228 
HISTORY OF ENGLAND 
[1760-63 
home life first appeared. In 1752 Great Britain adopted the Gregorian 
salendar, and henceforth the years began on the first of January, 
3. GEORGE III. 1760-1820 
229. Geurge determines to rule.—For half a century, the 
power of the ministers, and particularly of those of the 
Whig party, had been constantly 
increasing. When George III 
came to the throne, he had one 
very distinet idea in his mind, 
and that was that the king, and 
not his ministers, should rule the 
land. He was, however, a good, 
kind-hearted man, sincerely 
anxious to do what was best for 
the country. He was obstinate, 
but his obstinacy was not ex- 
actly wilfulness; it was rather 
an inability to sce that there 
was any other way than the one 
he had chosen. 
230. The treaty of Paris.— 
George was determined to drive Pitt from power, in 
order to put in his place a man who would be a mere 
Mouthpiece of the court. The Earl of Bute was ac- 
sordingly taken into the Cabinet, and he at once headed 
a strong peace party, the members of which began to 
clamour for the close of the war. But Pitt had infor- 
mation that Spain had entered into a secret treaty with 
France against Great Britain, and he proposed to strike a 
blow at once by seizing the Spanish treasure ships. "The 
peace party would not listen to the proposal, and Pitt was 
compelled to resign. “Pitt disgraced is worth two victories 
bo us,” wrote a French diplomat, Throe weeks later Spain 
declared war, but suffered several secvere defeats. Bute, 
however, who had now become premier, was eager to end 
the war, and pcace. was finally concluded at Paris in 1763.