the Shelburne
Whigs as they were with Lord North. The movement was one of the worst in
the history of English party. It served its immediate purpose, however, for
Lord Shelburne found himself (February 24, 1783) too weak to carry on the
government, and was succeeded by the members of the coalition, with the
duke of Portland for prime minister (April 2, 1783). Burke went back to his
old post at the pay-office and was soon engaged in framing and drawing the
famous India Bill. This was long supposed to be the work of Fox, who was
politically responsible for it. We may be sure that neither he nor Burke
would have devised any government for India which they did not honestly
believe to be for the advantage both of that country and of England. But it
cannot be disguised that Burke had thoroughly persuaded himself that it was
indispensable in the interests of English freedom to strengthen the party
hostile to the court. As we have already said, dread of the peril to the
constitution from the new aims of George III. was the main inspiration of
Burke's political action in home affairs for the best part of his political
life. The India Bill strengthened the anti-court party by transferring the
government of India to seven persons named in the bill, and neither
appointed nor removable by the crown. In other words, the bill gave the
government to a board chosen directly by the House of Commons; and it had
the incidental advantage of conferring on the ministerial party patronage
valued at L300,000 a year, which would remain for a fixed term of years out
of reach of the king. In a word, judging the India Bill from a party point
of view, we see that Burke was now completing the aim of his project of
economic reform. That measure had weakened the influence of the crown by
limiting its patronage. The measure for India weakened the influence of the
crown by giving a mass of patronage to the party which the king hated. But
this was not to be. The India Bill was thrown out by means of a royal
intrigue in the Lords, and the ministers were instantly dismissed (December
18, 1783). Young William Pitt, then only in his twenty-fifth year, had been
chancellor of the exchequer in Lord Shelburne's short ministry, and had
refused to enter the coalition government from an honourable repugnance to
join Lord North. He was now made prime minister. The country in the
election of the next year ratified the king's judgment against the Portland
combination; and