rous Correspondence
Act.--Treason and Sedition Bills.--Failure of some Prosecutions under
them.

The occurrences of the next year brought the question of the influence
of the crown into greater prominence. Lord Rockingham's administration,
unfortunately, came to a premature termination by his death at the
beginning of July. With a strange arrogance, Fox claimed the right of
dictating the choice of his successor to the King, making his
pretensions the more unwarrantable by the character of the person whom
he desired to nominate, the Duke of Portland, who, though a man of vast
property and considerable borough influence, was destitute of ability of
any kind, and had not even any of that official experience which in some
situations may at times compensate or conceal the want of talent.[73]
The King preferred Lord Shelburne, a statesman whose capacity was
confessedly of a very high order, who had more than once been Secretary
of State,[74] and who had been recognized as the leader of what was
sometimes called the Chatham section of the Whigs, ever since the death
of the great Earl. Indeed, if George III. had been guided by his own
wishes and judgment alone, he would have placed him at the Treasury, in
preference to Lord Rockingham, three months before. But, during the last
three months, jealousies had arisen between him and Fox, his colleague
in office, who charged him with concealing from him the knowledge of
various circumstances, the communication of which he had a right to
require. It was more certain that on one or two points connected with
the negotiations with the United States there had been divisions between
them, and that the majority of the cabinet had agreed with Lord
Shelburne. Lord Shelburne, therefore, became Prime-minister,[75] and
Fox, with some of his friends, resigned; Fox indemnifying himself by a
violent philippic against "those men who were now to direct the counsels
of the country," and whom he proceeded to describe as "men whom neither
promises could bind nor principles of honor could secure; who would
abandon fifty principles for the sake of power, and forget fifty
promises when they were no longer necessary to their ends; who, he had
no doubt, to secure themselves in the power which they had by the labor
of others obtained, would strive to strengthen it by any means which
corruption could procure."[76]

Fox at once went into what even those most disposed to cherish his
memory admit to have been