recovery; for his Majesty kindly expressed his apprehensions lest you should retard your re-establishment by too great an anxiety at not being able to attend here in town. These were, as nearly as I can recollect, the royal words; at least this was the principal tenor of the message I was honoured with. I have the honour to be, my Lord, Your Lordship's most obliged and most obedient humble servant, BRISTOL. THE RIGHT HON. HENRY SEYMOUR CONWAY TO THE EARL OF CHATHAM. MY LORD, London, January 24, 1767. HAVING received the inclosed from Mr. Stanley, with his desire I should transmit it to your Lordship, I take this opportunity of mentioning to your Lordship the state of the matter, as it stands at present, relative to his embassy. Your Lordship will remember that, in a discussion relative to Mr. Stanley's going, at a meeting of his Majesty's servants before your Lordship's journey to Bath, I thought it would be expedient to settle it as soon as possible. I have told your Lordship that Mr. de Mouskin Pouskin (') has pressed me in regard to Mr. Stanley's departure; I found also that his () The Russian ambassador extraordinary at the court of London. court had given him instructions on the subject, and at the same time that they expected, in case Mr. Stanley did not go, that some other person would be appointed with the same character in his room, and a little hint was given, that the Empress would, as he imagined, be rather better pleased that some new person with new instructions, as he expressed it, from hence was sent, than that Sir George Macartney should be vested with that character. I just threw out, in the course of the conversation, a slight mention of the circumstance of the Empress's former supposed declaration against having ambassadors at her court; which he took up immediately, and said, "he had explained himself to that effect at the time of Mr. Stanley's appointment, but that now this appointment had been made, he concluded it would be continued, either in Mr. Stanley or some other named in his place": to which I only answered in general terms of his Majesty's constant disposition to show every mark of respect and attention to the Empress, and of his desire to promote that strict union between the two courts, which I was sorry had been so long obstructed by the uniform and constant declaration of his court and its ministers, relative to the Turkish clause; to which he answered, “that he could not deny that, though of late he thought our negotiation was at a stand in expectation of Mr. Stanley's arrival, and that he flattered himself when he went, the general discussion of the affairs of the north, upon a large and general plan, might yet pro duce some means of getting over that difficulty. "(') I should also mention, that I find M. de Saldern has talked the same language, and once said, "he thought the Empress was now, by this English embassy, reconciled to the idea of receiving ambassadors, and that it would introduce the fashion of seeing them there from other courts." I mention all these circumstances for your Lordship's information, and on the whole cannot help adding that, after all which has passed, I am much inclined to think that, as Mr. Stanley does, agreeably indeed to his original professions on the subject, now make it his humble request to his Majesty that he may be excused the fear of giving offence to a court so constituted as that of Petersburgh, and at the same time, as it appears to me, so essential to the interests of this country on the continent, in the present situation of Europe, should determine his Majesty to name some other person as ambassador to the court of Russia in his room. (2) (1) On the subject of this clause, Sir George Macartney wrote thus to Mr. Conway: "I do most sincerely agree with you in your opinion of the absurdity of Russia's inflexibility, and have done all in my power to engage her to agree with us both; but I might as well dream of governing human society by the laws of Plato's republic, as of working upon this ministry either by the common rules of negotiation, or the principles of our ancient engagements: and, at this moment, I should think a treaty of alliance with the Empress of Russia, during M. Panin's ministry, as distant and as unlikely to be brought about, as a league with Prester John, or the King of Bantam. I mean, as ong as no method can be hit upon for removing the fatal, the only difficulty that remains between us." (2) As there was not the slightest hope of negotiating a treaty I will not detain your Lordship on any other subject, but shall only just mention, that in regard to the grand East India business, Mr. Townshend, from his late conversations with the directors, is very sanguine. They are preparing immediately to come to administration, with even very advantageous proposals; and, on the other hand, I cannot help thinking that the public cause has acquired considerable strength by a declaration of Mr. Grenville's in the House yesterday, that "from the moment the East India Company became petitioners to government for a renewal of their charter, or any other advantages, they then made themselves parties, and he thought the right to the possessions ought then to be determined, previous even to the settling any bargain; " though he added, that it ought to have its determination in a court of law, and not in parliament. I mention the bare fact without any comment, not to add to your Lordship's trouble, and am, my Lord, with all possible respect, Your Lordship's most humble and obedient servant, of alliance without admitting the Turkish clause, and as the ministry were convinced that Sir George Macartney's remaining at St. Petersburgh, while an ambassador was expected, could answer no good purpose, he was permitted to return to England for the benefit of his health. Shortly after his arrival in London Mr. Stanley gave in his resignation, and Sir George was immediately appointed to succeed him, as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the court of Russia. WILLIAM BECKFORD, ESQ. TO THE EARL OF CHATHAM. MY DEAR LORD, Soho Square, January 27, 1767. I AM exceedingly concerned at your present indisposition, for your own and for the sake of the public. Your presence and advice was never more wanting than at this critical juncture. Possibly you have not heard with precision what has passed in the House, relative to East India affairs. When the papers called for were delivered by the secretary of the India Company, as they were voluminous and every gentleman could not have an opportunity of perusing them, I moved for their being printed. Charles Townshend desired I would defer that motion for a few days, as he hoped to settle all matters with the East India Company to the satisfaction of the public, and, consequently, there might be no occasion for exposing these papers; to which I replied, I was willing, for a few days, to defer my opinion to his judgment, and withdrew the motion: this was on Tuesday last. On Thursday, the day appointed for taking the papers into consideration, many accounts were moved for by Mr. O'Bourke ('), and other papers called for by me, to render his account more clear, consistent, and merchant-like, which (1) Mr. Edmund Burke. His name was at this time frequently so spelt. |