Whitehall, Oct. 26th, 1788.
My dear Brother,
I am very sorry to be obliged to give you a less favourable
account of the King's health than that which you received by my
last letter. His appearance at the levée on Friday was an effort
beyond his strength, but made with a view of putting an end to
the stories that were circulated with much industry. He has,
however, considerably weakened himself by it, and his physician
now declares that rest, and an absolute cessation from all
business, are of indispensable necessity to him. I am much
mortified at the delay which this occasions in the final
conclusion of the business about your commissions; but you must
easily see that, in the present crisis, it must be productive of
other bad consequences, which you would yourself think of more
importance. God knows what the result of it will be. The present
situation is sufficiently embarrassing; but if it turns out ill,
all sense of personal inconvenience, mortification, or
disappointment, will, I fear, be lost in considerations of
infinitely greater moment. At present, however, there is, I
believe, unquestionably no danger; but I cannot divest myself of
the persuasion that these are only the symptoms of some disorder
lurking in his constitution, and which he has not sufficient
strength of habit to throw out. I need not say that you may
depend upon hearing from me as often as I hear anything
authentic as to his situation, and that if I do not write
constantly, it will only be because I have nothing new to
communicate on which I can at all depend.
There are no fresh accounts from the Bannat. The troops of
Denmark, acting in Sweden, had agreed on the 10th to a
suspension of hostilities for eight days, and there seemed
reason to hope that this period would be prolonged. They had
passed the Gothelba on which Gothenburg stands, but had
retreated again beyond it.
27th.--I have heard no further account of the King. The story
which you will see in the papers about Lord Holland, is, I
believe, utterly unfounded. I have found the list of the deeds,
&c., contained in the iron chest. Camplin says that Colonel
Nugent has two duplicates of it. I have therefore directed him
to send the list itself over to you by this day's post. You will
see that Lord G. B.'s renunciation deed is not mentioned in the
list; and Camplin, who made the list, says he never heard of it.
Ever yours,
W. W. G.
The letters that follow, depict the distressing anxieties which, day by
day, throughout this painful interval, attended the progress of the
fatal malady.