the Malabar side, where they met
with some success and one signal disaster. Meanwhile Coote's successor,
Stuart, was attacking the French in Cuddalore. A fifth indecisive battle
with Suffren on June 20 compelled Hughes to withdraw his fleet to Madras
to refit. Stuart's army, weakened by disease and in sore need of
supplies, was saved from probable disaster by the news of the treaty of
Versailles. Deprived of his French allies, Tipu was at last, March 11,
1784, persuaded by Lord Macartney, the governor of Madras, to make
peace. By this treaty, which Macartney made against the commands of
Hastings, both parties surrendered their conquests. A renewal of war was
certain, for Tipu's arrogance was unabated.

[Sidenote: _FOX AND SHELBURNE QUARREL._]

Although the government carried some highly beneficial measures it was
not free from the usual whig failings. Led astray by party spirit, the
ministers sent Admiral Pigot, a mere nonentity, to supersede Rodney.
Scarcely had they done so when the news of Rodney's victory reached
them. A messenger was at once despatched to stop Pigot, but it was too
late. Rodney was created a baron, a rank which some thought unequal to
his deserts. While the ministers virtuously curtailed the expenditure of
the civil list, they burdened the country with pensions of L4,000 a year
to Dunning and L3,200 to Barre, both members of Shelburne's party. And
they quarrelled amongst themselves. That was the inevitable result of
the existence of two parties in the cabinet. Between Shelburne and Fox
there was much ill-feeling, which came to a head over the negotiations
for peace. Until the independence of the American colonies was
acknowledged, negotiations with them belonged to Shelburne's
department. The arrangement of a peace with foreign enemies was Fox's
business, and he would also be responsible for negotiations with the
Americans as soon as the colonies were recognised as forming an
independent state. In addition to the difficulties naturally arising
from this division of responsibility, the two secretaries differed on
policy. Fox desired an immediate recognition of American independence,
in the hope of detaching the Americans from the French alliance, and so
putting England in a better position for dealing with her other enemies;
Shelburne agreed with the king that the acknowledgment should be a
condition of a joint treaty with France and America, for England would
then have a claim to receive some ret