with contempt.
The king wrote to Pitt, hoping that his old friend would own himself in
the wrong, and that Pitt would overlook the offence. Pitt, who had borne
long enough with Thurlow's sullen temper and constant opposition, told
the king plainly that he must choose between him and the chancellor.
George did not hesitate, and Thurlow, much to his surprise, received an
order to give up the great seal. He retired at the end of the session,
on June 15, and the great seal was put in commission. Pitt's ascendency
in the cabinet was placed beyond dispute. The dismissal of Thurlow marks
a step in the progress of the development of the cabinet system. It was
no longer possible, as in the earlier years of the reign, for a minister
to remain in office, through the king's favour, against the will of the
prime minister. When a prime minister is dissatisfied with one of his
colleagues he can insist on his resignation, for if he requests his
dismissal, his request cannot be rejected unless the sovereign is
prepared to take new advisers.

[Sidenote: _A WHIG SCHEME OF COALITION._]

The loss of the chancellor was erroneously believed to have weakened
the government. Some of the whig party, of which the Duke of Portland
was the recognised head, busied themselves in devising a coalition
government. Apart from the sweets of office, the condition of their
party rendered the idea specially attractive to them. Burke's appeal to
the whigs to maintain their old principles, which he urged in person at
a meeting of the heads of the party on June 9, 1792, convinced them that
unless Fox moderated "his tone and temper," it might become impossible
for them to continue to work with him. A junction with the government
might save them from disruption. It was proposed that Pitt should resign
the treasury, that he and Fox should be joint secretaries of state and
that the treasury should be held by the Duke of Leeds, as a neutral, who
would be little more than a figure-head. This precious scheme, chiefly,
at least, set on foot by Loughborough in the hope of gaining the
chancellorship, was debated among them for weeks. Loughborough, who was
not a man to be trusted, led them to believe that some of Pitt's
confidential friends were in favour of it, and had assured him that Pitt
would readily agree to it. Fox approved of the idea of coalition if he
was to h