No one was more aware of this than Pitt. He said slowly: "I had been considering the necessity of declaring war on Spain.”

The King looked startled.

"I have just learned that France and Spain are preparing to make a secret treaty.”

"For what reason?" demanded the King.

"Your Majesty will remember the strong family connection between the two houses. Two Bourbon kings are a kind of family compact. And the reason? Because Spain wishes to attack Portugal, who has always been an ally of ours. I see Your Majesty feels as I do. A hasty peace could be a disaster to England ... particularly when we are in such a masterly position. I could never persuade my government to make peace in such a way that I know some of Your Majesty's ministers are clamouring for.”

Pitt's manner suggested that the matter was closed; and the King was still too inexperienced, too in awe of this man to contradict him.


**** When Pitt called a Cabinet meeting and put forward his proposals for war on Spain, he was met by a chorus of disapproval. Far from declaring war on Spain the cabinet wanted peace with France. Pitt pointed out the disadvantages of negotiating peace. England was rapidly rising; she was the greatest power; there was no need to consider peace at this juncture. It was the French who earnestly needed it. To agree to sit down and arrange peace terms was to give up a game which they were winning. He would only agree to a peace which brought about the utter humiliation of France; and this they could do by remaining in the field a little longer. But to agree to work out a peace and give concessions on both sides which such an arrangement would inevitably involve was throwing away a hard-won advantage.

Lord Bute spoke against him; and everyone knew that Bute had the King behind him.

"I suggest that we immediately withdraw our ambassador from Madrid," insisted Pitt.

Fox rose to express an adverse opinion and for some minutes these two formidable adversaries faced each other; and to his shocked amazement Pitt discovered that Fox had many supporters.

Led by Fox, George Grenville (one of Pitt's own brothers-in-law), Lord Hardwicke, the Duke of Bedford and Bute, his critics stood against him. To his dismay he found that only his two other brothers-in-law, Richard Lord Temple and James Grenville stood with him; the cabinet had defeated the great Pitt. That had seemed inconceivable and in this he was aware of the hand of Bute. Pitt could see no alternative but resignation.

In the streets it was whispered with awe: "Pitt has resigned." The people of the capital were incensed. Pitt was their hero. They remembered the days when trade had been poor, when there had been no work for thousands. Pitt had made London one of the great ports of the world. And Pitt had been turned out! It was not to be endured.

Who had turned him out, they wanted to know? It was the Scotsman. They did not want Scotsmen in England. Let them go back where they belonged, which was beyond the Border. They wanted Englishmen who knew what was best for England; they wanted Mr. Pitt, the Great Commoner.

They were proud of Mr. Pitt. He was no duke nor earl; he did not seek honours for himself; he sought trade and prosperity for England. And the Scotsman and his mistress had turned out Pitt.

They were sure it was the Scotsman who was responsible for this. There had been jokes about the Scotsman and the Princess Dowager for years. These intensified; they grew a little more lewd, a little more cruel. Lord Bute, riding through the streets, was recognized and mud was thrown at his carriage.

"Go back where you belong. And take the lady with you. We can do without you both.”

Bute was shocked.

"We don't want Scotch coal burned in the King's chamber. We don't want Newcastle coal either.

We want Pitt coal." It was a phrase which had come into being a few months ago and appealed to the people. They wanted Pitt coal and were going to have it.

Bute went to the King at the earliest opportunity and said that they must find some means of bringing Pitt back into the Government. The people wanted it. They were getting restive and he felt it would be unwise to go so strongly against their wishes.

"Whatever a new ministry did would be abused by the people," he told the King. "They are determined to have Pitt back and I think we should recall him.”

The King was in complete agreement, for he too deplored the resignation of Pitt.

"It was not what we intended," said Bute, 'but the man is arrogant; he could not allow anything but his own desires. Therefore he thinks to discountenance us by resigning.”

"Which," pointed out George, 'he has done.”

"There is only one thing left to us," added Bute.

"If Your Majesty summoned Pitt we might come to a compromise. He could state his terms for rejoining the cabinet and I have no doubt that he is as eager to come back as we are to have him.”

