St. James's Square, Feb. 4th, 1791.
MY DEAR BROTHER,
I should have written to you before on the subject of the
arrangements, if I had been able to say anything satisfactory or
decisive to you about them. But I think it right to mention to you
the state of the business, in order that you may know exactly how
it stands. An unexpected difficulty has arisen where we least
looked for it, on the part of Lord Hawkesbury, who has declined
exchanging the Duchy for the Mint, although he has been distinctly
told that the Cabinet is to be given him with the latter, and not
with the former. Whether he is playing any game in this we are
unable to discover, but such is the answer which he has given,
after having taken time to consider of it. This, as you see, at
once stops the whole business _in limine_, unless some solution can
be found for the difficulty; and I must confess I do not now see
what solution there is for it. It was not till two days ago that
this great man gave his answer, and therefore it is still, I think,
by no means impossible that his stomach may come down when he sees
Pitt determined to abide by this as a condition of the other, which
there is indeed no temptation to grant him without it. On the whole
it may be only a piece of magnificence, in order to give to his
admission to the Cabinet the appearance of a favour done by him,
instead of one received. But of all this you are as well able to
judge as ourselves, and none of us have anything to go upon but
conjecture. A few days may probably enable us to form a better
judgment, and for that we must wait.
It is, I am sure, unnecessary for me to say how much this
unexpected difficulty has hurt both Pitt and myself. I am racking
my brains to find a remedy for it, and shall be truly happy if any
such should occur either to you or to us.
The accounts of our dear Catherine are now such as I hope to put
all idea of present danger out of the question; but it has been a
most alarming attack, and I fear is only the earnest of much
suffering and frequent illness from the same cause, the existence
of which seems now to be but too clearly ascertained.
Everybody in London has been ill. I have not escaped my usual cold,
but am now getting well. I rejoice in the satisfactory account
which the Bulkeleys give of you.
Ever, my dear brother,
Most affectionately yours,
G.
They have suddenly stirred in Ireland a question about spirits,
beer, &c., which they seem to understand no more of than I do, who
have had no opportunity of learning anything about it. Lord W., in
one of his private letters, mentions some plan of yours about hops,
and I think I recollect something passing between us on the
subject, but have no trace what it was. I have a clerkship vacant
in my office: can it be made useful to any object of yours?
You probably know also that Selwyn's death gives me the disposal of
his office in Barbadoes, of between L100 and L500 per annum, but it
can be held only by a resident. I feel myself bound, in the first
instance, to offer to Nepean, who is killing himself by his labour
here, to give it to any proper person who will vacate anything for
it here. If that fails, you know I have no other idea of patronage
than that of consulting your wishes, or serving our joint objects.
A little stray light is thrown upon this question of spirits and beer in
Ireland by Mr. Hobart in a letter to Lord Buckingham. The great evil
which demoralized the Irish, including, it appears, even the country
gentlemen, was whiskey-drinking; and with a view to diminish it, if
possible, the Irish Government brought in a Bill, putting a heavy duty
on spirits, and liberating beer, hoping that the measure would act as a
prohibition in the one case, and as an encouragement in the other.
Sobering the people of Ireland, I look upon to be an impracticable
undertaking; but the abominable use of whiskey, rendered it
necessary that Government should endeavour to do something which
might tend in some degree to check the evil. Meeting and
reconciling all the difficulties you have adverted to, I cannot
flatter myself has been accomplished; but we have struggled against
them as well as we could, and by not attempting too much, _perhaps_
we shall effect something. I enclose a paper, showing what will be
the state of the duties when the Bill passes; in addition to which,
we take all restrictions off the brewery, leaving the brewers at
liberty to sell at their own price, and to brew as they please. We
have also some hopes from regulations, to which we are encouraged
by the general outcry against whiskey, and assurances that country
gentlemen will _violate their natures_, and assist in carrying the
laws into execution. I must acknowledge that I am not very sanguine
upon the subject; but the magnitude of the grievance called for the
interposition of the legislature--_et librari animum meum_.
The subject of the following letter, although, from its nature,
cautiously expressed, may be inferred from the allusion it contains to
the Duke of Leeds, who held the office of Secretary of State. His Grace
was on the eve of relinquishing the Seals, but, for reasons of his own,
or, perhaps, to avoid embarrassing the Ministry, he desired his
intentions to be kept secret. Having imposed this obligation on others,
he seems to have violated it himself, and thus his approaching
retirement became known to Lord Buckingham before his Lordship received
any intimation of it from Lord Grenville. The silence of his habitual
and confidential correspondent on a point of so much interest disturbed
Lord Buckingham's sensibility; but it will be felt that Lord Grenville's
vindication is conclusive.