actious opposition which had given so
much trouble, and had lent the weight of his professional and official
authority to the accusations which had been brought against the naval
administration. The King spoke to Rooke, who declared that Orford had
been misinformed. "I have a great respect for my Lord; and on proper
occasions I have not failed to express it in public. There have
certainly been abuses at the Admiralty which I am unable to defend. When
those abuses have been the subject of debate in the House of Commons, I
have sate silent. But, whenever any personal attack has been made on
my Lord, I have done him the best service that I could." William was
satisfied, and thought that Orford should have been satisfied too.
But that haughty and perverse nature could be content with nothing but
absolute dominion. He tendered his resignation, and could not be induced
to retract it. He said that he could be of no use. It would be easy to
supply his place; and his successors should have his best wishes. He
then retired to the country, where, as was reported and may easily be
believed, he vented his ill humour in furious invectives against the
King. The Treasurership of the Navy was given to the Speaker Littleton.
The Earl of Bridgewater, a nobleman of very fair character and of some
experience in business, became First Lord of the Admiralty.

Other changes were made at the same time. There had during some time
been really no Lord President of the Council. Leeds, indeed, was still
called Lord President, and, as such, took precedence of dukes of older
creation; but he had not performed any of the duties of his office since
the prosecution instituted against him by the Commons in 1695 had been
suddenly stopped by an event which made the evidence of his guilt at
once legally defective and morally complete. It seems strange that a
statesman of eminent ability, who had been twice Prime Minister, should
have wished to hold, by so ignominious a tenure, a place which can have
had no attraction for him but the salary. To that salary, however, Leeds
had clung, year after year; and he now relinquished it with a very bad
grace. He was succeeded by Pembroke; and the Privy Seal which Pembroke
laid down was put into the hands of a peer of recent creation, Viscount
Lonsdale. Lonsdale had been distinguished in the House of Commons as Sir
John Lowther, and had held high office, but had quitted public life in
weariness and disgust, and had passed