Although Pitt was by no means subservient, there was no friction between him and the King, who approved most of his measures. George was strongly in favor of the long and ruinous war with France, and of the union which Pitt forced upon Ireland in 1801. He was opposed, how ever, to Pitt's attempted Parliamentary reform in 1785, and to the impeachment of Warren Hast ings, which measures were after all defeated. He refused to allow the Cabinet to appoint the bishops, as had become the custom, and in the case of Archbishop Sutton of Canterbury took the appointment directly out of Pitt's hands. He refused positively to grant Catholic emanci pation, which he conceived to be contrary to his coronation oath, and in 1801 forced Pitt to re sign rather than allow his promise of emancipa tion to the Irish Catholics to be fulfilled. In 1804 he dismissed the entire Addington Ministry because its members refused to pledge them selves never during his life to advocate Catholic emancipation. His dislike of Fox, who he sup posed had a bad influence on the Prince of Wales, is well known. He repeatedly refused to allow him to enter the Ministry (1781, 1782, 1803, 1804, 1806), "even at the hazard of a civil war." This dislike he lived to overcome, and he much regretted the death of Fox.
The King's last years were darkened by many troubles, keenest of which was the conduct of his brothers and of his children, particularly the Prince of Wales, whose immoral and undutiful behavior embittered his life. He had to bear the brunt of popular ill feeling occasioned by the economic misery the French War brought to England. He was also afflicted by sickness. In
1805 he had trouble with his eyes, and by 1809 he became blind. As early as 1765 he was men tally deranged for a short time. In 1788 there was a recurrence of the same trouble, and the first Regency Bill was passed, but he speedily recovered. In 1811 he finally became hopelessly insane, and his son (afterwards George IV.) acted as Regent until the King's death, on Jan uary 29, 1820.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. The Calendar of Home Office Bibliography. The Calendar of Home Office Papers of the Reign of George III., ed. Padington (Rolls Series, London, 1878), which will be fol lowed by the foreign and Colonial series, is the most important source. Among the private cor respondence, consult: Grenville Papers, ed. W. J. Smith (London, 1852) ; the Correspondence of John, Duke of Bedford, ed. Lord J. Russell (Lon don, 1842) ; that of William, Pitt, ed. by Taylor and Ringle (London, 1840) ; of Lord Harris Malmesbury (London, 1844) ; of Lord Charles Cornwallis, ed. by Ross (London, 1859) ; and especially The Works and Correspondence of Ed mund Burke, Bohn Library (London, 1857). Among contemporary memoirs, consult: Walpole, Memoirs of the Reign of George III. (London, 1894) ; Memoirs of the Marquis of Rockingham and His Contemporaries, ed. by Thomas (London, 1852). Especially important politically are the Letters of Junius (London, 1806; also published in the Bohn Library), usually ascribed to Sir Philip Francis.