o be its permanent limit.
The assessed taxes were increased at the same time by 10 per cent., but
with an allowance in favour of poorer taxpayers for every child above
the number of two. It is worthy of notice that, while Grenville's
ministry was in office, Whitbread brought forward an elaborate plan not
only for reforming the poor laws but also for establishing a system of
national education. Some changes in the cabinet were necessitated by the
death of Fox. Howick became foreign secretary and was succeeded at the
admiralty by Thomas Grenville, brother of the prime minister, most
famous as a book-collector. Fitzwilliam retired at the same time on the
ground of ill-health. He retained his seat in the cabinet, but was
succeeded as lord president by Sidmouth, while Fox's nephew, Lord
Holland, succeeded Sidmouth as lord privy seal.

The fall of the whig government in March, 1807, was due to a cause
similar to that which had brought about the retirement of Pitt in 1801.
The Duke of Bedford, who was lord lieutenant of Ireland, had urged the
importance of making some concessions to Roman catholics. An Irish act
of 1793 had opened commissions in the army as high as the rank of
colonel to Roman catholics, and the ministry obtained the reluctant
consent of the king to the extension of this concession to Roman
catholics throughout his dominions. Without having fully ascertained the
king's mind, Howick, on behalf of his colleagues, moved for leave to
bring in a bill opening all commissions in the army and navy to Roman
catholics. The king at once refused his sanction, and the government,
finding that they could not carry their bill, agreed to withdraw it.
This decision was announced to the king in a cabinet minute, drawn up at
a meeting from which Ellenborough, Erskine, and Sidmouth, who
sympathised with the king, were excluded, and from which Fitzwilliam and
Spencer were absent owing to ill-health. The minute went on to record
their adhesion to the policy embodied in the bill, reserving the right
to advise the king on any future occasion in accordance with that
policy. Thereupon, Sidmouth, who had already sent in his resignation,
Eldon, Portland, and Malmesbury, with the concurrence of the Duke of
York and Spencer Perceval, urged the king to make a stand upon his
prerogative. He did so, by requiring the ministers who had signed the
minute, to give him a written pledge that they would never press upon
him further concessions, dire