further from you. In the meantime believe that I shall be quite awake to the matter, and that more is passing through my mind than I can put on paper.

Yours very affectionately,

AUCKLAND.

LORD MILTON TO MR. BERESFORD.

Dublin Castle, Friday, 16th Jan., 1795.

SIR, His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant, having determined to recommend to His Majesty a new Commission for the Board of Revenue of Excise and Cus

toms, has commanded me to inform you that your name will not be included in that recommendation; but His Excellency having taken into consideration your long and laborious attendance in the office of First Commissioner of that Board, will, on the new arrangement which he shall propose being approved of by His Majesty, signify his orders to the Board of Excise to place 20007. per annum, being the amount of your present salary, amongst the incidental charges of His Majesty's Revenue, to be allowed to you, consonant to a resolution of the House of Commons.

I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient, humble servant,

MILTON.

MR. BERESFORD TO LORD MILTON.

Custom House, 17th Jan., 1795. MY LORD,—I have had the honour of receiving your Lordship's letter, communicating to me the determination of His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant to recommend to His Majesty a new Commission for the Board of Revenue of Excise and Customs, and that His Excellency does not intend to include my name in that recommendation.

I have the honour to be, my Lord, with great respect, your obedient and very humble servant,

J. BERESFORD.

MR. BERESFORD TO LORD AUCKLAND.

Dublin, 19th Jan., 1795.

MY DEAR AUCKLAND,-I received yours of the 15th yesterday; you cannot conceive what pleasure it gives me to find that you approve of what I have done; I have the satisfaction to find that my conduct has been here universally approved. On Saturday I sent you a copy of Lord Milton's letter to me, and my answer. This letter contains certainly, in plain English, His Excellency's dismissal of me, copied nearly from Lord North's to Charles Fox. The second part of the letter, which mentions the intention of giving a salary, is worded with all the kindness I expected, viz. His Excellency having taken into consideration my long and laborious attendance in the office of first Commissioner, &c., is

a very pretty discharge. He turns me off, and orders his butler to pay me. My answer was written merely because I thought in civility I ought to give a reply. I therefore gave as dry a one as I could; and I avoided saying anything upon the subject of the salary, because I did not approve, and an advantage might have been taken of me if I had expressed my disapprobation.

The folly of Mr. Ponsonby's declarations is extraordinary. To me Mr. Daly declared that I was considered King of Ireland, and at Lord Shannon's dinner, after he had gone away and a sufficient quantity of wine had been drunk, Ponsonby declared that he had been long struggling for power-that he had got the reins in his hands, and would use them.

At Parnell's dinner, seven of them sat till one o'clock, and got drunk; Sir John got into an argument, and swore that they never did so silly a thing as turn me out, and was pleased to speak of me as an efficient and honest servant of the Crown. Ponsonby replied that he acknowledged what he said, and spoke handsomely of me, but concluded thus, " had I, however, allowed him to remain in office, how could the whole power of the country have been put into my hands?" He then told them that he never would have come into office if he had not brought over Lord Fitzwilliam with him; and that even then they would not have undertaken it if they had not had a Secretary of State to correspond with who would do as they desired.

Lord Milton has acknowledged, by letter to Cooke, that they have no charge to make against his official conduct; that they remove him because they want his

office to accommodate His Excellency's official arrangements.

Sackville Hamilton's dismissal makes a great noise; but he has not spirit enough to stir, but sinks under it.

There was a very bitter libel against the Chancellor in the "Hibernian;" illiberal, blackguard, and nonsensical. His Excellency sent Dr. O'Bierne, his new bishop and private Secretary, to assure him that it was not countenanced by him, or written by O'Bierne, though it did appear in a paper devoted to them.

I send you a paper which contains the addresses of the Dissenters and Papists, and His Excellency's answers. They speak for themselves. The situation of the public is melancholy indeed; but I shall have full opportunity of talking with you on these subjects, as I sail the first opportunity. I find that no packet has sailed since Saturday, 10th, so that all my letters, except the first, remain in the post office here.

Ever yours most faithfully,

J. B.

LORD AUCKLAND TO MR. BERESFORD.

Palace Yard, Jan. 21st, 1795.

MY DEAR BERESFORD,-I had expectation of further news before this time. I have no news to send you

a The Rev. Thomas Lewis O'Bierne, originally educated for a Roman Catholic priest, took orders in the established Protestant Church; came over as Private Secretary with the Duke of Portland to Ireland 1782; came again, in 1795, in the same capacity with Lord Fitzwilliam; consecrated Bishop of Ossory 1795; promoted to Meath 1798; died 1823.

with respect to your own affairs. Mr. Pitt's answer implied a promise that I should soon hear from him again. I see our friend Rose frequently. He seems to be low in spirits, and to feel vexation, but the public circumstances are sufficiently bad to half break the heart of any man who takes a part in them. Lord Westmoreland told me yesterday that he had heard from Lord Waterford about you, and he expressed great warmth and zeal. My speculation is, that Mr. Pitt is intimating to the Duke of Portland that he cannot give way to this treatment; and that the King is probably brought forward to give a similar intimation; that you can in no case be legally superseded without a reference to this country, and that if the reference should come it will be negatived. Nothing but the very calamitous crisis in which we are prevents this matter from having a much shorter decision. I think that, upon the whole, you should stand steady to your refusal, and leave the rest to the chapter of accidents.

The manœuvres relative to the removal of the Attorney and Solicitor Generals came to me last week through another channel. I took the occasion to communicate them in a general way to Mr. Pitt, as making a part of the same silly and indiscreet system of job and patronage, which he must resist in the first instance, unless he means to be dishonoured, and also to see the Government of Ireland thrown into permanent confusion.

This Dutch history, exclusive of public mischief, affects Lady Auckland and me very much, by the ruin which it brings upon many excellent persons, and families much connected with us in friendship.