Bute was a proud but well-intentioned nobleman, with a handsome person and pompous manners. He possessed some talent for intrigue, but his abilities were meagre, and his disposition irresolute. Though admirably qualified to manage the petty details of a little court, he was utterly unfit to direct the destinies of a great nation. He had no knowledge of public business, no experience of parliamentary debate, no skill either in the management of men or in the administration of affairs. He was both ‘rash and timid, accustomed to ask advice of different persons, but had not sense and sagacity to distinguish and digest, with a perpetual apprehension of being governed, which made him, when he followed any advice, always add something of his own in point of matter or manner, which sometimes took away the little good which was in it, or changed the whole nature of it’ (Fitzmaurice, Life of William, Earl of Shelburne, i. 140). It is true that he succeeded in obtaining peace, and in partially breaking up the whig oligarchy, two objects upon which the king had set his heart, but he wanted the courage and obstinacy which George possessed and demanded in others. Few ministers have ever been more unpopular in this country. He was incessantly mobbed, lampooned, and caricatured. He could not appear unattended or undisguised in the streets without running considerable risks. The ‘North Briton,’ which was set up by Wilkes in opposition to the ministerial organ, the ‘Briton,’ occupied itself with abusing him and everything connected with him. A jackboot and a petticoat, the popular emblems of Bute and the princess, were frequently burnt by excited mobs, and his house was always the object of attack whenever there was a riot. The details of his administration are peculiarly disgraceful, and for corruption and financial incapacity it is not likely to be surpassed. Two charges of bad faith were brought against Bute during the negotiations for peace. In January 1762 secret overtures were made by him to Maria Theresa without the knowledge of Frederick. It was alleged that in order to induce Austria to consent to an early peace, Bute held out hopes that England would endeavour to obtain for Austria territorial compensation from Prussia, and that with a like view after the czarina's death he had urged upon Prince Galitzin the necessity of Russia remaining firm to the Austrian alliance. Both these charges were fully believed by Frederick, but were positively asserted by Bute to be untrue (Lecky, History of England, 1882, iii. 45–6).
Bute was by no means without polite accomplishments. He had a taste for literature and the fine arts, was passionately fond of botany, and possessed a superficial knowledge of various kinds of learning. Though haughty and silent in society, he was amiable and courteous when among his friends. ‘His knowledge,’ says M. Dutens, ‘was so extensive, and consequently his conversation so varied, that one thought one's self in the company of several persons, with the advantage of being sure of an even temper, in a man whose goodness, politeness, and attention were never wanting towards those who lived with him’ (Memoirs of a Traveller now in Retirement, iv. 178). As a patron of literature he rarely extended his aid to writers outside of his party, and was somewhat inclined to show an undue partiality to Scotsmen. To him, however, Johnson owed his pension of 300l. a year. Through his instrumentality Sir James Steuart-Denham [q. v.], the jacobite political economist, obtained his pardon. By him John Shebbeare was pensioned to defend the peace, while Dr. Francis, Murphy, Mallet, and others were employed in the same cause.
Bute was appointed ranger of Richmond Park in June 1761; a governor of the Charterhouse and chancellor of Marischal College, Aberdeen, in August 1761; a trustee of the British Museum in June 1765, and president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in December 1780. He was also a commissioner of Chelsea Hospital and an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians at Edinburgh. When Bute was appointed prime minister he was obliged to hold his public levees at the Cockpit, as his town-house was too small for official receptions. In 1763 he purchased an estate at Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, where Robert Adam [q. v.] built him a palatial residence. There he formed a magnificent library, a superb collection of astronomical, philosophical, and mathematical instruments, and a gallery of Dutch and Flemish paintings (see Autobiography and Correspondence of Mrs. Delany, 2nd ser. i. 542, ii. 33–6, 317). Since then two fires have unfortunately occurred at Luton Hoo: one in 1771, when the library, including that purchased from the Duke of Argyll, perished; the other in 1843, when the house was destroyed, but the greater part of the pictures and books were saved. Bute also formed a botanic garden at Luton Hoo, but he subsequently removed his valuable collection of plants to Christchurch (Lysons, Mag. Brit. i. 109). Lansdowne House, on the south side of Berkeley Square, London, was built by the brothers
