gradual relaxation in his demands and politics, 264; comes into power, 270; arrangements for his friends, 274; his conduct as first minister, 275; his long speech for the opening of parliament sent back by the king unread, to be shortened, 276; affairs connected with Byng’s trial, 310, 312, 322; first appearance in the House as minister, and to demand money for Hanover, 313; declares in favour of mercy to Admiral Byng in the House, 322, 329; asks mercy of the king, but refused, 326; exertions in the House on the royal message of reprieve, 333; intrigues to dismiss him from power, 377; events leading to a change of ministry, 378, 379; chooses to be turned out in preference to resignation, iii. 1; his power and popularity, 5; tendency towards the Duke of Newcastle, 6; extraordinary finesse in attending the House on the Minorca inquiry, 8; further negotiations, 14, 15; comes again into power with the Duke of Newcastle, 31; commences a vigorous system of government, 42; political honesty in the affair of Closter Seven, 60; of Rochfort also, 74; patronizes Wolfe, 75; political influence in 1758, 84; objects to German campaigns, 88; supports the Habeas Corpus, 103; his conduct of the war, 123; opens the session of 1758, personal and ministerial conduct, 149; character of his military administration, 160; successes of 1759, 169, et seq.; character and ministry, 173, 174; offends the House by taxes and excise, 178; speech in parliament, after the glorious successes of the war, 1759, 225; loses Lord Temple, 228; but who returns to office, _ib._; declines offers of peace from France from a determination to humble her, 236; rupture with Lord Bute, 237; writes a warm letter to the Duke of Bedford on the affairs of Ireland, 245. Plantation Act, its repeal proposed in the House of Commons, i. 364. Planting in England, first encouraged by Archibald, Duke of Argyle, i. 278. Plate, wrought, taxed, ii. 176; ignorance of leading members, 182. Pococke, Admiral, successes in the East Indies, iii. 217. Police, national, observations on, in commutation of capital punishments, i. 256. Policy, national, a most extraordinary system of, proposed by Pelham, i. 218. Pompadour, Madame, affair of Miss Murphy’s rivalship with, i. 334. Ponsonby, Speaker, in Ireland, party politics during the Bedford administration, iii. 68, et seq. Pope, Alexander, anecdote of his duplicity towards Lord Bolingbroke, i. 224. Popedom, consequences of election to, upon general politics, iii. 131. Porteous, Captain, affair of, at Edinburgh, curious facts relating to, i. 43, 59. Portugal, complaints about money smuggled by English ships of war, i. 256.