The Windham Papers

J. P. Gilson, Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, was, at the instance of the Right Hon. Arthur James Balfour, privately printed two years ago for the Roxburghe Club. The text of the letters has been closely followed, except that, for the convenience of the reader, abbreviations have been printed in full, and, as a rule, the spelling of proper names and places has been standardised.

The value of the Windham Papers is considerable. Windham it was who had the courage to put into writing what others only dared to whisper about the utter incompetence of the Duke of York as commander-in-chief of the army in Flanders. His correspondence with Pitt on this subject, marked "Most Private," here printed for the first time, is a genuine contribution to the history of the war. It was through these letters that George III. first learnt the feeling of his ministers and of the country on this matter, and it must be placed to the credit of the King that the incident in no degree lessened the respect and admiration in which he held his Secretary-at-War. It was to Windham that the Duke of Gloucester wrote, marking his letter "Most Secret," regarding the defences of the country and the inefficiency of the junior officers of the army and militia. In this same interesting letter he urged the desirability of a treaty between that Republic and Great Britain, whereby the maritime defence of the United States should be undertaken by Great Britain lest the States themselves should set up a powerful navy. Other correspondence relates to secret ministerial negotiations between the political parties at home, and the arrangements between the British Government and the French Royalists. A very interesting letter is that written by a French émigré in 1793 from Philadelphia.

There are gaps in the Windham Papers, but the information contained therein can be supplemented from many

sources. The Pelham Papers include letters hitherto unpublished, exchanged between Windham and Lord Northington and the Hon. Thomas Pelham, and the privately printed "Miscellanies" of the Philobiblon Society contain a series of letters addressed to Mrs. Crewe. In the Ketton MSS. (published by the Historical MSS. Commission) will be found interesting extracts from a Diary kept by Windham in 1773; while in the Fortescue MSS. (issued under the same auspices) is a voluminous correspondence with Lord Grenville. Other sources that can be studied with advantage are Boswell's "Life of Johnson," Fanny Burney's Diaries, Wraxall's "Posthumous Memoirs," Stanhope's "Life of Pitt," Russell's "Life of Fox;" Prior's memoirs of Burke and Malone the biographies of Sidmouth, Minto, Charlemont, Sheridan and Reynolds; the recollections of Lord Albemarle, Lord Malmesbury, and Lord Holland; the correspondence of Johnson and Burke; the "Memoires du Comte Joseph de Puisaye "; and Mrs. Stirling's "Coke of Norfolk." There is also an interesting character study of Windham by Brougham in "Statesmen of the Reign of George III."

Why may not the Life of Windham be written by his letters?" asked a friend of the statesman, who disguised his identity as "An Old Member of Parliament." The suggestion is sound, and this plan has been followed by the present writer. In the absence of any considerable number of letters written by or to Windham during the first thirty-two years of his life, the Editor has told the story of this period in a brief narrative.

The Editor's thanks are due to the Right Hon. the Marquis of Crewe, K.G., who has kindly allowed him to print the letters from Windham to Mrs. Crewe, which were contributed by the late Lord Houghton to the privately printed "Miscellanies" of the Philobiblon

1 New Monthly Magazine, December 1831, vol. xxxii, p. 561.

Society; to Earl Nelson, who has permitted the publication of letters of Horatio, Lord Nelson; and to the Controller of his Majesty's Stationery Office, who has sanctioned the insertion of some correspondence between Windham and Lord Grenville from the Fortescue MSS. (Historical MSS. Commission's Reports). The Editor wishes further to thank Messrs. J. P. Collins, C. E. Lawrence, A. Francis Steuart, Thomas H. B. Vade-Walpole, and A. Winterbotham, who have kindly read the proofs of this work, and have made many valuable suggestions. The Rev. T. South Jagg, Rector of Felbrigge-cumMelton, has been so good as to supply information concerning Windham at Felbrigg.