moment received. The Duke of Beaufort has resigned, in consequence of a dispute with the Morgans. Lord Bristol has the key. It is said Lord Egmont is to be privy seal, but he does not own it. I was with Lord Shelburne this morning, who gave me most perfect satisfaction. It is said, or much suspected at least, that Yorke will be chancellor. Every thing has passed very amicably betwixt Lord Rockingham, the Duke of Richmond, and me. The consequence is, that we have had a most glorious day. Every thing was settled as your Lord wished, with regard to our operations. When Lord Rockingham gave notice, and desired the House might be summoned for Wednesday, Lord Weymouth proposed to adjourn till Monday. At the desire of the Duke of Richmond and Lord Rockingham, next to whom I sat, I led the van of the combined army, and most handsomely has the court been trimmed. The Duke of Bolton drew up the rear. In short, we divided; the Chancellor, from modesty I suppose, against us; but we were nineteen, including four new lords; viz. Duke of Bolton, Lord Coventry, Lord Romney, and Lord Willoughby. The Duke of Grafton did wretchedly. On Monday we mean to propose to go into the state of the nation on Tuesday. The Speaker is ill, and it is very doubtful whether they can go on in the House of Commons.(') Lord Suffolk, Lord Shelburne, and (1) Sir John Cust resigned the chair on the 17th, and died on the morning of the 22d. Sir Fletcher Norton was chosen Speaker in his stead. the Duke of Richmond did exceedingly well, and the Duke of Bolton most wonderfully. In short, all goes well enough. The Chancellor still holds on; which I hold to be candidly foolish. (1) The Lord deliver you from gout and all other evils! With every good wish, &c. &c. TEMPLE. JOHN CALCRAFT, ESQ. TO THE EARL OF CHATHAM. Sackville Street, January 16, 1770. MY DEAR LORD, I HAD the honour to receive your Lordship's letter late last night : so kind, so able, so noble too, was the style of it, that I cannot forbear to express my feelings thereupon. I did not fail to communicate these manly sentiments to Lord Granby, who was exceedingly affected with them, and though his Lordship could not prevail on himself to press the audience at Buckingham House to-day, he assures me of his firmness in the closet to-morrow, and that no persuasion shall make him depart from the execution of those resolutions he made in your (1) On the following day, Lord Camden received a message from the secretary of state's office, desiring, in the King's name, that he would deliver up the seals that evening at seven o'clock; which he accordingly did into his Majesty's own hands. Lordship's presence on Sunday, and still adheres to, both for the sake of his own honour and his country. Lord Roos is just come from Belvoir Castle, where he left the Duke of Rutland in raptures at the part Lord Granby has taken. My Lord sent a servant yesterday to inform his Grace of what is to follow to-morrow, and says it will be a satisfaction to receive his father's approbation (which he is sure of) before he executes, though nothing could or should alter his intention; and, indeed, the Duke of Rutland's eagerness in the cause of the constitution is not to be described. I can assure your Lordship, from good authority, that Mr. Yorke has refused the seals. I am with the utmost respect, Your Lordship's most obliged, affectionate, and faithful humble servant, J. CALCRAFT. THE EARL OF CHATHAM TO JOHN CALCRAFT, ESQ. Hayes, Tuesday night, January 17, 1770. MY DEAR SIR, I AGAIN take my pen, which I can hardly use, to return you a thousand thanks for your obliging letter, in a moment of the most anxious expectation, concerning an event the most interesting to all my public and private wishes. The assurances renewed to me so kindly by Lord Granby's goodness, on this important article, put my heart enough at ease to sleep to-night upon the hope of to-morrow; a pillow which I may well lay my anxieties to rest upon for one long night. May this great tomorrow fix my hopes, that the country may yet be saved, and give me the happy certainty that the name of Granby will be as revered by the friends of the constitution, as it is honoured and feared by the nation's enemies in the field! I beg you will be so good as to present my respectful and affectionate compliments to the Marquis, with many acknowledgments for his goodness in pardoning my too free, but most sincere sentiments.(1) Mr. Yorke's refusal is of moment; and I can readily believe it, from my opinion of his prudence and discernment. No man with a grain of either would embark in a rotten vessel in the middle of a tempest, to go he knows not whither. I wish our noble and amiable Chancellor had not been so candid as to drag the great seal for one hour at the heels of a desperate minister, after he had hawked them about with every circumstance of indignity to the holder of them.(2) I am not without (1) On the morning of this day, the Marquis of Granby resigned all his situations, except his regiment of Blues. (2) In the course of this day, Mr. Yorke was appointed Lord Chancellor, and a patent was ordered to be made out, creating him a peer, by the title of Baron Morden, but it was not completed before his death; which took place three days after he had received the great seal. hopes of being able to get to London to-morrow; but my state is too precarious to fix overnight. A thousand thanks to you, my dear Sir, for the corrected list, where additional names of credit appear, and a thousand times good night from, dear Sir, Your most faithful and affectionate JOHN CALCRAFT, ESQ. TO THE EARL OF CHATHAM. Sackville Street, Saturday, 4 o'clock. MY DEAR LORD, [January 20, 1770.] I CAN from authority assure your Lordship, that General Conway has refused the ordnance, adding that he will take none of Lord Granby's spoils. Lord Chatham's conference has had great weight with the Duke of Newcastle, and it looks as if he would, after a little more consideration, embark with us; but he did not to-day decide. The Chancellor is very dangerously ill. Sir Jeffrey Amherst is gone out of town, as I hear, without any positive answer, and much dissatisfied. Don't be surprised to find the Duke of Grafton's ground at court but tender. Sir Percy Brett and Sir George Yonge have both resigned, by letter to the Duke of York, this morning, after telling Sir Edward Hawke they |