to the war office, so that
Hobart and his successors down to 1854 were known as secretaries of
state for war and the colonies. Soon afterwards Lewisham succeeded his
father as Earl of Dartmouth.

Though the Addington ministry has, not without justice, been derided for
its weakness as compared with its immediate predecessor, it is
interesting to observe that in it one of the greatest of English judges
as well as a future premier, destined to display an unique power of
holding his party together, first attained to cabinet rank; and in the
following year it was reinforced by Castlereagh, who disputes with
Canning the honour of being regarded as the ablest statesman of what was
then the younger generation. The weakness of the ministry must therefore
be attributed to a lack of experience rather than a lack of talent. It
was unfortunate in succeeding a particularly strong administration, but
is well able to bear comparison with most of the later ministries of
George III. Addington himself was in more thorough sympathy with the
king than any premier before or after. Conversation with Addington was,
according to the king, like "thinking aloud"; and with a king who, like
George III., still regarded himself as responsible for the national
policy, hearty co-operation between king and premier was a matter of no
slight importance.

In the early days of the new administration Pitt loyally kept his
promise of friendly support, and it is to be deplored that Grenville and
Canning did not adopt the same course. While the issue of peace and war
was pending, domestic legislation inevitably remained in abeyance. In
Ireland serious disappointment had been caused by the abandonment of
catholic emancipation; but the disappointment was borne quietly, and the
Irish Roman catholics doubtless did not foresee to what a distance of
time the removal of their disabilities had been postponed. The just and
mild rule of the new lord lieutenant, Lord Hardwicke, contributed to the
pacification of the country. But in reality the conduct of the movement
for emancipation was only passing into new hands; when it reappeared it
was no longer led by catholic lords and bishops, but was a peasant
movement, headed by the unscrupulous demagogue O'Connell. In these
circumstances it is to be regretted that the new administration
neglected to carry that one of the half-promised concessions to the
catholics which could not offend the king's conscience, namely, the
com