George Bancroft, History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent, Vol. 10

[533] the liberal wing of the supporters of Rockingham.

Chap. XXVI.} 1782. March 21.

Such a union Chatham for twenty years had striven to bring about.

The king kept his sorrows as well as he could pent up in his own breast, but his mind was ‘truly torn to pieces’ by the inflexible resolve of the house of commons to stop the war in America. He blamed them for having lost the feelings of Englishmen. Moreover, he felt keenly ‘the cruel usage of all the powers of Europe,’ of whom every one adhered to the principles of the armed neutrality, and every great one but Spain desired the perfect emancipation of the United States. The day after the ministry announced its retirement, he proposed to the Earl of Shelburne to take the administration with Thurlow, Gower, and Weymouth, Camden, Grafton, and Rockingham. This Shelburne declined as ‘absolutely impracticable,’ and from an equal regard to the quiet of the sovereign and the good of the country he urged that Rockingham might be sent for. The king could not prevail with himself to accept the advice, and he spoke discursively of his shattered health, his agitation of mind, his low opinion of Rockingham's understanding, his horror of Charles Fox, his preference of Shelburne as compared to the rest of the opposition. For a day

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he contemplated calling in a number of principal persons, among whom Rockingham might be included; and when the many objections to such a measure were pointed out, he still refused to meet Rockingham face to face, and could not bring himself further than to receive him through the intervention of Shelburne.

In this state of things the latter consented to be the bearer of a message from the king, but only on