tion, and, (what is perhaps the least important consideration, compared with the magnitude of the object), at no expense to the public *. In carrying on the great contest with Mr Fox, which terminated so favourably to Mr Pitt, he greatly relied on the suggestions which, from time to time, I transmitted to him, of which the following letter is a satisfactory evidence : DEAR SIR, I have, in consequence of your suggestion, sent a copy of the last paper communicated through Mr Powys, which, I think, conveys all the information necessary on the subject. If any thing arises material, I shall trust to your goodness to apprise me of it. Yours sincerely, Berkeley Square, Wednesday. W. PITT. Having sent a letter to Mr Pitt, with a tract on the finances of the country, in which I had paid some compliments to his political conduct, I received, in return, the following communication: SIR, Downing Street, Dec. 15. 1782. I have great pleasure in returning you many thanks for your letter of the 12th December, and the pamphlet which accompanied it. I have not yet had an opportunity of perusing the whole; but I am very glad that there is nothing now to prevent my offering you my sincere acknowledgments for the paragraph you were so good to point out, and for the obliging expressions of your regard. I am, Sir, your faithful and obedient servant, W. PITT. In 1784, I had applied to Mr Pitt for the grant of a Baronetage, to which I had a claim, as the heir and representative of Sir George Sinclair of Clyth; and being then a widower, with two daughters, I requested that the title should be descendable to them. In answer to these requests, I received from him the following friendly communication : * Indeed, L.4000 of profit was gained by the operation, which I suggested should be appropriated to the establishment of a Board of Agriculture. MY DEAR SIR, Putney Heath, Nov. 2. 1784. The rambling life I have led in my holidays, with some occasional mixture of business, made me defer writing to you from day to day. At last, as is too often the case, I have grown almost too much ashamed of my omission to correct it; but as I find you are still fixed at a distance, I cannot any longer defer thanking you for your letters. I shall, with great pleasure, contribute every assistance in my power, if circumstances will admit, of the limitation you wish of the title of Baronet ; and I shall be happy to converse with you upon it when we meet, which I hope will be before long. I wish much to know your present speculations on our finances. Our prospects of it improve. Most of the particulars you mention in one of your letters may, I hope, be easily ascertained. While we are thinking of improving the moments of peace, the state of the Continent is growing every day more uncertain. I am, Dear Sir, your most faithful and obedient servant, W. PITT. In 1786, I resolved to take an extensive tour throughout the northern countries of Europe, with a view of collecting information that might be of real use to my own country. I communicated the plan to Mr Pitt, and requested to know if there were any objects to which he wished me to pay particular attention. In return he sent me the following letter: DEAR SIR, Hollwood Hill, May 29. 1786. before your I regret much that I lose the pleasure of seeing you departure. I heartily wish you a great deal of entertainment, and a great deal of information, which I believe is more your object, and in which I am happy to consider myself as so much interested. You may always depend on my services, on any occasion when I am at liberty, and when they can be of any use to you. The revenue papers shall be got for you if possible. I shall be happy to hear from you whenever you are at leisure. Believe me, with great truth and regard, Dear Sir, yours most sincerely, W. PITT. I regret to add, that after my return from this extensive tour, Mr Pitt did not show the least disposition to derive any advantage from the information I had collected; and that Lord Thurlow was almost the only member of the administration who took any material interest in it. Indeed, Mr Pitt was, at that time, entirely devoted to domestic concerns; nor did he pay any particular attention to foreign politics, until compelled by the French Revolution. Having proved by the tract, entitled, "Thoughts on the Naval Strength of the British Empire," my zeal for the honour and credit of the navy, I was thence led to entertain an anxious wish to have the manning of the navy placed on a more advantageous footing than was at that time the case. I was induced to draw up a plan for that purpose, and sent it to Mr Pitt, accompanied by the following letter : SIR, The inclosed paper, though short, will sufficiently explain my ideas respecting the manning of the navy. As it has ever been a favourite subject of mine, I still feel a desire to bring it before Parliament. At the same time, if effectual measures are to be taken by Government, or if it is judged prejudicial to the public service to bring it forward, I shall certainly relinquish any private wish of my own, for the general benefit of the country. I have the honour to be, Sir, your very obedient humble servant, Whitehall, 13th February 1793. To which I received the following answer : JOHN SINCLAIR. Mr Pitt presents his compliments to Sir John Sinclair. Being persuaded that he can have no view but the public service in the proposal which he thinks of making respecting manning the navy, Mr Pitt cannot help begging to represent to him, that the agitation of that question at this time may produce consequences very contrary to those which he intends; and he therefore hopes that Sir John Sinclair will at least defer stating any thing publicly, till Mr Pitt has had some farther communication with him on the subject. Downing Street, Monday, Feb. 11. 