(Most Secret and Confidential.)
London, Saturday Evening,
Feb. 22nd, 1783.
My dear Lord,
The events of Monday and last night must have been communicated
to you, and their consequences must be too obvious to render it
necessary for me to point them out. What effect they may have
upon my situation and that of my friends, it is impossible to
say; but the supposition of a probability that they may tend to
our being intrusted with the Administration will not suffer me
to conceal the wish I should in that case most anxiously
entertain for your Excellency's continuance in the Government of
Ireland. As Mr. Townshend's friendship induced him to
communicate to you my sentiments upon your appointment, you
cannot be surprised at my presumption in the hope I now take the
liberty of expressing to you; nor will it, I trust, be thought
unjustifiable or unreasonable, notwithstanding the endeavours
which it appeared to be my duty to exert for the removal of Lord
Shelburne from any confidential employment in the King's
service. I shall not trouble your Excellency with the reasons
for my conduct, as a reference to the mode of Lord Shelburne's
appointment is sufficient to explain them, even without the
comment which his conduct affords; but as it is not unlikely
that the means which have been represented to you to have been
taken in the course of this short but successful attempt may in
some degree prejudice us in your opinion, I am desirous of
trespassing upon your patience for a few moments to assure you
that no deviation from the principles upon which I have acted
throughout my whole political life has been or is to be the
price of the assistance we have had in attaining that object.
If, therefore, it should be the King's pleasure to place the
Government in our hands, the powers of carrying it on must be
given to those who are looked upon to be Whigs, and were
considered to be such by our late most excellent friend, Lord
Rockingham. _All_ the responsible efficient offices will be
required and insisted upon to be given to persons of that
description; and though Lord North or others of the old
Administration may make a part of such a new arrangement, it
will be made a _sine quâ non_ condition that the powers of
Government shall be solely vested in those who have the
advantage of being denominated the friends of the late Lord
Rockingham. I have thought it necessary to state this outline of
our _determinations_ to your Excellency, to counteract any
misrepresentation that may be made of the basis or purport of
our junction with Lord North (to which _I_ conceive it may be
liable, from the very false and groundless accounts which are
reported to have been transmitted to Ireland of Mr. Fox's speech
on Mr. Townshend's motion for the Bill respecting the Irish
Judicature, which I myself heard, and with which I was so
satisfied, upon account of those whom it was intended to
support, of him whom it was intended to reprobate, and whom I
consider as the arch-enemy of Ireland--I mean Mr. H. Flood--that
I should have been happy to have spoken it _verbatim et
literatim_), and to inform you of the terms upon which I aspire
to so much of your confidence as to flatter myself that you will
be kind enough to give me the most convincing proof of it that a
public station is capable of affording, which is that of
remaining in the Lieutenancy of Ireland. This request is
certainly premature, and very possibly may be useless, as I may
never be authorized to make it; but as it is not less a
testimony of my regard for the public than of my esteem and
respect for your Excellency, I do not hesitate at depositing it
in your custody, and have great satisfaction in the idea of
leaving with you such a pledge of my zeal for the welfare of
both kingdoms.
I am,
Most sincerely,
Your Excellency's most faithful and obedient servant,
Portland.
His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant, &c., &c., &c.
(ANSWER.)