xviii
WILLIAM, EARL OF SHELBURNE
PAGE
Free Trade—Dr. Price and Dr. Priestley—Priestley becomes Librarian at Bowood—Correspondence between him and Shelburne—Political situation on the return of Shelburne to England—Questions of religious toleration—The Feathers Tavern petition—The Latitudinarian party in the Church—The Presbyterian clergy and the question of subscription—The Bill for their relief—Shelburne supports it—Rejection in the House of Lords |
425 |
The Royal Marriage Bill—The affairs of the East India Company—The proposals of Lord North—Fresh disagreement between the two sections of the Whig party—Speech of Barré in the House of Commons—Speeches of Shelburne in the House of Lords—His qualified support of Lord North's proposals—Controversy with the Duke of Richmond—Unfortunate influence of Burke on the counsels of the Opposition—The Irish Absentee Tax—Advice of Chatham—Shelburne declines to join the opposition to the Bill—Joseph and James Townshend—Struggle between James Townshend and Wilkes in the City of London—Townshend elected Lord Mayor in 1772—A letter of Morellet on the struggle—Wilkes succeeds in being elected Lord Mayor in 1774 |
443 |
Parties in America and in England—Extreme men—Samuel Adams and George III.—Resistance to the Tea Duty—Governor Hutchinson—Influence of the Colonial Governors generally—The letters of Hutchinson to Whateley—Dr. Franklin and the Privy Council—The tea thrown into the harbour of Boston—Correspondence of Shelburne with Chatham—The Government decide to take determined measures—The Boston Port Act—The Quebec Act—Criticism of the conduct of the Opposition in regard to the Quebec Act—The General Congress at Philadelphia—Their first Petition—Influence of John Dickenson—Attempts at conciliation—The battle of Lexington—The second Petition of Congress—Rejection of it by the King—Speech of Shelburne—Attempts of Grafton to secure more cordial action between the leaders of the Opposition—The Colonists seek the aid of Foreign Powers—Ambiguous attitude of France and Spain—Critical situation—Shelburne insists on the necessity of Chatham being Prime Minister—Renewal of Chatham's illness—Shelburne looked upon as his successor in the leadership—Shelburne as an orator—The opinions of Lord Camden and Lord Holland—Opinion of Bentham—The satirists of the Rolliad—Shelburne's antagonism to Lord Mansfield—Violence of the debates in both Houses of Parliament at this time |
465 |
