296

HISTORY OP ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XVIII.

jnya.

Ministe-

rial

changesin Eng-land.

The Houses broke up; and tlie King prepared to set out forthe Continent. Before his departure he made some changes inhis household and in several departments of the government;changes, however, which did not indicate a very decided pre-ference for either of the great political parties. Rochester wassworn of the Council. It is probable that he had earned thismark of royal favour by taking the Queen’s side in the unhappydispute between her and her sister. Pembroke took charge ofthe Privy Seal, and was succeeded at the Board of Admiralty byCharles Lord Cornwallis, a moderate Tory: Lowtlier accepteda seat at the same board, and was succeeded at the Treasuryby Sir Edward Seymour. Many Tory country gentlemen, w'hohad looked on Seymour as their leader in the war against place-men and Dutchmen, were moved to indignation by learningthat he had become a courtier. They remembered that he hadvoted for a Regency, that he had taken the oaths with no goodgrace, that he had spoken with little respect of the Sovereignwhom he was now ready to serve for the sake of emolumentshardly worthy of the acceptance of a man of his wealth and par-liamentary interest. It was strange that the haughtiest ofhuman beings should be the meanest, that one who seemed toreverence nothing on earth but himself should abase himself forthe sake of quarter day. About such reflections he troubledhimself very little. He found, however, that there was one

words “Le Roy et La Royne s’aviseront.” And it was clear at the firstglance what the objection was.

There is a hiatus in that part of Narcissus Luttrell’s Diary which relatesto this matter. “The King,” he wrote, “passed ten public bills and thirty-four private ones, and rejected that of the —”

As to the present practice of the House of Commons in such cases, seeHatscll’s valuable work, ii. 356. I quote the edition of 1818. Ilatscll saysthat many bills which affect the interest of the Crown may be brought inwithout any signification of the royal consent, and that it is enough if theconsent be signified on the second reading, or even later; but that, in aproceeding which affects the hereditary revenue, the consent must besignified in the earliest stage*