Pall Mall, Jan. 25th, 1783.
My dear Brother,
The enclosed memorial of Captain Mingay describes so very hard a
case, that I could not resist sending it to you; although the
answer which I gave to the Lord Advocate, who put it into my
hands, was that it must come through the Commander-in-Chief.
Sir Charles Thompson called upon me with the memorandum upon Sir
J. Irvine. He had been ordered by the King to make it out for
Lord Shelburne, who referred him through me to you. Upon the
last paragraph, I observed that the effects were already sold
before the balance due to Government was known. He then proposed
the expedient of a temporary pension till a Government should
fall, with a provision for applying such proportion of the
income of the Government as should be thought fit, in discharge
of the debt to the public account.
Bulkeley spoke to me yesterday from Lord Northington, about Lady
Ligonier. I desired him to advise Lord Northington, as from
himself, to write to you about it. If you should then think you
can do anything in it, which I cannot help hoping, the
obligation will lay upon Lord Northington and not upon Bulkeley.
Lord Clermont called upon me yesterday. He put in his claim to
the Order, to which I gave the answer of non-residence. He said
that he was always over in the Parliamentary winter, and had a
house and establishment both in Dublin and in the country. I
promised to write to you upon it, but gave him little
encouragement, nor indeed did he press it much. Townshend tells
me the King makes no difficulty about the _cordon bleu_, which
of course you will magnify as infinitely more honourable, &c.,
&c.
The Post-Office here have been making a strange jumble, and have
drawn up a most extravagant Act, God knows why, which they sent
to Lord Clermont; I enclose it to you, with my answer to him. We
shall be devilishly pressed in the House of Commons about our
settlement, as the argument of war is at an end; and yet I doubt
whether the people here have either leisure or knowledge
sufficient even to talk about it yet. The latter I am sure I
have not; and even if I had, I should not think it wise to set
the head of every Irish projector here and with you, perfectly
afloat. In the meantime it will be matter of some difficulty to
parry it.
Did I state to you in my account of the debate, Percival's
question about the Act of Henry VIII., under which offences
committed in the King's dominions beyond seas are triable in
England? I rather think the answer will be, both to that and to
what I think Lord Beauchamp will probably move, namely, a repeal
of all English Acts, as far as they affect Ireland; that they
fall to the ground themselves, except where confirmed by Irish
Acts; but that if they were repealed, a question might arise how
far even those would continue in force, according to Yelverton's
Bill.
Ever yours,
W. W. G.
P.S.--Yesterday, after making eighteen post-captains the day
before, and after having attended the Cabinet in which the
preliminaries were signed, Lord Keppel resigned the Admiralty.
There are two ideas upon this; one is that he had always
intended it as soon as peace was concluded, the other that he
disapproved the articles. I think they are very consistent, and
that if he had the first intention, he would take care to lay a
groundwork for future opposition by refusing his concurrence to
the peace; besides which, he probably feels little disposed to
any mode of bringing about an event by which he loses so much
consequence, and what is no less dear to him, so much patronage.
I hear nothing said from any authority about his successor; the
Duke of Grafton and Lord Howe seem to be the persons most talked
of. Things are going on much too well in Ireland for them to
think of, or I think for you to wish, especially at this moment,
a different arrangement from either of those two.
It is very much reported, and I believe with certainty, that the
Duke of Richmond has retired from the Cabinet, and means at the
same time to keep the Ordnance. What other people mean about
that, is, I think, not quite so clear; though the Duke of
Richmond's bitterest enemy could not, I should think, wish to
see him in a more degrading situation--such a situation,
indeed, as it seems impossible should last for any length of
time, or a moment longer than till a proper successor is found.
Minorca goes to France, and not to Spain, as Tom told you. That,
I think, is _tant pis_.
I have just received your despatches of the 22nd, and found, to
my great disappointment, that you had not then received mine of
the 19th. It is upon the conviction of _bonne foi_ that I act.
Ever yours,
W. W. G.
I hope if the Admiralty should be offered you, you deliberate
very maturely, particularly on the prospect in the House of
Commons here.