ng off a
large booty out of the valuables that he had amassed. Nevertheless, his
regency is identified with a glorious period in our military history,
and his reign ushered in a new age of reform and national prosperity. In
the great struggle against Napoleon and the pacification of Europe he
gave his ministers a cordial and effective support. To catholic
emancipation he was honestly opposed, but he kept his opposition within
constitutional limits, and his intense selfishness did not exclude a
certain sentiment of philanthropy and even of patriotism.

[Pageheading: _THE ACCESSION OF WILLIAM IV._]

His successor, William IV., was greatly inferior to him intellectually,
and infinitely less conversant with the business of state. Most of this
prince's early life was spent at sea, where he saw a fair share of
service, and became the friend of Nelson, but incurred his father's
displeasure by infringing the rules of discipline. Having been created
Duke of Clarence in 1789, he was rapidly promoted in the navy, but
remained on shore without employment for some forty years before his
accession, taking an occasional part in debates of the house of lords,
and generally acting with the whig party. During this long period he was
little regarded by his future subjects, and led a somewhat obscure life,
at first in the company of Mrs. Jordan, by whom he had a numerous
family. After his marriage with the Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
in 1818, he became a more important personage, and, as we have seen, was
made lord high admiral by Canning, but held office for little more than
a year. He was thus entirely destitute of political training, and was
living in privacy when he was called to ascend the throne on the eve of
a singularly momentous crisis.

The session was prolonged until July 23, when parliament was prorogued
by the new king in person, and on the following day a dissolution was
proclaimed, the writs being made returnable on September 14. During the
month that elapsed between the death of George IV. and the prorogation,
no serious business was done, but the leaders of opposition in both
houses moved to provide for a regency, in view of a possible demise of
the crown before a fresh parliament could be assembled. This course was
clearly dictated by the highest expediency, for, had the king's life
been cut short suddenly, the young Princess Victoria, then eleven years
old, would have become sovereign with full powers, but with