Dover Street, Oct. 24th, 1794.
MY DEAREST BROTHER,
Since I wrote my last letter I have received yours, written the day
of your leaving Vienna, and I calculate that this will probably
find you at the Hague. Our situation, with respect to the point on
which I wrote to you so much at large, has been a little, and but a
little, improved by a conversation between the Duke of P. and Pitt.
Nothing having since passed, we conclude that there is a desire to
wait for the benefit of your opinion and Lord Spencer's upon this
difficult and distressing subject--a desire in which I need not say
we most heartily concur.
As far as anything can be concluded from a conversation which did
not lead to any decisive issue, I hope that we have been too easily
alarmed by Irish reports on the subject of a _new system_, and
that, probably in the imagination of those who have first given
rise to those reports, some loose and general expressions have been
construed into pointed and specific assurances. Be this however as
it may, it is certain that infinite mischief has already been done
by the prevalence of those reports, and both the settlement of the
points in discussion here, and the subsequent task of the future
Governor of Ireland, whoever he may be, have been rendered much
more difficult than they would have been if more reserve and
caution had been used. It is, however, useless to regret what is
past, and all our endeavours ought to be applied to remedy the
present evil. I most anxiously wait for the moment of talking over
with you the means of doing this, which I am confident every one
concerned joins in wishing, though all are obliged to confess the
difficulty of it.
Three points are to be considered--Has Lord F. still kept himself
sufficiently open with respect to his engagements with Grattan and
the Ponsonbys, as to be able to undertake the Irish Government with
honour and satisfaction to himself, without displacing the old
tenants of Government to make room for their opponents, and without
giving to the Ponsonbys in particular more influence and power than
belongs to their situation as one among several of the great
connexions in that country? If not, there seems no hope of any
permanent agreement on this subject, even if it were so patched up
for the present as that he could go to Ireland. The next is whether
it is possible for him to undertake the Government without
insisting on the removal of Fitzgibbon? If this cannot be done, the
thing must come to an immediate stop, as we are more and more
convinced that we cannot in honour or duty accede to that measure.
And lastly, supposing any or all of these considerations to oppose
an insurmountable obstacle in the way of his going, ought that to
prevent his continuing to hold his present situation? and can the
Duke of P., Lord F., and _others_, be justified in bringing on the
country the infinite mischiefs of the dissolution of the present
united Government, on no stronger ground than because alterations,
however desirable in their opinion, in the system of governing
Ireland cannot be adopted.
I have said nothing in all this of the question about Lord
Westmoreland's removal. I should readily agree with what you say in
your last letter on that subject, that he ought to wait for a
provision, if I did not see that even this is rendered more
difficult by the _eclat_ of what has happened. Still I should think
he ought to forego his claim; but if he thinks otherwise, he has a
positive promise, which of course cannot be broken. But I always
feel a confidence that this point would in some manner be arranged,
because I am sure that we should all be willing to make almost any
sacrifice rather than let it be said by the enemy, that after
having professed to unite on public principle, we had separated on
a mere squabble about the distribution of places.
The other points are those from which I fear the most. It is,
however, a satisfaction to me to think that I see on both sides (I
know it exists on one) a very sincere and earnest desire to prevent
the fatal consequences which a division amongst us, at such a
moment as the present, must infallibly produce. And I can truly add
that, on our part, this desire is increased by the manner in which
everything else had gone on before this unhappy subject was
started.
You are coming from a bad scene and to a bad scene; but we must
hope the best, both at home and abroad, and at least we ought all
to be quite sure that we can tell ourselves we have each done our
best to prevent the misfortunes which seem to hang over us.
God bless you, my dearest brother.