Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 12.djvu/62

 election held in November the Duke of Grafton deprived him of his seat for Thetford, and he remained out of parliament until a seat was found for him at Bury St. Edmunds, vacant by the succession of Augustus Hervey to the earldom of Bristol. On his return to parliament he opposed the policy pursued by the government towards the American colonies, he voted against the address on the ground that it approved of the war, and spoke against the bill for restraining trade with the southern colonies. In July 1776 he was laid up with an attack of facial paralysis. This was partly brought on by domestic trouble. His daughter's marriage in 1767 had greatly pleased him; it was a grand match, for Mr. Damer's father, Lord Milton, was very rich. Mr. and Mrs. Damer received an income of 5,000l. a year, the settlements were 22,000l., and Conway settled 10,000l., the whole of his fortune, upon his daughter. In spite, however, of this provision, the Damers had incurred debts to the amount of 70,000l. Conway's attack passed off without leaving any ill effects (, Letters, vi. 360). From 1778 to 1781 he was constantly engaged in the affairs of Jersey, staying there four and even seven months in one year. This was rendered necessary by the war with France, for in May 1779 and January 1781 the island was invaded. On hearing of the second invasion Conway at once sailed from Portsmouth, and encountered a violent storm, which occasioned the loss of a transport with sixty men, and obliged him, after two days' beating about in the Channel, to put into Plymouth. There he heard of the defeat of the invasion and returned home, where he was laid up with a severe illness brought on by exposure. Before he had recovered he received peremptory letters from Lord Hillsborough implying that he was loitering, and treating his absence from Jersey as a matter of leave. This caused him considerable annoyance, and Lord Hertford interfered on his behalf, for the office was not residentiary (ib. vii. 494–503). The successful defence of the island was due, to some extent at least, to the preparations he had made, he was exceedingly popular with the inhabitants, and some years later the council presented him with a ‘Druidic temple’ that had been discovered there, with an inscription in French verse praising his watchfulness and military skill (ib. vi. 151).

Meanwhile, as the war with America, which he had consistently opposed, grew constantly more disastrous to our arms, Conway began to take a prominent part in the attacks made on North's administration. On 5 May 1780, in bringing forward a bill for the pacification of the colonies, he reflected severely on the conduct of the bishops who supported a policy that entailed useless bloodshed. In the course of this summer the king is said to have proposed that he should undertake the reconstruction of the government, entering as commander-in-chief, and retaining certain members of the existing administration. The scheme was wholly impracticable, and it is doubtful whether the proposal was made with full authority. On 14 Dec. 1781 Conway made a spirited attack on the mismanagement of the government which had reduced us to the necessity of peace. Wraxall in noticing the speeches he delivered at this period says that ‘his enunciation was embarrassed and involved’ (Historical Memoirs, ii. 44); while they certainly do not evince any particular power of oratory, they read well and clearly. On 22 Feb. following he moved an address urging the king to renounce any further attempts to reduce America by force, in the course of which he made a vigorous attack on Welbore Ellis, the new colonial secretary. ‘The effect of his speech,’ Walpole says, ‘was incredible.’ On the division the ministers were left with a majority of only one. He renewed the attack on the 27th, and taunted Dundas and Rigby with possessing the ‘gift of tongues—double tongues.’ He was now ‘completely master of the deliberations of the house on the subject of America’ (ib. ii. 203), and on 4 March gained another victory. On the 20th North at last obtained permission to resign. In the ministry formed by Rockingham, which entered office on the 27th, Conway was commander-in-chief with a seat in the cabinet. It was formed out of a combination of the parties of Rockingham and of Shelburne, who was a secretary of state. When Rockingham died on 1 July following the king made Shelburne prime minister. Fox, Burke, and some others resigned; Conway, the Duke of Richmond, and other members of the party retained their offices. Although it has been stated that some jarring took place on account of Shelburne's refusal to accede to the wish of Conway and Pitt that Fox should be brought into the cabinet (Memorials of Fox, ii. 30), it is certain that Shelburne would have admitted him, and that Fox absolutely refused to act with him (, Administrations, 57). On 9 July Conway defended the government from the attacks of Fox, denying that there was any division in the cabinet or any departure from its original policy in the matter of the peace. Burke ridiculed him for serving under Shelburne, declaring that he was like Little Red Ridinghood, who ‘didn't know a wolf from her grandmother.’ He disliked the treaties with France and Spain, and was not alto-