Holwood, Sept. 25th, 1789.
MY DEAR BROTHER,
I have not yet sent to the King your letter of resignation. Pitt
has, however, explained to him that you have notified to us the
impossibility of your returning, and that you have only delayed the
formal resignation till His Majesty shall have considered of the
arrangement to be made for that Government. This point is not yet
decided. It is indeed one of most extreme difficulty.
In consequence of Cooke's letter to Hobart, which the latter showed
me, I mentioned to the King your intended recommendation of Lord
L., explaining to him at the same time that you clearly understood
yourself not to have made any such engagement, but that as a
contrary interpretation was put upon it by Lord C., through whom
the transaction passed, it seemed for the benefit of His Majesty's
service that this step should be recommended. I also stated that
this would necessarily bring with it _the two others_ and perhaps a
third, which I named to him at Hobart's desire. He acquiesced in
the whole of this without difficulty.
Adieu, my dearest brother.
Ever most affectionately yours,
W. W. G.
There has been an action off the coast of Finland, between what are
called the Swedish and Russian _army fleets_. The Russians appear
to have had the victory decisively, but to be so disabled by it as
to be quite unable to do anything more with that fleet this year.
Nothing new from France.
On the 30th of September, Lord Buckingham formally resigned. His
successor, however, was not yet decided upon, and the subject occasioned
much perplexity in the Cabinet. The Lieutenancy was offered to the Duke
of Beaufort, who declined. The next person thought of was the Earl of
Westmoreland, who accepted. "There are several points," observes Mr.
Grenville, "in which Westmoreland would do perfectly: there are those in
which he fails; but God knows the list to choose out of is not long."
The letter containing this intelligence announced also the death of the
Duke of Chandos, who held the office of Lord Steward, with an
intimation that it was probable the new Lord Steward would be the Duke
of Dorset. Upon receipt of this information, Lord Buckingham wrote to
Mr. Grenville, expressing his desire to be appointed to the vacancy, and
urging also his claims upon promotion in the peerage. He felt strongly
upon this point. The personal obloquy and factious resistance he had
encountered and triumphed over in his Government, appeared to him to
demand some distinct and special mark of His Majesty's favour and
approbation; and as this was the mode most likely to make that
impression upon the public mind in Ireland which the dignity of the
Crown, and his own justification in the policy he had pursued,
emphatically called for, the feelings that were awakened throughout the
course of the following painful correspondence may be readily conceived.