1720 to 1727.

Period III. folicitation. Carteret had the unwelcome táfk of commanding Schaub not to prefs the affair any farther, and of inclofing a letter from the king to the duke of Bourbon, declaring that it never was his intention to make the dukedom a ftate affair, and declining to infift on a request which was disagreeable to the king of France and the prime minifter. Carteret, however, was still fo convinced of his fuperior favour, that he either disbelieved, or affected to disbelieve the reports of his declining influence. He filled his letters to Schaub with repeated declarations, that the king approved their conduct; exhorted him to be perfectly tranquil, and to bear all mortifications, until the affair of the dukedom fhould be finifhed; expreffed his full conviction that they should maintain their ground, and that his own authority was stronger than ever; yet at the very time his own fall and the removal of Schaub were evident, from the pointment of Horace Walpole to be envoy extraor dinary and plenipotentiary to the court of Verfailles. The additional honour thus conferred increafed the jealousy of Schaub, who found all the affurances of his patron belied, and himself in danger of being recalled from Paris. But even this mortification did not induce Carteret to acknow> ledge the fuperiority of his rivals; he ftill gave Schaub the ftrongeft affurances of support from the king; advised him to attach himself to the duke of Bourbon and Madame de Prie; he declared, that

• Walpole Papers, January 26, 1724.

ap

the

the king was fecretly inclined in his favour, but Chapter 24that he did not love difputes, and was unwilling 1773 to 1724. to require fuch explanations as would force him to take a decided part. He obferved, that the anfwer to the duke of Bourbon could by no means be interpreted, as if the king abandoned his request of the dukedom, although he did not defire that it might be confidered as a public affair.

Carteret perhaps had fufficient reason to be fecure of his victory, as well because he was perfonally a favorite with the king, as because he was joined by a formidable combination of men who poffeffed great weight and confequence. Amongst Character of Cadogan. the members of the cabinet who acted with him, was William earl of Cadogan, who lrad concentred in himself the pofts of commander in chief, and mafter of the ordnance, and who was fupported by the friends and adherents of his deceased patron, John duke of Marlborough, particularly by the duchefs, whofe enormous wealth enabled her occafionally to forward or obftruct the public loans, and who was highly offended with Walpole, for prefuming to raise money at a lefs intereft than fhe had required. Cadogan was frank, open, vehement, impatient of contradiction, and inclined, in cafe of difficulties, rather to cut the gordian knot with his fword, than attempt by patience to unravel its intricacy. He was in high favour with the king for his knowledge of foreign languages, his acquaintance with foreign manners, and for an ease and addrefs which was partly derived from an early intercourfe with the world, and partly from

an

Period III. an intermixture of military and civil occupations. 1720 to 1727. At this crifis, Cadogan had rendered himself for

Efforts of

Carteret.

!

obnoxious to Walpole, that it was determined to open the political campaign with his difmiffion, which was to be a prelude to other changes. The post of commander in chief had been promised to lord Cobham, and the maftership of the ordnance to the duke of Argyle; but the king gave a decided negative to this propofal, by declaring that he would not part with Cadogan. As this attack was made at the opening of the feffion, when the predominant influence of Walpole in the house of commons, feemed to countenance an opinion, that his demands must be complied with; this repulfe was confidered by the friends of Carteret and Cadogan, as the fure omen of his downfal.

In the midft of thefe divifions in the cabinet, the affairs in Ireland, relating to Wood's patent, gave Carteret an opportunity of impreffing the king with unfavourable fentiments of Walpole, to whose misconduct he principally imputed thefe difturbances. He fomented the difcontents in Ireland, and caballed with the Brodricks, who were incensed against the duke of Grafton, lord lieutenant, for afcribing the oppofition folely to the fecret manœuvres of lord chancellor Midleton, and for infifting, that either he should be deprived of the feals, or fhould not be appointed one of the lords juftices. Their difcontent was no lefs ve

See Chapter 26th on the Disturbances in Ireland.

hement

hement against Walpole, who fupported the duke Chapter 24. of Grafton; and Carteret increafed their confe- 1723 to 1724quence, by enumerating to the king the fervices which the family had performed in favour of his fucceffion, by exaggerating their influence in Ireland, and by dwelling on the ill confequences which would refult from depriving lord Midleton of the feals. Thefe commotions, although finally quelled by the prudence and ability of Walpole, yet gave great embarraffment to his adminiftration, and delayed the removal of Carteret.

Walpole baffled his adverfaries with the fame Baffed by arts which they endeavoured to employ against Walpole. him. Bolingbroke had betrayed to him the intrigues of Carteret with the Tories, and had made offers from fome of their leaders to join adminiftration; although Walpole rejected these overtures, and declined a general coalition with them, yet he detached feveral from the party, and amufed others. He gained a great acceffion of ftrength by fecuring lord Harcourt, whom he introduced into the privy council, gratified with an increase of his penfion, and for whom he obtained the appointment of one of the lords justices during the king's abfence. By these means the leaders. of the difaffected party were allured with hopes of fimilar honours and emoluments, if they would follow the fame example; and highly diffatisfied with Carteret, made little oppofition to the meafures of government; flattering themselves that his removal would be foon followed by their introduction into power. To thefe expectations may

be

Period III. be partly attributed the extreme tranquillity which 1720 to 1727. distinguished the next feffion of parliament.

1724.

ry proceed

ings.

While this struggle for power was carrying on Parliamenta in the interior of the cabinet, public affairs were conducted with unexampled profperity and quiet. The parliament met on the 9th of January; the fpeech from the throne concluded with dignified expreffions of the connection between the liberty and prosperity of the nation." In the present happy fituation of our affairs, I have nothing more to recommend to you, than that you would make ufe of the opportunity, which your own good conduct has put into your hands, in confidering of fuch farther laws as may be wanting for the ease and encouragement of trade and navigation, for the employment of the poor, and for exciting and encouraging a spirit of industry in the nation. I am fully fatisfied, that the trade and wealth of my people, are the happy effects of the liberties they enjoy, and that the grandeur of the crown confists in their prosperity.”

The address paffed not only without a fingle diffenting voice, but even without a debate; and during the whole feffion the only motion that occafioned a divifion, was one for keeping up the fame number of troops for 1724, as was maintained the year before, which was carried by a majority of 240 against 100. On the 24th of April, this feffion, fo tranquil in effect, and fo barren of incidents, was closed by a speech which commended in high terms of approbation, the unanimity, cheerfulncfs, and difpatch with which the bufi

nefs