The Queen, who bore great affection to her brothers, was desirous that the second, Prince Charles of Mecklenburgh, should come over. The King would not venture to propose it to Lord Bute, but wrote to him, and after a reluctance of a fortnight on the part of the Favourite, the boon was granted. The ministers were solicitous to remove Pratt[155] from the House of Commons, and offered him the dignity of Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. He demurred; but was forced to accept it, for they would not only have removed him from being Attorney-General, a post that required a more pliant officer, and which he was willing to give up; but they had the injustice to refuse him his gown as King’s counsel, and he must have pleaded below the bar, or have quitted his profession. Mr. Yorke was made Attorney, and Norton, Solicitor Generals. This enforced destination of Pratt to be Chief Justice, preserved the Constitution afterwards from the same men, whose policy exerted such rigour against him. Mr. Yorke had lost the precedence over Pratt when the latter was made Attorney-General. It was on the coalition of Mr. Pitt, after the affair of Minorca, with the Duke of Newcastle and Lord Hardwicke. Pitt then offered to restore Lord Anson to the lead at the Admiralty, or to make Yorke Attorney, but would not grant both. Lord Hardwicke preferred his son-in-law to his son; a partiality which the latter, whose eye was fixed on the Great Seal, and which, by these means, Pratt afterwards obtained to his prejudice, never forgave to his father. CHAPTER IX. Fuentes, the Spanish Ambassador, quits England.--Return of Lord Bristol from Madrid.--War declared against Spain.--Projects of Lord Bute, Mr. Fox, and the Duke of Cumberland.--The Duke of Bedford.--Mr. Pitt’s influence with the Nation.--Divisions in the Council respecting the War with Spain.--Expedition to the Havannah.--Meeting of Parliament.--Lord Bute’s harangue.-- Mr. Pitt’s Speech in the House of Commons.--Rigby’s attempt to show the inutility of our Conquests.--Other Speakers in the Debate.--Pacific Disposition of the new Czar.--Court Intrigues in France against Marshal Broglio and his Brother.--Prejudices and resentments of the Tories.--Preponderating Influence and Haughtiness of Lord Bute.--The Duke of York’s contempt of Lord Bute and the Scotch.--Proceedings in the Parliament of Ireland.-- Lord Halifax.--William Gerard Hamilton.--Bill for continuing the Militia.