Page:Life of William Shelburne (vol 1).djvu/126

100 food notion of Sir Robert Walpole's manner of doing business, as well as of his opinion of Lord Melcombe."

Lord Melcombe died within a year after his curious interference in the Chipping Wycombe election.

Shelburne having brought the negotiation with Fox to a successful close expected to see it used at once for the purpose of peace, or at least for a limitation of hostilities. The counsels of the Ministry were not, however, of that unanimous character which made any firm or definite line of policy easy. Pitt and Temple had resigned on the Spanish question in October. Of those that remained Bute was desirous of peace. Newcastle was, as usual, only thinking how to keep place and power; George Grenville was discontented, suspecting possibly that the lead of the House of Commons was not to be his for long;, offended at the preference given to Grenville, was once more looking towards Pitt. Outside the clamour for war continued, and the downfall of the favourite of the King and the restoration of the favourite of the people were urgently demanded. The royal speech accordingly, at the opening of Parliament, bore the mark of the necessities of the hour, promising a continuation of the policy of the late reign, and the debate on the address turned chiefly in the Upper House on the conduct of the Duke of Bedford in his real or supposed revelations to M. de Bussi during the abortive negotiations of the year. Shelburne alone, disgusted at the intrigues of Newcastle and the hesitations of Bute, pronounced boldly for the withdrawal of the troops from Germany, to the alarm of Bute, and of Fox who wrote to expostulate in the following terms:

"I saw Lord Bute. I found him more hurt than I expected with what you said in the House of Lords. I told him what you had said to me the night before, and assured him that if he imputed it to the least decay of that affection which you bore him, and which I thought as great as ever I saw from one man to another, he wronged you extremely. He seemed vexed, more afflicted than