if the continuance of the authority confided to me by his royal highness had enabled me, under his royal highness's commands, to offer to your lordships a full and candid explanation of those points in my minute of the 1st of June, which your lordships appear to me to have entirely misapprehended. But as his royal highness has been pleased to intimate to me his pleasure, that the formation of a new administration should be intrusted to other hands, I have requested permission to decline all, further concern in this transaction.

I remain, however, extremely anxious to submit to your lordships some explanatory observations respecting the communications which I have had the honour to make to you; and I trust that your lordships will indulge me with that advantage, although I can no longer address you under the sanction of the Prince Regent's authority.

I have the honour to be, with great respect, my lords, your most faithful, and obedient servant.

(Signed) WELLESLEY.

No. 24. Lord Wellesley to Lord Grey on the same Subject, dated 4th, June.

Apsley-house, June 4th, 1812. My Lord,-When I applied yesterday to your lordship and Lord Grenville, for permission to submit to you some explanatory observations respecting the communications which I have had the honour to make to you by the authority of the Prince Regent, I was not aware that Lord Moira had addressed a letter to your lordship of

the same nature as that which I was desirous of conveying to you.

The form of such a letter, either from Lord Moira or me, must have been private, as neither of us possessed any authority from the prince regent, to open any further communication with your lordship, or with Lord Grenville; a circumstance which I deeply lament, under a sanguine hope, that additional explanations, sanctioned by authority, might have removed the existing obstacles to an amicable arrangement.

Lord Moira has sent me a copy of his letter (No. 20.) to your lordship of yesterday's date; and as it contains an accurate, clear, and candid statement of the real objects of the proposal which I conveyed to you, it appears to me to have furnished you with as full an explanation as can be given in an unauthorised paper. Under these circumstances, it might be deemed superfluous trouble to your lordship and to Lord Grenville, to solicit your attention to a private letter from me; although I should be most happy if any opportunity were afforded, of renewing a conciliatory intercourse, under the commands of the Prince Regent, with a view to attain the object of our recent communications.-[ have the honour to be, with great respect, my lord, your lordship's most faithful and humble servant, WELLESLEY,

No. 25.

Lord Grey's Reply to Lord Wellesley's Letter, No. 24.

Portman Square,
June 4th, 1812.

My lord; I have had the ho

nour

nour of receiving your lordship's letter of this day's date.

As Lord Moira has communicated to your lordship the copy of his letter to me, I take it for granted that you have in the same manner been put in possession of my answer, which contains all that I can say with respect to the explanation of the proposal made by your lordship to Lord Grenville and myself.

I was perfectly aware, that Lord Moira's letter conld in no degree be considered as an authorised communication, but that it was simply a private explanation offered for the purpose of removing the objections which had been stated by Lord Grenville and me to the proposal contained in the written minute transmitted to us by your lordship, under the authority of the Prince Regent. But though it could not vary the effect of that minute in my opinion, I was happy to receive it as an expression of personal regard, and of that desire which we readily acknowledge both in your lordship and Lord Moira, and which is reciprocal on the part of Lord Grenville and myself, that no difference of opinion on the matter in question should produce on either side any personal impression, which might obstruct the renewal of a conciliatory intercourse, whenever a more favourable opportunity shall be afforded for it.

I have the honour to be, with the highest regard, my lord, your lordship's very faithful humble servant,

(Signed)

No. 26.

GREY.

Lord Moira to Lords Grey and

Grenville proposing an interview with them, 5th June.

Lord Moira presents his best compliments to Earl Grey and Lord Grenville. Since Lord Wellesley has declared his commission from the Prince Regent to be at an end, Lord Moira (as being honoured with his Royal Highness's confidence,) ventures to indulge the anxiety he feels, that an arrangement of the utmost importance for the interests of the country should not go off on any misunderstand. ing.

He therefore entreats Lord Grey and Lord Grenville to advert to the explanatory letter [No. 20] of the 3d June, written by him to the former: and if the dispositions therein expressed shall appear to them likely to lead, upon conference, to any advantageous result towards co-operation in the Prince's service, he will be happy to have an interview with them.

Should the issue of that conversation prove such as he would hope, his object would be to solicit the Prince Regent's permission to address them formally. He adopts this mode, to preclude all difficulties in the outset. Let him be permitted to remark, that the very urgent pressure of public affairs. renders the most speedy determination infinitely desirable.

N. B. This was written in the presence of the Duke of Bedford, in consequence of conversation with his Grace; and was by him carried to Lord Grey.

No. 27. Note from Lords Grey and Grenville, declining unauthorized discussions, 5th June.

House

House of Lords, June 5, 1812. We cannot but feel highly gratified by the kindness of the motive on which Lord Moira acts. Personal communication with him will always be acceptable and honourable to us but we hope he will be sensible that no advantage is likely to result from pursuing this subject by unauthorised discussions, and in a course different from the usual practice.

Motives of obvious delicacy must prevent our taking any step towards determining the Prince Regent to authorise Lord Moira to address us personally. We shall always receive with dutiful submission his Royal Highness's commands, in whatever manner, and through whatever channel, he may be pleased to signify them, and we trust we shall never be found wanting in zeal for his Royal Highness's service, and for the public interest: but we cannot venture to suggest to his Royal Highness, through any other person, our opinions on points in which his Royal Highness is not pleased to require our advice.

tried: and he adopts their principle for an interview, though he doubts if the desired conclusion is likely to be so well advanced by it, as would have been the case in the mode suggested by him.

