may be said to have been done by Pitt.
His colleagues were not men of great capacity, and he received obedience
rather than counsel from them. So it was that the position of prime
minister, a title which North refused to accept, became finally
established. This unavowed change in the constitution settled the sphere
of political action open to the crown. Government by the crown through
departmental ministers acting independently of each other was no longer
possible. The principle of the homogeneous character of the cabinet and
of the prime minister's position in it were, as we shall see, decisively
settled in 1791 by the dismissal of the chancellor, who, relying on the
king's favour, wore out Pitt's patience by rebellion against his
authority. Pitt's strength of character and the king's dependence on him
caused the gradual extinction of the "king's friends" as a party
distinct from the supporters of the government. The leader of the party
Jenkinson, the secretary at war in North's ministry, had great
commercial knowledge; Pitt made him president of the new board of trade
which was constituted in 1785, and as Lord Hawkesbury and as Earl of
Liverpool he gave the prime minister his support. Pitt did not attempt
to reduce the crown to a cypher, and George exercised a strong and
legitimate influence in politics, as adviser of the cabinet, though Pitt
occasionally acted against his wishes.

Another change of lasting importance effected by Pitt was in the
character of the house of lords. In 1760 the whole number of peers,
including minors and Roman catholics, who were incapable of sitting in
the house, was only 174; the house was then the stronghold of the whig
oligarchy. During North's administration about thirty peers were created
or promoted. Under Pitt the invasion advanced far more rapidly.
Economical reform deprived the minister of the power of rewarding his
supporters with places and pensions, and Pitt used peerages and minor
honours in their stead. George, who did not approve of a large increase
in the peerage,[186] was forced to yield to his minister's exigencies.
In five years Pitt was responsible for forty-eight creations and
promotions, and by 1801 the number reached 140.[187] The house of lords
ceased to be a small assembly of territorial magnates, mostly of the
whig party; it became less aristocratic, for peerages were bestowed on
men simply because they were supporters of the government and were
wealthy; it becam