1793. It was impossible to bring forward a motion, which the Minister of the Crown had so earnestly requested should not be made, and accordingly the plan was not persevered in. No. II. ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EARL OF MOIRA, The following communication from Lord Hastings, proves his Lordship's great attention to foreign political questions, even when he was not a minister of state: Donington, July 27. 1808. MY DEAR SIR JOHN, You were right in saying that the occurrence in Spain went beyond what the most sanguine hope with which we could have flattered ourselves; and your Latin quotation would have been equally apposite with the remark, had one not to fear that no adequate advan· tage will be drawn from the circumstance. The opportunity was a glorious one. Our ministers, however, seem to have been incapable of opening their eyes to an angle sufficient to embrace the magnitude of the object. Without reference to the radical distresses of our situation, without conviction that nothing is gained unless you alter the relative proportion of strength now existing between France and this country,—we seem to aim at nothing more than to embarrass Bonaparte for the instant. Suppose him foiled in his designs on Spain, he only misses an acquisition of which he had in fact no need. Suppose Spain emancipated from fear of thraldom, our benefit is as nothing if she sits down upon a compromise with Bonaparte. We had only one rational game to play. It was to seize the enthusiasm of Spain, left open to our influence by the entire disorganization of the country, and to direct it, not simply to the clearance of Spain from French armies, but to proclaimed vengeance for the insidious attack made upon that kingdom. On no other terms can you expect to invite forward again the Emperors of Russia and Austria; and without their co-operation the war must finish, whensoever it shall finish, by leaving France with a preponderance under which we shall be smothered. One cannot say that this great effort may not be made, but the course of our measures is not at all calculated to bring it about. You see the jealousy of Spain strongly indicated towards us even at the moment when they are soliciting succours, and we have taken no step of a nature to extinguish that well-grounded doubt of our good faith, though the entire confidence of Spain in us is now our only chance of escape from the most formidable distresses. It is the galling weight of the public imposts, not what Bonaparte can do against us by force, that constitutes the danger of our situation. And with what sort of forecast is it that we are to look forward to years of protracted contest, with every year a new invasion of the comforts of the people? Inadvertent to this, we are reviving all the track of ordinary diplomacy in Spain, we are fashioning armies for the capture of sea-ports or the defence of passes,—and we are boastingly anticipating a triumph in the independence of Spain, which the inhabitants would atchieve without our aid. Let all this run to our wish, and we are only just where we were. say, but the defeat of the Spanish armies is the only chance which I now see for the conversion of this opportunity, (after its first advantages were missed), to the support of any British interest. In the freedom of gallant men we must all rejoice; but our own country demands our attention, and we might honourably ingraft our own cause upon the deliverance of Spain. Believe me, my Dear Sir John, your very obedient humble servant, It is an odd thing to MOIRA. No. III. ADDITIONAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE RIGHT HONOURABLE · WILLIAM WINDHAM. The subjoined letter from Mr Windham proves the cordiality of his friendship for the person to whom it was addressed. An invariable rule he had adopted, not to deny himself, is one which few public men have adopted. DEAR SIR, I have been wishing to make up for my omission of writing, by finding an opportunity of calling upon you. But I am informed that have quitted your house at Whitehall, and cannot immediately learn where you have removed to. you You will find me here almost any morning, when you will do me the favour to call, and always happy to see you. I am seldom out, and make it almost an invariable rule not to deny myself. I am, Dear Sir, yours very truly, Park Street, Westminster, Dec. 20. 1799. W. WINDHAM. |