Whitehall, May 15th, 1789.
MY DEAR BROTHER,
Just as I was sitting down to write to you, I received a note from
Hobart, informing me of his arrival. I have seen him, and had a
long conversation on the different points which he is charged with.
My appointment is, I think I may now _decisively_ say, fixed for
Friday next, and I hope that you will soon feel the effects of your
new correspondent, in the expedition of the various matters which
are now lying on hand. You must, I am sure, be sensible that under
the circumstances of these last three weeks, it has been _quite
impossible_ for me, however ardently I wished it for your sake, to
bring forward these different points of business; but on Monday
sev'nnight, at latest, I hope to write to you upon them all, though
the length of Hobart's memorandum-paper has a little frightened me.
I do not complain of it as thinking your bill a large one,
considering the value received, but only I think the impression of
my _debut_ in the closet may be a little awkward. I must, however,
meet this as well as I can; and although this ten days' more delay
must, I know, be very unpleasant to you, I trust you will see it is
unavoidable.
If you find it necessary, for reconciling any of your principal
people to the delay, to assign the intended change in the
Secretary's office as a reason, there can now be no objection to
it, as we have agreed that it would be right that, by the time you
can receive this letter, we should begin to buzz it about, as a
thing not improbable to happen.
With respect, however, to your peerages, I have, as I promised you,
got Pitt to state them to the King, who has consented to them,
Marquisates and all. You may now, therefore, recommend them as soon
as you please, and _I_ will take care there shall be no further
unnecessary delay.
There are, however, still two points with respect to this business.
I understand from Hobart that Lord Glerawley wants his promotion to
be limited to his brother. This had not been stated in your
letters, and I was therefore unable to mention it to Pitt. It is
therefore still possible that the King may make some objection to
this, as you know it is against one of his rules (though by no
means an invariable one) to give a step and a limitation at the
same time.
The other is essential, and can, I hope, make no difficulty with
you. He is willing to _engage_ that these should _all_ be done
without delay, but he seems much to wish that the promotions and
creations should be separated, in order that they may not, by
coming together, appear to fill too large a column in the
"Gazette." There must, therefore, be an interval of a fortnight or
three weeks. You will judge whether the promotions or creations
should come first.
The only remaining point is that of the Seals. I beg you to believe
me sincere when I assure you that, independent of your wishes upon
the subject, my own opinion is quite as much made up as yours is on
the subject of Fitzgibbon's appointment. But, in the same
sincerity, I assure you that it is by no means advantageous towards
the attainment of this object, that it should be pressed forward in
the present moment. Hobart has asked me whether Fitzgibbon's coming
over would not be of use to him? I am strongly inclined to be of
opinion that it would; but before I gave him a decisive answer, I
wish to consult Pitt, and he is not to write to Fitzgibbon till
after that. With respect to the difficulty of your Chancery causes,
I can conceive no earthly reason why Carleton, especially as he is
to receive so great a favour, should not have to go on with them,
just as Lord Loughborough did here when the Seals were in
commission for a year. Depend upon it that I do not deceive you,
when I say that it is much better to wait for the favourable
moment, than to hurry it on to a decision now. That favourable
moment may arise sooner or later, but I am confident that
ultimately _le bon tems viendra_. Your information about the
Chancellor's _resolution_ is very curious, because I have reason to
_know_ that McNa. is exactly the very person who has most strongly
urged Thurlow on the propriety of an English appointment, and who
has suggested this curious notion of F.'s unpopularity. But I
mention this, relying upon your honour that you will not repeat it
to _any one_, but particularly not to Fitzgibbon.
I am most sincerely sorry that the consideration of your health
should enter at all into the question of your going or remaining.
Pray let me entreat you, whether you take the one resolution or the
other ultimately, not to delay nor put off one day a fixed
resolution to use constant and sufficient exercise. I am sure any
delay on that head is of a hundred times more consequence than all
those which we have been lamenting. Nothing in the world could make
up to you for the consequences which your omission in this respect
(which I am grieved to learn from Hobart still continues) may bring
upon you. You cannot conceive how earnestly I feel on this subject,
because I am every day feeling the good effects of a contrary
practice, which enables me to go through all the business I have,
without hurting my health or spirits.
Adieu, my dear brother,
Believe me ever most affectionately yours,
W. W. G.
The duel between Colonel Lenox and the Duke of York took place on the
26th of May. The town gossiped about it, but regarded it with
indifference; and neither party got much credit in the end. Mr. Hobart,
on the 30th, communicates another _on dit_ concerning the behaviour of
the Princes.
The Queen and Princesses were last night at the _fete_ given by the
French Ambassador. The Prince of Wales, Dukes of York and Clarence,
were also there; but would not dance, or stay supper, lest they
should have the appearance of paying the smallest attention to Her
Majesty. The officers of the Duke of York's regiment met yesterday,
at the request of Charles Lenox; they did not come to a decision
till about an hour ago. I hear it is that Lenox acted with courage,
but not with judgment.
There was some difficulty in finding a successor for Mr. Grenville in
the House of Commons. The choice at last fell on Mr. Addington. The
selection was not altogether unexceptionable; but, upon the whole, he
was the best person that could be found.