Mr. Cust has Mr. Hussey's other place. I am always, with the warmest affection and respect, Your Lordship's

most obliged, obedient,

and faithful humble servant,

J. CALCRAFT.

P.S. I break my letter open to tell you Mr. Sawbridge has just been here. To my great concern he informs me, that the lord mayor and leading people of Middlesex are so offended by the half support given to the city remonstrance, and total neglect of that for Westminster, that they mean not to remonstrate to-morrow, but come to resolutions expressing their discontent at the treatment of petitions and remonstrances. They lay the whole of this mischief to the Rockingham party. I have moderated the city warmth against any part of opposition for several days; but fear it will break out at last.

JOHN CALCRAFT, ESQ. TO THE EARL OF CHATHAM. Sackville Street, March 30, 1770.

MY DEAR LORD,

AFTER I wrote yesterday to your Lordship I had much conversation with Mr. Sawbridge, and stated, to the best of my abilities, the cruelty of giving up the people, after the struggle they have made, to the present arbitrary weak administration; I also told him the motives to which it would be imputed. He agreed with me entirely, but doubted his

power

to procure a remonstrance, Horne and his party having settled another plan. He wished me much to meet Horne at his house before they went this morning, and assist him in arguing the point. I did so, and Horne acquiesced in a remonstrance, which Mr. Adair was to move, after he had proposed some resolutions relative to the answer given the city. I have neither seen resolutions or remonstrance, but hear they are agreed to, and that it was a very large meeting.

Something happened on Sunday at Lord Shelburne's, I find, that has put my lord mayor out of humour, and all that party are quite outrageous, Lord Shelburne himself not less than the others; but as I have no communication, this is from report, not my own knowledge. The court are satisfied again with Lord North, and every engine is at work to divide opposition. Lord Mansfield is trying what he can do in Grosvenor Square. I am, with most respectful compliments to Hayes,

Most faithfully and affectionately yours,
J. CALCRAFT.

P.S. Mr. Sawbridge is this moment come in with a more accurate and very pleasing account of the Mile End meeting. Mr. Horne dropped all his intended abuse against the Rockinghams; he gave up his resolutions too, saying they were better stated in the remonstrance, and spoke for two hours most ably. He gave a very clever account of what the ministers had done by way of satisfying the people. It was a most respectable meeting.

THE EARL OF CHATHAM TO JOHN CALCRAFT, ESQ.

MY DEAR SIR,

Friday night, March 30, 1770.

YOUR very obliging letter has brought me most sensible satisfaction, and I confess it found me under all the impressions of strong disapprobation of the strange and puerile desertion of the public, which was going to happen; and the whole of this sudden revolution from the hottest zeal to the manifest appearance of dismay, produced, as it seems to me, by a pet taken at I do not well know what, nor whom. I am a stranger to any particular incident at Lord Shelburne's, not being supplied with over-much communication. I deeply lament any tendency towards jealousies or animosities between different parts of the combined forces, who stand for the public, and upon the maintenance of whose union all hope of good depends. If that transcendent and indispensable object shall be thrown away, I shall esteem nothing worth pursuing, with a moment's thought. Your weight with Mr. Sawbridge has been most happily exerted; and the conclusion at Mile End has saved the cause of the constitution from the irrecoverable contempt which was impending, from silly resentments and pernicious jealousies. May a temper of more manly wisdom, and some public spirited candour and indulgence prevail amongst those who happen to differ in particular points, than that which seemed

just bursting forth! As for Lord Rockingham, I have a firm reliance on his zeal for liberty, and will not separate from him.

Ever, my dear Sir,

most affectionately yours,

CHATHAM.

EARL TEMPLE TO THE EARL OF CHATHAM.

MY DEAR LORD,

Pall Mall, April 2, 1770.

My brother's bill (1) is this day passed in the House of Commons; the court having given up the design of opposing it on the third reading, which they fully intended, as it was said, yesterday. Their situation in the House of Lords is as truly deplorable. Lord Mansfield told Lord Weymouth this day, that he approved and should support it; the consequence of which is, that no ministerial opposition will be given to it.

To-morrow it will come up to us, and it is agreed to read it a second time on Thursday, unless you have any particular wish about it; which, considering the present state of the business, I should think you cannot. What I relate to you I have

(1) Mr. George Grenville's celebrated bill, for regulating the trials of controverted election; "one of the noblest works," says Mr. Hatsell, "for the honour of the House of Commons, and the security of the constitution, that was ever devised by any minister or statesman."

from the parties themselves; with this addition from Lord Mansfield, that if a real opposition had been thought of, he would have taken an early, large, and warm part in support of it.

I am told, and very peremptorily, from more quarters than one, that the King is much struck with this event, and that he has but a bad opinion of the state of his ministry. I am glad, however, to find that Calcraft, as well as yourself, has a very good opinion of your own health, let the health of the state be what it may. I hope to be able to get to Stowe on Sunday for a week, and then for the Mansion House, that seat of liberty and spirit ; but if you have any particular wish with regard to the time for this bill ('), I will endeavour to make other matters bend to it; happy always, my dear Lord, to show myself,

Your Lordship's

most affectionately devoted

TEMPLE.

(1) On the 5th of April, the bill was carried up to the Lords by Mr. Grenville, attended by a hundred members. Lord Chatham supported it, and passed some elegant encomiums upon it. He then said, that "as he had begun his life out of a court, he hoped he should end it out of a court: he had no view to interest; all he meant was to rouse his country to a just sense of the blessings of this constitution." He then desired that the House might be summoned after the holidays, as he designed to bring in a bill to reverse the proceedings of the House of Commons on the Middlesex election. He declared that his intention by this Bill was to give the people a strong and thorough sense of the great violation of the constitution, by those unjust and arbitrary proceedings.