Whitehall, Nov. 8th, 1788.
My dear Brother,
I am afraid that I shall be obliged to send this letter away
without any particular or authentic account of the King. Pitt is
gone down to Windsor this morning, and is not yet returned;
unless he comes back before the post goes out I shall have
little more than common report to send you.
I understand the immediate object of the Prince's desiring to
see him, was to inquire about a paper which the Queen imagined
the King had put into Pitt's hands respecting an arrangement for
the younger part of his family; but Pitt has no such paper.
The latest authentic account I have seen, was a note which Pitt
received from Sir G. Baker, about nine yesterday evening, and
which was, therefore, probably written about six or seven. He
then says that the King appeared better in his health, but that
there seemed reason to fear that his delirium would be
permanent. And this, I am sure, you will agree with me in
thinking the worst thing than can happen.
Since that, the idea is, as far as I can collect from a variety
of different reports, that his fever was considerably increased
afterwards, and that between two and four this morning he was in
the utmost danger, but that he is since better. One account
adds, but I am afraid to give credit to it, that he was relieved
by the bursting of a swelling on one of his legs, and by a very
great discharge from it. Some crisis of that sort is
unquestionably the only thing to which we can look with any
reasonable ground of hope for the recovery both of his health
and of his faculties. But this very consideration makes me very
backward in giving credit to this report, unless it had more
foundation than any which I can trace for it.
In the event which Sir George Baker's note gives reason to
apprehend, there will be the greatest embarrassment as to the
mode in which it is possible to proceed to any appointment of a
Regent. The Parliament is now prorogued only till the 23rd
instant, and must meet at that time, because no person but the
King has authority to prorogue it further. But, as you well
know, Parliament cannot proceed to business without the session
being opened by the King, or by some Commission authorized by
him. No Regent can be appointed or authorized to exercise acts
of royal authority but by Act of Parliament; nor can any such
Act be valid and binding in law without the King's consent.
The Revolution affords the only thing like a precedent even for
the principles on which we can proceed; and yet that is a case
widely different from the present, because then the person
possessed of the right was declared either to have abdicated
that right, or forfeited it, or both. Here the King may not live
many years under an incapacity of exercising the right, and yet
may afterwards be restored to his faculties.
It is a heavy calamity that is inflicted upon us in any case
except that of his perfect recovery; but in the event which
there seems most ground to fear, it may give rise to serious and
difficult questions, such as cannot even be discussed without
shaking the security and tranquillity of the country.