“Innovation” Unsaddled, 1807

There were many British optimists in early October, prepared to believe that a Fourth Coalition of Britain, Russia, Prussia and Sweden, to be joined at the first sign of success by Austria, would prove altogether too much for Napoleon. But before the nature of Ministers&s; plans is examined, it would be well to say a few words on the altered election atmosphere of the year. On their first coming into office in February 1806, Ministers had refrained from provoking an immediate crisis with the Crown and had decided to help the Irish Catholics, to begin with, by administrative rather than by legislative means. The attitude that Perceval was prepared to take in regard to the very modest concessions to the Catholics proposed by Ministers, the attitude that found favour at Court, was first notably demonstrated in some Irish Estimates business on February 20, 1807.