DEAR ROSS, EARL CORNWALLIS TO LIEUT.-COLONEL ROSS. Mansfield Street, June 21, 1784. Public business always goes on very slowly. The Smuggling Bill' is to be brought in to-day. No time is fixed for the Budget and Taxes; so that if any India Bill is to be brought in, it must come very late, and I think that a sufficient attendance cannot be procured to carry it through with decency. I have heard nothing more since I wrote last. I told Lord Sydney that I should go out of town the latter end of the week, leaving my proxy; and that if he had anything material to say to me I would come up on his sending for me. Sloper tells me that the Company have refused to comply with the terms which Lord S. proposed to him, and to which he acceded, particularly the promise of a letter of service as Lieut.-General. This does not look like a sufficient agreement between the Company and Administration to produce any proper establishment for the East. I still hold the same sentiments, and am prepared for the sacrifice if safe and honourable; at the same time I cannot help wishing that it may not happen. Medows 2 breakfasted with me this morning; he told me he would go with me to the East Indies. Fox says the same. There cannot be two general officers in the service, whom on every account I could more earnestly wish to have with me than Medows and Fox. God knows how it will turn out. You know my sentiments on Lord S. as a man of business. I do not believe there is any foundation for your reports of divisions in the Cabinet. Our last accounts of poor Brodrick are very alarming; indeed I have scarce any hopes of ever seeing him. I have had another friendly conversation with Mackay: he is possessed with the idea. of my going to India, and has recommended to my protection, but not to my family, a nephew of his, the chief of his family, whom he intends to send out to that country. I believe his idea of my 1 This Bill, better known as the Commutation Bill, was intended to check smuggling, then carried on to an immense extent, principally in tea. It was estimated that out of 12,000,000 lbs. imported the quantity in 1856 was 86,000,000 lbs., of which 63,000,000 were taken out for consumption) only 5,500,000 lbs. passed through the Custom House. The duty was lowered from 50 to 12 per cent. at an estimated loss to the revenue of 600,000l. To meet this deficiency it was proposed to lay a tax on windows. 2 Major-General, afterwards General Sir William Medows, K.B., brother of the 1st Earl Manvers, b. Dec. 31, 1739, d. Nov. 14, 1813; m. May 30, 1770, Frances Augusta, dau. of Robert Hamerton, Esq. of Hamerton; Colonel of 7th Dragoon Guards; Commanderin-Chief in Ireland from June, 1801, to May, 1803. 3 The Chief of the Mackays at this time was Hugh, 6th Lord Reay, who was of weak mind, and died Jan. 26, 1797, but the person meant is evidently his heir presumptive, George, who died in the East Indies, Dec. 12, 1790, and whose younger brother, Eric, became 7th Lord Reay. going to India prevents his pressing the business of an Assistant to your Staff; but I do not know how to help it, as he showed a great disinclination to my speaking to Fawcett on the subject. I am, &c., P.S.-Mackay has promised that on my notifying to him a probability of my going to India, he will give leave to you to go north or south, as you please. DEAR ROSS, EARL CORNWALLIS TO LIEUT.-COLONEL ROSS. Culford, Aug. 4, 1784. I this day received a letter from Lord Sydney, a copy of which I enclose with my answer. I have too good an opinion of your good sense and judgment not to be very anxious to hear your sentiments on what I have done; I know you will give them freely. If you have not seen the Bill, it may be necessary to inform you that the Commander-inChief has no more military patronage than any other member of the Council, and even the Council are tied down to give every promotion according to seniority, unless on some very extraordinary occasions, when they are to enter their reasons for deviating from that rule; and if those reasons are not approved of, the appointment is to be void. I cannot think by Lord Sydney's letter that Ministry have an idea of my proposing myself for anything, and even if there were more desirable situations it would be an awkward thing enough to do. Wishing as I do not to go, I am afraid of my inclination so far getting the better of my duty, as to make me hang back too much. I trust however that I have not done it. Yours, &c., CORNWALLIS. MY DEAR LORD, LORD SYDNEY TO EARL CORNWALLIS. [Private.] London, Aug. 3, 1784. I enclose to you the East India Bill, which will go to the Committee to-morrow. If there should appear in it any situation that would be agreeable to you, I am persuaded that you might command it. The East India Company are really desirous to trust their affairs to you; and I need not say that the Ministry go at least as far, if not still farther beyond them. The Bill will be in the Committee to-morrow, but I do not suppose that it will be materially altered, if at all. There is an account just arrived of a peace with Tippoo Saib.1 This is an entirely private letter, and you will have the goodness to consider it as such, and answer me accordingly. Whatever you do not wish to have communicated to others shall remain a secret with me. I am, &c., SYDNEY. EARL CORNWALLIS TO LORD SYDNEY. MY DEAR LORD, Culford, Aug. 4, 1784. However my inclination might lead me to wish for retirement after the vexations and disappointments I experienced on the unfortunate service in which I have been engaged, yet if it appeared to me at any time that there could be a hope that my poor abilities would be useful to my country, no consideration of personal convenience or safety should induce me to shrink from it. With great diffidence of my being equal to the arduous task, I accepted the proposal made to me by Lord Shelburne, although I doubted much whether I could do it. I was sensible that with the power intended to be lodged in the person who was to be both Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief, much was to be done. The circumstances of the times have made it necessary to change that system. I feel myself much flattered with the good opinion and confidence of the East India Company, and