Page:Life of William Shelburne (vol 1).djvu/166

140 relationship or interest hurt his character extremely, as it took off from the most amiable part of it, which was generally believed too. He was averse even to take the trouble of seeing them, and from that moment thought of nothing but what he should ask for himself, his brother, his nephews, his own and his wife's relations, and his immediate dependents. With these he filled up most of the employments, which he prevailed on Lord Bute to turn the Duke of Newcastle's friends out of, without the least regard to the future carrying on of the King's business. One event, however, happened which interrupted these considerations a little. Lord Bute's Tory friends had pressed him to have an enquiry into the publick expenses as a popular and in every respect a very wise measure. Sir J. Philipps, the silliest of them, was so bent upon this silly idea, for so it certainly was considering it on the side of Government—as Government was composed—that he was determined to propose it, and propose it in his own way. Lord Bute felt so hampered, having committed himself on this subject, as he had very imprudently done on many of the same purport to Sir F. Dashwood and other people of the same stamp, that he thought he could not cleverly get off without appearing at least to come into it to a certain degree. He had a confused notion likewise that he might gain some popularity by it, and that he might deceive the world. Mr. Fox was most unaccountably afraid of it, insomuch that he could not conceal it from anybody, and was very imprudent in his opposition to it in the House of Commons, where he was left almost single, being deserted by Grenville, Elliot, and most of the second people. He deprecated it in vain with Lord Bute. It ended without doing him any publick harm, however, and has left in the world the impression of the most useless, contemptible, ridiculous, childish, and absurd measure ever proposed by Government, as attempts of that sort usually do, having failed."

On the 10th of February 1763 the definitive Peace