Pitt smiled complacently when the summons came. He knew full well that they couldn't do without him. As his carriage rode through the streets the people cheered him; they had quickly discovered that he was on his way to see the King and guessed the reason why.

"They can't do without Pitt," was the comment. So it was with the utmost confidence that Pitt entered the King's presence. George was a young man, in great need of guidance; but one of his attractive qualities the minister decided, was his eagerness to do his duty. If he could be weaned from Bute's influence there would be little trouble from him.

Bute! He had been thinking of him. How was he going to break the influence of years? Bute had been George's constant companion since the King was a child. Even in the days when Frederick, Prince of Wales, was alive, Bute had been almost a member of the household, behaving like a favoured uncle and later a father figure. Something would have to be done about Bute. He had made up his mind. Only if he could arrange for Bute to serve under him, could he put his reins on that ambitious man.

He gave the King that deep respect which he never failed to show in the presence of royalty and offered his terms. He would form a new cabinet; in it Lord Bute should have a place, on condition that he agreed to give unqualified support to Pitt.

When George discussed this with Lord Bute they realized what Pitt meant. The arrangement would completely break Bute's power. He would have to be Pitt's lieutenant; in fact it would sweep away everything Bute had been working for over many years. It was an impossible condition, Bute told the King, and Pitt must be asked to propose some other alternative.

Pitt's reply was for a cabinet made up of his friends. He would be Secretary of State, with Lord Temple First Lord of the Treasury; and no one who did not support his policies should have a place in his cabinet.

Bute, with the Princess Dowager, came to the King's apartments to discuss these developments.

Bute derisively laughed. "He'll be asking for the Crown next. Who ever heard of such a proposition. No one to have any power unless he agrees to submit to Mr. Pitt! The man's gout seems to have gone to his head and swollen it out of all proportion, though God knows it was big enough before.”

"You'll never be King, George," pointed out his mother, 'while Pitt rules England.”

George was in complete agreement with his mother and Bute. Nor was he inclined to hide his anger from Pitt. "You want to reduce me to these terms," he wrote, 'by disavowing my own act.

No, Mr. Pitt, before I submit to these conditions I will first put the crown on your head and submit my neck to the axe.”

"But," George wanted to know when this reply had been despatched, 'where do we go from here?

Could you form a ministry?”

Lord Bute was sure that he could; but he was remembering with some apprehension that mud had been thrown at his coach and that there were shouts of adulation every time Pitt appeared in the streets of London. "The people will be against us because Pitt is not with us," he complained.

"They see that fellow as a sort of God.”

He did not say what their opinion of him was, but he knew well enough. He was aware that George shuddered to hear the comments which were made in the streets about his mother and her lover, and Bute knew George well enough to fear that such constant reminders might affect his attitude towards them both since George was at heart a prude, and his great scheme was to bring morality back to England. They must be very careful.

"Our best plan," suggested Bute, 'would be to offer Pitt some recompense ... the greater the better.

It would have to be something so tempting that he could not refuse it. Then when he accepted we should make the people see that it was a form of bribe. This should reduce his popularity considerably.”

Both the Princess Dowager and the King saw the wisdom of this; and they set about planning what they would offer him.

"The obvious post that comes to mind is a governor-generalship of Canada," said Bute. "That would ensure his being three thousand miles away from England. What could be more desirable?”

"You think he would take it?”

"We could try. We could offer him 5000 pounds a year.”

"He has never been a man to take much account of money.”

"He has a special feeling for Canada. He regards it as his conquest. There is a possibility that he will accept; and once he has, we can set it about that Mr. Pitt has accepted Canada in other words, deserted England for the sake of a new country.”

It was, agreed George, an excellent idea, and forthwith a letter was drafted to Mr. Pitt. Knowing his interest in the dominion of Canada which had in fact been his conquest, the King had the greatest pleasure in offering Mr. Pitt the Governor-Generalship with an income of 5000 pounds a year. Pitt's answer to this was prompt and to the point. Even if he were allowed to retain his seat in the House of Commons, he would still reject the project because he intended to stay in England where his heart was.