ness towards all his family as left him entirely under the government of his wife.

The indolent Elector contented himself with showing his resentment by his silence towards him; and this was the situation the family first appeared in when they came into England. This behaviour did not, however, hinder schemes being laid by various persons of gratifying their ambition, or making their fortune, by particular attachments to each of the royal family.

ON THE STATE OF AFFAIRS WHEN

THE KING ENTERED.

[The following paper by Mr. Wortley Montagu was published by Lord Wharncliffe, and is retained as furnishing an interesting counterpart to the preceding. It was evidently written when the events described were fresher than at the time when Lady Mary wrote.-T.]

As soon as the Queen was dead, the palace of St James's

was filled with the Whigs, who were impatient to see the choice of the Regency. When the names were known, it had the universal approbation of all men except a few friends of my Lord Sunderland,' my Lord Somers, and my Lord Wharton. But Lords Sunderland and Wharton were very wisely left out, having been too violent and too odious to a great part of the nation. The Regency had not been long met but there began to be two or three little parties among them; and before the King came, it was pretty publicly known that Lord M. [Marlborough], Lord T. [Townshend], and Lord H. [Halifax], did each of them aim at the whole power; and because they had heard the King's inclination was to have a mixture of Whigs and Tories, each of these three endeavoured to strengthen himself by an addition of Tories; being all of them ready enough to drop their friends the Whigs, who had been all along so zealous for the succession. My Lord T. [Townshend] had the good fortune to be joined with the best of the Tories, my Lord N. [Nottingham].

Mr. Wortley had here at first written "Marlborough," but after wards struck out the name and substituted "Sunderland."-T.

It was very extraordinary to see a cabinet council chosen out of the Whigs, and yet many of the best places in the House of Commons offered to the Tories; which looked as if the Lords were satisfied with getting places for themselves, and showed their ingratitude towards the Commons, who had done everything in the late reign; but my Lord Townshend got the better.

:

1

My Lord M. [Marlborough] was justly blamed for endeavouring to put his officers of the army into all the civil places; and my Lord H. [Halifax], for giving too much. reason to suspect he was willing to save Oxford; and he was indiscreet enough to do this, though Mr. Gwho was said to be for the scheme of mixing Whigs and Tories, declared to all he met that the criminals ought to be punished so that it was plain Lord H.'s [Halifax's] designs of favouring Harley could not be with the King's approbation, every one of his German ministers declaring openly against it. The suspicion of Lord H.'s [Halifax's] being too much Oxford's friend, for which he gave too much reason, was the occasion of all the wrong steps that may have been taken. For whenever Mr. W. [Walpole], who had got the entire government of Lord T. [Townshend], had a mind to take any violent step, though never so disgusting to the people, he was sure to carry his point. If my Lord H. [Halifax] said anything against it, he was said to speak in favour of the Tories; if any other spoke against it, it was said he was of my Lord H.'s [Halifax's] party; so that no one could have a fair hearing but himself; and he was certainly in this particular to be preferred before Lord H. [Halifax], that no one suspected his being a friend to the Tories, for whom the King seemed to have no inclination after Sir Tho. Hanmer had been weak enough to refuse his favour.

Lord H. [Halifax] seldom could gain his point, though he was never so much in the right. Mr. W. [Walpole] carried everything, though he was never so much in the wrong.

Before the opening of the session, Mr. W. [Walpole] was

1 Mr., probably, as in other cases, for "Monsieur," the person alluded to here being the King's German minister, Baron Goritz.-T.

in full power; and when the places of consequence were to be disposed of, Mr. W. [Walpole] named as many as he thought fit, striking out of the list presented by the Treasury to the King, not only Tories, but Whigs, when he wanted to put others in their places; and at a debate, at which eight of the cabinet and about as many commoners were present, Mr. W. [Walpole] carried it that the books of letters, &c., on which the late ministers were to be impeached, should not be read till the orders were made. Mr. W. [Walpole] pretends he did not think Lord H. [Halifax] was to be trusted with them. But most people are of opinion Mr. W. [Walpole] wanted to have the whole credit of the management of this affair, and, by knowing more of these papers, to seem an able talker and writer.

He might, if he had pleased [have] produced papers to impeach the guilty in the first week of the session; but, instead of that, he delayed his report four months after the session was begun, to make it so much the finer. The whole body of the Whigs were impatient to have the impeachments begin, and foresaw that the criminals might make great advantage of this delay. So that this delay, and all the ill consequences attending it, are justly charged upon the imprudence of Mr. W. [Walpole].

It was owing to him that, in the proclamation for choosing the parliament, it was declared in pretty strong terms it was the King's desire that Whigs should be chosen; and was an open declaration that no Tories were to have any share of the King's favour. It could not but exasperate them, and certainly was not the occasion of any number of Whigs being chosen, more than would have been without it. The Whigs that [had] no dealings with the court, generally disliked it.

It was owing to him that the King asked more money for the civil list; which gave the Tories a great advantage over the Whigs, and which all the Whigs were sorry for but those who depended on the court. Had it been proper to make an addition in the first session, it would have come much more properly from the House of Commons.

It was plain, before the parliament met, that they were ready to do whatever the King pleased, so that whatever was obtained was not owing to any particular man; nor

C

could any man, or any set of Whigs, be considerable enough to put off any [thing] that the King would have done; and the only question was, what was fit to be done, and in what It appears, by what has happened, many things have not been managed as they should be; and the heat of many Tories in the country, and the indifference of the Whigs, are owing to a wrong conduct.

manner.

The injustice shown in trying of elections has perhaps this session been greater than ever.

Mr. Walpole's violence and imprudence is censured by all the Whigs but those who depend on the court; and among those all the chief, except one or two (who are not reckoned among the men of good judgment) condemn his conduct. The chief men in place are the Speaker, Sir R. Onslow, Mr. Boscawen, Mr. Aislaby, Mr. Smith, Mr. Lechmere, Mr. Bayley, Mr. Pulteney, Mr. Stanhope. Except the two last, every one of these nine has expressed his dislike of Mr. W.'s [Walpole's] conduct; and these two were never reckoned among the men who were able to judge of the House of Commons, or of the inclinations of the people. Neither has been much versed in the business of the House; and Mr. Stanhope has made many remarkable false steps in managing the business of the House.

So that had this King taken the opinion of the principal members of the House before any business of moment was proposed, which was the method constantly used by K. W. [King William], affairs would certainly have been managed in a different way.

Mr. W. [Walpole], who has less credit than any of those nine, is set at the head of them by my Lord T.'s [Townshend's] favour. Lord T. [Townshend], that was never of the H. [House of Commons] himself, thinks Mr. W. [Walpole] understands it better than anybody, because he knows more of it than himself. Mr. Rer.1 and Mr. B. [Bernstoff] seem entirely joined with Lord T. [Townshend] and Mr. W. [Walpole]; so that whatever the King hears from B. [Bernstoff], or B. [Bothmar], or Lord T. [Townshend] are

'There was no member of the House of Commons, at this period, whose name began with these or similar letters. The person referred to was no doubt one of the King's German courtiers.-T.