Pall Mall, July 12th, Eleven, P.M.
I have received your letter, my dearest brother, which has
sensibly--I need not say how sensibly--affected me. My letter to
you did not propose to decide upon the propriety of the great
question, whether you should or not continue to keep the
character in which you are now employed; of that I could be no
judge. The total and absolute ignorance in which I have
remained, since you left England, of what was passing at Paris,
and the total want of information of what was passing here, so
far as concerned your mission, make me wholly incompetent to the
question; of that you must be the judge, and I trust and hope
that your decision will stand every test. My object was solely
to prevent the possibility of your coming away precipitately,
and so far my point is gained. I will say nothing of the cruel
situation in which I stand; I feel it most bitterly, and feel it
the more because my affection to you has no bounds. I am not
Secretary at State; but think, my dearest brother, what must
have been my feelings, if I had (as was much pressed upon me
from every quarter) accepted that department to which your
negotiation was more immediately annexed, in confidence that you
would have done that for me which you have done for Mr. Fox. If
I had listened to that persuasion (and surely my heart might
have prompted me to have done so), I might have had the
mortification of finding myself in a situation which I can
hardly think of without the most violent agitation; the voice of
every one had pointed out to me that department; and every
reason, public and private, seemed to call me to it. Think this
over, my dearest brother, and tell me if the ties of private
friendship are such as would have justified you to your own
feelings for fixing upon me a disgrace, the extent of which I
shudder at.
I know, I feel, that you love me; but, great God! to what have
you exposed me! and, much as you value Mr. Fox, am I to think
(good God! after the uniform affection, which has never felt
more truly for you than at this hour) that you trust your honour
and reputation in his hands to an extent that knows no bounds;
and that the moment which calls upon you to withdraw yourself
from your situation, is that which possibly had put your brother
in that confidential public situation in which I trusted he had
stood with you in private life? I cannot dwell upon this. I
would have fought your quarrels, I would have felt with you
every reason which may have induced you to urge this recal,
possibly very prudently, justly, and honourably; but it was not
necessary to convince every member of the Cabinet, that your
honour, safe in the hands of Mr. Fox, was not so in mine. Good
God! my dearest brother, loving me as you do, and knowing how I
prize and value you, think over this picture of possibilities,
and join with me (which is all I will ever say to you on a
subject which cuts me to the very heart) in the happiness I
feel, that motives, in which I will say that considerations for
your credit, your honour, and your ease, were decisive,
determined me to reject the first and to accept a second
proposition. That die is cast; my opinion, my reputation, and my
honour are pledged to it. I will believe, because it is my only
joy at such a crisis, that your affections beat as highly to
what conduces to my honour and situation as ever I could wish;
and tell me, my dearest brother, if the whole tenor and every
hour of my life has not proved to you how I valued your
confidence, and how truly it would be my pride to consult your
advancement; and if in taking this situation I have consulted
what was most for the honour and ease of every one of my family,
if I have peculiarly consulted the possible delicacy of your
situation, and have sacrificed every favourite passion of my
heart to it, think what my present feelings are, in the
uncertainty of the extent of those sacrifices which you may
still think yourself obliged to make. The thought, my dearest
brother, distracts me; I hint it to you, but I shall not feel a
moment's happiness till I see you. My letter is dreadfully
incoherent, but it will paint to you the agitation of a mind
struggling for its dearest and nearest object--the affection of
a brother, whom from my childhood I have pressed nearest to my
heart.--I cannot go on.
I called upon Lord Shelburne the moment I had your letter, and
saw him soon after. I carefully obeyed _every injunction_, and
pressed your immediate recal. He stated the necessity of calling
a Cabinet, as he could not take it upon himself, and the King
does not return to town till Wednesday. I urged it with every
eagerness, and have prevailed that a leave of absence shall be
granted to you to come away immediately, and this to prevent
public mischief. But it is understood that you resign the
commission on your arrival here. I have prevailed that the
messenger is to return very early to-morrow morning; and most
ardently do I wish to annihilate the next eight tedious days.
Feel for me, my dear brother; consult your reason and your
affection, and let me hope that you will feel that satisfaction
which every one of my family most earnestly feels at my
acceptance of the Lieutenancy of Ireland. You know what follows,
and you will have time to think it over; but I conjure you, by
everything which you prize nearest and dearest to your heart, by
the joy I have ever felt for your welfare, by the interest I
have ever taken in your uneasiness, weigh well your
determination; it decides upon the complexion of my future
hours. I am jealous and nice of your honour more than of my own;
but think that I have staked my happiness upon this cast; and
may God direct you, my dearest brother, to the only answer which
can convince me that your esteem and affection equals that which
I have ever borne you. God ever bless you.
RESIGNED.
Mr. Fox.
Lord J. Cavendish.
Mr. Burke.
Lord Robert Spencer.
Lord Althorpe.
Lord Dungannon.
Mr. Townshend.
Mr. Montagu.
Mr. Lee.
These are all who have resigned.
APPOINTED
Lord Shelburne _Treasury._
Mr. T. Grenville ¯|
Mr. Jackson |_Ditto._
Mr. Elliott _|
Mr. Pitt _Chancellor of the Exchequer._
Mr. T. Townshend _Secretary of State, Home Department._
Lord Grantham _Ditto, Foreign Department._
Sir G. Yonge _Secretary-at-War._
Mr. Aubrey ¯|
|_Admiralty._
Mr. Pratt _|
Lord C. Spencer _Vice-Treasurer._
Colonel Barré _Paymaster._
Vacant _Treasurer of the Navy._
Ditto _Solicitor-General._
Duke of Richmond ¯|
Duke of Grafton |
Lord Camden |_Continue in their offices._
Lord Keppell |
General Conway _|
Mr. Sheridan's name should be included in the above list of
resignations. The vacancies of the Treasurership of the Navy and the
Solicitor-Generalship were respectively filled by Mr. Dundas, afterwards
Viscount Melville, and Mr. Pepper Arden, afterwards Lord Alvanley.