Rochester was not destined to cross St. George's Channel on this occasion. Charles II. died on February 6, 1685. Within six weeks Halifax lost the Privy Seal, though he had been the chief instrument in securing James's succession, and Rochester became Lord Treasurer. Sunderland, who had voted for the Exclusion Bill and whose intrigues reached everywhere, remained a Secretary of State. A few days later the Chancellor-archbishop Boyle and Lord Granard were made Lords Justices by patent to take effect as soon as it suited Ormonde's convenience to swear them in. This was done on March 20, and by the end of the month he was in London, having been met on the road by an unprecedented number of coaches. St. James's Square was crowded with people who had no coaches, but who showed their admiration of his character by their shouts. In the month following the late King's death there had been more robberies in Ireland than during a whole year before, the Tories expecting that there would be no circuits and perhaps pardons at the coronation.[138] FOOTNOTES: [117] Fitzmaurice's _Life of Petty_, p. 174. H. Coventry to Ormonde, June 18, 1678, _Ormonde Papers_, N.S. Carte's _Ormonde_, ii. 469-473. 'The Earl of Essex told me that he knew the King did often take money into his privy purse to defraud his exchequer,' Burnet, i. 398. [118] Essex to Harbord, March 28, 1674, _Essex Papers_. H. Coventry to Ormonde, June 18, 1678, _Ormonde Papers_, N.S. Longford to Ormonde, _ib._ August 24, September 14, and October 5, Carte's _Ormonde_, ii. 472. [119] A brief account of the conspiracy, &c., _Ormonde Papers_, N.S., iv. 181, calendared at August 13, 1678, but the date must be considered doubtful. Southwell to Ormonde, September 28, _ib._ p. 454. Ormonde to Lord Chancellor Boyle, October 7, _ib._ Narrative of proceedings of Lord Lieutenant from October 7, 1678, to April 5, 1679, transmitted to Coventry, _Ormonde Papers_, 1st series, ii. 254. Ormonde to Southwell, October 5, _ib._, and the proclamations, _ib._ pp. 350-359. Account of the public affairs in Ireland since the discovery of the late plot, London, 1679 (after April 7). [120] Anglesey to Ormonde, November 23, 1678, and the answer, November 29, which was considered satisfactory, _Ormonde Papers_, N.S. Ossory to Ormonde, October 23 and December 10, _ib._ [121] Among the many letters in _Ormonde Papers_, vol. iv., the following are the most important: Ossory to Ormonde, November 26, 1678; Ormonde to Burlington, December 21; Ormonde to Orrery, January 11, 1678-9 (unfinished, with the above quotation endorsed); Burlington to Ormonde, January 10; Orrery to Lord Chancellor Boyle, January 28, and the answer March 8. A correspondent of Ormonde, writing from London, May 13, 1679, says, 'Lady Ranelagh defames your Grace more maliciously than ever, and there have been and daily are frequent meetings, both public and private, for that purpose.'