It would seem that, at an early period of the negotiations relating to the new ministerial arrangements, the post of President of the Board of Trade had been offered to Shelburne and refused,[1] but, on the 25th of March, Bute proposed that he should have the seals of Secretary of State. To this the cautious Grenville, the Minister designate, objected. "With regard to your question," he wrote to Bute, "relating to Lord Shelburne's being appointed Secretary of State, the difficulties arising from that arrangement at this time are not founded upon any personal consideration of my own, which I beg leave in a business of this moment to lay entirely out of the question; and I do solemnly protest to you they shall not weigh with me in the decision of it, but it imports me thoroughly to consider, and from my duty to the King and my regard to your Lordship, to state to you a much more interesting question which it is essentially necessary for us both to give the utmost attention to, I mean, how far that appointment will effect the carrying into execution that system which the King thinks of forming for his future Government, and which (whoever is employed in it) must at present unavoidably be attended with great difficulties.
"For this purpose you will allow me to represent to you the objections which will be made to this part of the arrangement in the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and the public.
"These will arise from Lord Shelburne's youth, his inexperience in business, never having held any civil office whatever, and from his situation and family, so lately raised to the Peerage, however considerable both may be in Ireland.
"The envy and jealousy of the old Peers, many of whom are already trying to band together, must naturally be excited to the highest pitch by a distinction, of which
- ↑ Shelburne to Bute, March 26th, 1763; Bute to Shelburne, March 29th, 1763; and the letters in the Grenville Correspondence (vol. ii.) of March 1763. It is not, however, quite clear from these letters that a positive offer of the Board of Trade had been made to Shelburne previous to his refusals of the Secretaryship of State, though it would appear to have been so. So far as Bute was concerned Shelburne could at any moment have had this or any other office.