He has now the Prince Regent's instructions, to take steps towards the formation of a ministry; and is authorised specially to address himself to Lords Grey and Grenville. It is, therefore, his request to know, when and where he can wait upon them. He would wish to bring Loid Erskine with him. June 6, 1812. Eleven forenoon.

Na. 29.

Minute of a conversation between Lord. Moira and Lords Grey and Grenville, at which Lord Erskine was present,

St. James's Place,

June 6, 1812.

Lord Moira stated to Lord Grey and Lord Grenville, that he was authorised by the Prince Regent, to consult with them on the formation of a new government. And satisfactory explanations having taken place between them, respecting such measures as appeared to be of the greatest urgency at the present moment, more especially with reference to the situation of his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, and the differences now unhappily subsisting with America; and that Lord Moira had received this commission without a any restriction or limitation whatever being laid by the Prince, on their considering any points which they judged useful for his service; they expressed their satisfaction with the fairness of this proposal, and their readiness to enter into such discus

sions as must precede the details of any new arrangement. As a pre liminary question, which appeared to them of great importance, they thought it necessary immediately to bring forward to prevent the inconvenience and embarrassment of the further delay which might be produced, if this negociation should break off in a more advanced state, they asked, "Whether this full liberty extended to the consideration of new appointments to those great offices of the houshold, which have been usually included in the political arrangements made on a change of administration; intimating their opinion, that it would be necessary to act on the same principle on the present occasion."

Lord Moira answered, "That the Prince had laid no restriction upon him in that respect, and had never pointed in the most distant manner at the protection of those officers from removal; that it would be impossible for him (Lord Moira) however, to concur in making the exercise of this power positive and indispensable, in the formation of the administration, because he should deem it on public grounds peculiarly objectionable."

To this Lord Grey and Lord Grenville replied, they also acted on public grounds alone, and with no other feeling whatever than that which arose from the necessity of giving to a new government that character of efficiency and stability, and those marks of the constitutional support of the crown, which were required to enable it to act usefully for the public service; and that on these grounds it appeared to them indispensable, that

the connection of the great offices of the court, with the political administration, should be clearly established in its first arrangements.

A decided difference of opinion as to this point having been thus expressed on both sides, the conversation ended here, with mutual declarations of regret.

Nothing was said on the subject of official arrangements, nor any persons proposed on either side to fill any particular situations.

B. and C. Two Letters (which passed between Lords Moira, and Grey) subjoined for the purpose of throwing light on the ground of part of these Transactions.

(Copy) B.

May 31st, 1812. My dear lord; a just anxiety not to leave any thing subject to misunderstanding, must excuse me if I am troublesome to you. Since I quitted you, the necessity of being precise in terms has occurred to me: and, although I think I cannot have mistaken you, I wish to know if I am accurate in what I apprehend you to have said. I understood the position, stated by you as having been what you advanced in the house of lords, to be this, "That pledges had been given to the Catholics, a departure from which rendered their present disappointment more galling; and that you said this in the hearing of persons who could contradict you if you were inaccurate." Just say whether I have taken your expression correctly or not. me, &c. &c.

Believe MOIRA.

Holland

C.

Holland House, May 31st, 1812. My dear lord; I cannot suffisiently thank you for your kind anxiety to procure an accurate statement of the words spoken by me in the house of lords. It is difficult to remember precise expressions so long after they were spoken; but I am sure I cannot be far wrong in stating the substance of what I said, as follows:

I was speaking on the subject of the Irish Catholics, and particularly on the charge of intemperate conduct which had been made against them. I stated, that great allowances were to be made for this, considering their repeated disappointments; and I cited, as instances of these, the recal of Lord Fitzwilliam, and the union. I then said, that the most distinct and authentic pledges had been given to them, of the Prince's wish to relieve them from the disabilities of which they complained; that I spoke in the hearing of persons who would contradict me if what I said was unfounded, and who would, I was sure, support its truth if questioned; that now, when the fulfilment of these pledges was confidently expected, to see an administration continued in power, which stood on the express principle of resisting their claims, was, perhaps, the bitterest disappointment they had yet experienced; and that it was not surprising, if, under such circumstances, they felt, and acted, in a way that all well wishers to the peace of the empire must regret.

'This I give as the substance, and

by no means as a correct repetition of the particular expressions used by me; and this statement I can neither retract, nor endeavour to explain away. If, in consequence of it, the Prince feels a strong personal' objection to me, I can only repeat what I have already said to you, that I am perfectly ready to stand out of the way; that my friends shall have my full concurrence and approbation in taking office without me, and my most cordial support in the government of the country, if their mea.sures are directed, as I am sure they must always be, by the prin ciples on which we have acted together.

I write this from Lord Holland's in a great hurry, and in the middle of dinner; but I was unwilling to defer, even for a minute, to answer an inquiry, which I feel to be prompted by so friendly a solicitude for me. I have not the means of taking a copy of this letter. I shall therefore be obliged to you to let me have one; and I am sure, if, upon recollection, I shall think it necessary to add any thing to what I have now said, you will allow me an opportunity of doing so. I am, with the sincerest regard, my dear lord, your's very faithfully,

GREY.