No. 5, Arlington Street, Oct. 6th, 1788.
My dear Lord,
Immediately after my arrival in England I saw Mr. Pitt, and
mentioned to him that I had your Excellency's authority to say
that Lord Lifford had, a very few days before he left Ireland,
intimated a wish to resign the Great Seal. Under the impression
of the opinion you were so good to give me, I did not go further
than to request of Mr. Pitt that he would apprise me of any
vacancy which might happen in the first instance, that I might
have a fair opportunity of stating my claims, which I considered
to be pretty strong, upon the King's Government, not to be
passed by in any promotion which might take place in the line of
my profession. This he has promised to do; but I have not since
heard from him. However, I waited upon the Chancellor a few days
since, and he told me that Lord Lifford had, when he was in
town, intimated his wishes to Mr. Pitt, as he had done to your
Excellency, not to return to Ireland. I am confident, however,
that nothing is finally arranged, either with respect to
accepting Lord Lifford's resignation, or appointing a successor
to him, or I should have heard from Mr. Pitt.
The Chancellor's reception of me was very flattering, as he was
pleased unequivocally to declare his good opinion of me as a
public and a professional man; and from what fell from him, I
have reason to suppose that with your Excellency's support, and
Mr. Pitt's approbation, I shall not meet any opposition from
him. What Mr. Pitt's sentiments upon the subject may be, I have
not a conjecture, as he never in any degree opened himself to
me, further than in general terms of his personal good opinion
of me. With him, however, I must conclude that your Excellency's
recommendation would be decisive.
Lord Lifford returns to London on the 20th of this month, and I
must suppose that very shortly after, something decisive will be
done. One thing is extremely clear--that if he should return to
Ireland, he cannot very long remain in his present situation.
And, circumstanced as I am in that country, your Excellency
cannot wonder that I wish fairly to see my way. I shall
therefore certainly endeavour, before I leave London, to possess
myself of Mr. Pitt's sentiments upon this subject; to which end,
it will be very material to me that he should be possessed of
your Excellency's. May I therefore request of you, to give me
such an answer to this letter as I may show to him. Your
Excellency, I am satisfied, most perfectly understands, that I
am not by any means anxious to quit my present situation, and
that so long as I continue to hold it, I will continue to serve
the Crown with zeal and fidelity. My only object at present is,
fairly to know the ground upon which I stand on this side of the
water. The very open and friendly communications which your
Excellency has had the goodness to make to me from your first
arrival in Ireland, leave me no room to doubt of my situation
there.
I have the honour to be, my Lord, with perfect respect and
esteem, your Excellency's obedient and very humble servant,
John Fitzgibbon.
His Excellency the Marquis of Buckingham.
Up to this time, notwithstanding the interview with the King, Lord
Lifford had not relinquished the Seals. Lord Buckingham was in favour of
Fitzgibbon's claims, but seems to have been a little plagued by the
incessant correspondence in which they involved him, especially as he
had strong reasons for desiring to postpone the retirement of the
Chancellor. "I again say," he writes to Fitzgibbon in one of the
numerous epistles this affair cost him, "that nothing will make me
happier than your success; but for very many reasons, which I frankly
stated to you, I trust that the opening will not be made immediately,
and I as fairly tell you that I will not _facilitate_ it. You know what
I mean by all this mystery." He did _not_ facilitate it; and Fitzgibbon
was compelled to wait upon the convenience of Government.
In the meanwhile, some new vexations had arisen between Lord Buckingham
and the Ministry; but what they were, does not appear.