am most gratefully sensible of the good disposition of the Ministry towards me. I should however make but an ill return to their attention to me, if I aimed at any situation in India in which I did not think that I could essentially serve them. If I sought for the place of Governor-General, I should not only abandon a profession to which I have from my youth wholly turned my thoughts, and to which I have hitherto sacrificed every consideration of advantage and happiness, but I should feel myself in competition with some person, whose habits of business would render him much more proper for the office than myself. I will besides own that the army is a favourite passion, and that I cannot give it up. But after acknowledging my predilection for the military line, I cannot undertake the command in India, being convinced that in the present circumscribed situation of the Commander-in-Chief, without power or patronage, an officer could neither get credit to himself, nor essentially serve the public. I am, &c., CORNWALLIS. A very discreditable peace was signed March 11. DEAR ROSS, EARL CORNWALLIS TO LIEUT.-COLONEL ROSS. Culford, Sept. 3, 1784. Since I received Lord Sydney's letter I have not heard one word about India, so that now I consider that business as absolutely and finally concluded; indeed I can hardly think that Lord S. would suppose from my letter that I would be Governor-General without being Commander-in-Chief. I am satisfied with myself as to the manner the thing has gone off, and I believe all my friends and the world in general would have blamed me if I had shown more forwardness. The last accounts of H. Brodrick, of the 16th August, are so much and so materially better, that I have great hopes; there likewise are now great hopes of Lady Chatham's recovery, of whom we have long despaired. I know of nothing in this part of the world worth your hearing. My children are vastly well. I am, dear Ross, yours, &c., CORNWALLIS. DEAR ROSS, EARL CORNWALLIS TO LIEUT.-COLONEL ROSS. Brome, Sept. 19, 1784. Campbell is certainly to be Commander-in-Chief in Bengal. My friend Lord S. is in a scrape about Sloper. After waiting about six months, every day expecting his appointment, he has found out that the Ministry have never recommended him to the Directors. I find, however, that he will submit to go to command on the Coromandel coast, although Campbell should have a commission of General to command in chief in India, but I do not believe they intend that he should go at all. Jervis is to have the naval command, but I know nothing of the civil arrangements. I am now in the middle of the hurry and bustle of my month3 at Brome, which is not the pleasantest in the year. 2 Phillipson is vastly well, but I think he grows much deafer, and he has most provokingly left all his trumpets in London, which is hard upon me in our têtes-à-tête. 1 Sir Archibald Campbell. He was made Governor of Madras, and Sir R. Sloper ultimately Commander-in-Chief in Bengal. 2 Sir John Jervis, K.B., created Earl of St. Vincent, May 27, 1797, b. Jan. 19, 1734, d. March 13, 1823; m. Juue 5, 1783, Martha, dau, of Chief Justice Parker. M.P. for Laun ceston, Jan. 1783, to 1784; then Yarmouth, Norfolk, to 1790; then Wycombe, to Jan. 1794. Sir Andrew Mitchell was ultimately appointed to this command. Lord Cornwallis kept almost open house for about a month every year at Brome, to maintain his Parliamentary influence at Eye. I look on Ireland as gone; and I do not think that in the present temper and circumstances of this country, we shall take any vigorous step to bring them to their senses.' 4 I understand that Lord Euston' is certainly to marry Lady Maria Waldegrave, which will be a blessed event for our friend Chewton, and take almost all care from his shoulders. I cannot believe the story about the Lord-Lieutenant throwing the glass of wine. If there is any foundation for it, it must have been by some joke or accident. I fear my good accounts of Lady Chatham were premature. I do not find that she mends at all, and I fear there are no hopes of her. Poor girl, how short was her hour of happiness! My children are to be here on Saturday next. My brother William has had a smart fit of the gout, it is a little hard with his diet. If you have the same weather that we have had for these last three weeks, you will see the northern counties to great advantage. I am, dear Ross, yours, &c., CORNWALLIS. EARL CORNWALLIS TO LIEUT.-COLONEL ROSS. Mansfield Street, Nov. 3, 1784. I never before, my dear Ross, sat down with regret to write to you. It grieves me to think of the concern this letter will give you, but you must hear the story. I told you I thought myself sure of Lord Waldegrave's Government. I had, when I resigned the Tower, told the K-that, without interfering with his arrangements, I should thankfully receive any mark of his favour in the line of my profession to which he might think my services might give me pretension, or words to that effect. His answer was, that nobody was nearer to his heart. A few days after my return to Culford, after my resignation, I received a letter from Lord Sydney, making the strongest professions of friendship in the name of the Administration, and saying that they wished they could offer me anything that I would take. I again answered that my wishes were confined to my profession, &c. &c. In a con 1 There was much unpleasant feeling in Ireland-violent riots in Dublin-the agitation about the Volunteers still subsisting. In August, delegates elected in various places to promote parliamentary reform, but the Attorney-General prosecuted and convicted the sheriff's who had presided over the meetings held for that object. 2 George Henry, Earl of Euston, afterwards, March 14, 1811, 4th Duke of Grafton, b. Jan. 14, 1760, d. Sept. 20, 1844; m. Nov. 16, 1784, Maria, dau. of James, 2nd Earl Waldegrave. M.P. for Thetford, March, 1782, to March, 1784; and then for the University of Cambridge till he succeeded to the Dukedom. 3 Lady Mary Waldegrave, b. Oct. 11, 1761, d. Feb. 1, 1808. Her father, of whom Loid Cornwallis speaks as "Chewton," had already succeeded to the Earldom. 4 The Duke of Rutland was much given to conviviality, and some such adventure may possibly have occurred. |