. Lord North induced a
large majority to vote against that clause, but agreed that the object
in view should be attained by a separate measure. A Bill for that
purpose was therefore introduced by Mr. Powys, and passed through
Parliament concurrently with the other two. In the House of Lords the
same arguments were, with little change, renewed. Lord Shelburne took
occasion to declare his full concurrence in the sentiments of Lord
Chatham, expressing 'the strongest disapprobation of every idea tending
to admit the independence of America,' although acknowledging that
future circumstances might create a necessity for such a submission.
Lord Chatham himself was ill with gout at Hayes, and did not appear.
There was no division; and on the 11th of March (1778), the King, seated
on his throne, gave to all three measures the royal assent."[6]

Lord North and other members of his Administration were convinced that
the American problem could not be solved by their own party; that such a
work could be accomplished by the Earl of Chatham alone, as he had a few
years before, by his skill and energy, when the affairs of America were
in a desperate state after five years' unsuccessful war with France,
dispossessed France, in the short space of two years, of every inch of
American territory. The Duke of Richmond advocated immediate surrender
of independence to the Americans, and peace with them, in order to avoid
a war with France; he doubted the possibility of even Lord Chatham being
able to effect a reconciliation between the American colonies and Great
Britain. Three-fourths of a century afterwards, Lord Macaulay expressed
the same opinion; but Lord Mahon, in his History, has expressed a
contrary opinion, and given his reasons in the following words, well
worthy of being carefully read and pondered:

"In the first place, let it be remembered with what great and what
singular advantages Lord Chatham would have set his hand to the work. He
had from the outset most ably and most warmly supported the claims of
the colonists. Some of his eloquent sentences had become watchwords in
their mouths. His statue had been erected in their streets; his
portrait was hanging in their Council Chambers. For his great name they
felt a love and reverence higher as yet than for any one of their own
chiefs and leaders, not even at that early period excepting Washington
himself. Thus, if even it could be said that overtures of reconciliation
had failed i