In 1792, he was elected Chancellor of the Univer sity of Oxford; and, soon afterwards, he, as well as several other friends of Mr Fox, who differed with him respecting the French revolution, left the opposition, and joined the ministry. Upon this, he was appoint ed Lord-Lieutenant of the county of Nottingham; and, in 1794, Secretary of State for the Home De partment. The scarcity and high price of provi sions, and the state. trials, which occurred soon after he became Secretary of State, rendered his office arduous and unpleasant. He discharged his duty, however, under these circumstances, with modera tion, and with acknowledged good intentions, though not always perhaps with vigour and judgment. He continued Secretary of State, till Mr Addington be came Prime Minister in 1801, when he exchanged this situation for the more easy duty of President of the Council. On the death of Mr Pitt, and the ap pointment of Lord Grenville and Mr Fox to the mi nistry, in the spring of 1806, he was removed from the Presidentship of the Council ; but he was again called into public life, and placed at the head of the Treasury, in March 1807, when Lord Grenville's ad ministration closed. His Grace, however, though
nominally the Prime Minister, was too infirm to take an active part in the high and arduous duties of this situation, which were discharged almost entirely by Mr Perceval, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He continued nominally the First Lord of the Treasury till a very short time before his death, which happen ed on the 30th of October 1809.
The abilities of his Grace were certainly but mo derate, and very far inferior to those which he must have possessed, had he been, as latterly there has been an attempt to prove, the author of Junius's Letters ; but his understanding was good, and he was by no means unwilling or unable to give regu lar attention to official business. His political inte grity was never questioned, even by the party whom he left. (c.)