the first half of Lord Shelburne's speech; but what I heard I thought excellent, very violent, and very personal to the King: in short, a counterpart of Charles' in the House of Commons; and to-day he told me he meant it as such. Many compliments in it to the Rockinghams, which were answered on their side; and the Duke of Richmond equalled him in violence."[1] And yet between Shelburne and Fox there was little in common. "Don't you remark," the former wrote to Barré about this time, "in Charles Fox's speeches, notwithstanding their violence, a something always, that does not appear net, and that you cannot see to the bottom of?"[2]
The real attack was however deferred till February. On the 2nd of that month a great meeting was held in Westminster Hall, when in the presence of 3000 persons, and with Wilkes standing by the side of the Duke of Portland, Fox was adopted as the Whig candidate. The Court party vainly struggled against the stream. They dispersed hand-bills on the dearness of coals, and excited the people against Richmond, who was said to have been enriched by the Coal Tax. They obtained the dismissal of Lord Caermarthen from the Lord-Lieutenancy of the East Riding for having countenanced the Yorkshire petition, of Lord Pembroke from Wiltshire, and of the Duke of Richmond from Sussex; but these marks of Royal indignation only increased the popularity of the victims.
On the 8th, Shelburne brought forward a motion for a Committee of both Houses, to consist of neither placemen nor pensioners, to inquire into the expenditure of the public money. He wished, he said, to annihilate the undue influence operating upon both Houses of Parliament, and to establish a constitutional power instead of an unconstitutional influence. Having thus stated his object, he proceeded to dwell upon the enormous increase of debt and taxation, and the wasteful manner in which loans were contracted; illustrating his position by a review of the various financial measures taken since the outbreak of the American war, and attributing all the errors
