Among the remaining acts of the session was one of very doqbtful equity—the grant of an annuity of L.3000 to the Duke of Athol, for his long relinquish ed claims on the Isle of Man. Parliament was pro rogued after giving ministers a vote of credit to the extent of three millions, to be applied, if necessary, in subsidies to Continental powers.
The proceedings against Lord Melville made a deep impression on Mr Pitt, and deprived him of his only efficient coadjutor, at a time when, from the magnitude of his public cares, he was more than ever in want of support. The consequent fatigue and anxiety made severe inroads on a constitution natu rally not strong. His indisposition became apparent in the early part of winter ; and, on the meeting of Parliament, was understood to have reached a dan gerous height. His death took place on 23d Janu ary 1806. A motion, brought forward a few days after, to grant a public funeral, and to erect a monu ment to " the late excellent minister," excited much discussion. Mr Fox paid a high tribute to the finan cial merits of his great rival, but could not join in as cribing the epithet of "excellent" to measures which he had so often opposed. Mr Windham also op posed the vote ; and the Grenvilles chose to be ab sent. Still the motion was carried, by 258 against 169. To a subsequent proposition, for a grant of L.40,000 for the payment of Mr Pitt's debts, no op position was made.
The public attention was now fixed on the ap proaching change of .ministry. The king (in con. currence, it is said, with the death-bed recommenda tion of Mr Pitt) sent for Lord Grenville, desired him to form a ministry, and made no opposition to the admission of Mr Fox into the cabinet ; but is said to have expressed a desire that the Duke of York should retain the office of Commander-in-chief. The new administration was formed on a broad basis, comprising the friends of Lord Grenville, those of Mr Fox, and those of Lord Sidmouth. But, hardly had they entered on office, when circumstances oc curred which placed, in a striking light, the different conduct of men when in and ,out of power. Lord Grenville thought fit to hold the incompatible offices of First Lord and Auditor of the Treasury ; and the Chief-Justice was admitted to a seat in the Cabinet ; while Mr Fox consented to come forward as the vin dicator of both.
The defence of the country against the great mili tary power of France being still the most anxious consideration, the first measure of a comprehensive nature was brought forward by Mr Windham, whose station, in the new ministry, was the war department.
It proposed the repeal of Mr Pitt's Additional Force Bill, and a plan for improving the regular army, by substituting a limited for an unlimited term of ser-' vice, and by granting a small increase of pay after, the expiration of the prescribed term. These pro positions, brought forward in the end of April, and beginning of May, were warmly opposed ; they passed, however, by a great majority in both Houses ; and would, doubtless, have conduced materially to the improvement of our army, had they received a fair trial ; but the succeeding ministries sought, dur ing the whole war, to procure enlistments for life. In France, since 1817, the rule is, to be scrupulous about the character of recruits ; to give little or no bounty, but to limit the time of service, and to in crease the pay after the expiration of the specified term. The same principle, differently modified, prevails in Prussia and Austria.
Of the budget, the most remarkable feature was an increase of the property-tax, from 6i to 10 per cent., the odium of which ministers sought to lessen by the appointment of a Board of Auditors, to exa mine the long• standing arrears in public accounts. In regard to trade, the principles of this ministry, though little understood, and even disliked by the great majority of merchants, were entitled to mueh attention. They attempted to introduce into our practical policy some of the doctrines of Dr Smith ; doctrines which Mr Pitt had studied in his early years, but to which circumstances had not allowed him to give an extensive application. The letter of our navigation laws forbids all intercourse between our colonies and other countries ; but our West In dia colonies are, in time of war, so dependent on the United States for provisions, that it bad been cus tomary with the island governors to take on them selves the responsibility of infringing these acts, and to obtain regularly a bill of indemnity from Parliament. Mr Fox now brought in a bill term ed " the American Intercourse Act," the pur port of which was, to authorize the governors of our colonies to do, during the remainder of the war, that which they had hitherto done from year to year, and to dispense with any application for indemnity. This bill, moderate and politic as it in fact was, met with keen opposition in Parliament, and with still keener out of doors, from the shipping and commercial in terests. It passed into a law ; but it was denounced as a glaring infraction of our navigation code, and contributed, more than any other measure, to shake the popularity of ministers.