ham party, and, with the exception of Conway, all the more
important members of it who had joined the new ministry, the Duke of
Portland, Saunders, and others, resigned office. Conway was almost
persuaded to follow their example, for Chatham treated him with haughty
coldness, but he yielded to the urgent advice of his friend Horace
Walpole, and remained in the ministry, uneasy and vacillating. Any
alliance with the Rockinghams being out of the question, Chatham was
driven to make overtures to the Bedford party, which failed because they
asked more than he would grant. Finally, Saunders's place at the
admiralty was supplied by the famous admiral, Sir Edward Hawke, and the
other vacancies were filled by tories and courtiers.

The harvest of 1765 was bad, and that of the present year promised to be
no better. The price of wheat rose rapidly, and in July reached 44s. a
quarter. The poor were distressed, worse times seemed to be ahead, and
the dealers were believed to be keeping back supplies in the expectation
of higher prices. Riots of a more or less serious character broke out in
some fifty places; bakers' shops were pillaged, mills and barns were
fired, and dealers and tradesmen were forced to sell provisions at
prices fixed by the people. It was not until September 10, when wheat
had again risen, that the ministers, in accordance with the economic
ideas of the time, issued a proclamation against forestalling and
engrossing. It had no effect; the price reached 49s., and on the 26th
the council laid an embargo on exportation. By law the ministers had no
right to take such a step until wheat was at 53s. 4d. As, however,
prices were rising, all parties agreed that the embargo was in itself a
justifiable measure. It was, however, objected that the ministers should
have summoned parliament to meet at an earlier date, and have acted with
its authority. When parliament met on November 11, the opposition
insisted that the ministers needed a bill of indemnity for having set
aside the law by a proclamation of council. Chatham defended their
action on the constitutional ground of necessity. His colleagues and
supporters were not all equally wise. Northington declared that the
proclamation was legally, as well as morally, justifiable; and the
chancellor, Camden, the assertor of popular liberties, that "it was at
most a forty days' tyranny". His foolish speech was severely handled by
Mansfield. In the commons Alderman Beckford, a hot-