1755. sent you an account of. Monday and Tuesday have passed as unattended in both Houses of Parliament as if they had all been members of the Dunstable hunt, and to-day that great sum was levied upon the people of England without a single objection. Mr. Secretary Fox then produced the Treaties, and intimated this day fortnight as a reasonable time for taking them into consideration. Mr. Pitt approved of the day, and it is understood by the House to be so fixed. But Mr. Pitt gave out that if they should move for papers or other lights on that day, that might create difference of opinion, then they must adjourn the consideration of the treaties to some other. By which (but this is my own private conjecture, not having spoke to a single person on the subject,) I conclude they mean to move for the letters that passed between the regency and Holdernesse, which of course will be refused them, and your Grace, who has been Secretary of State, will know better than me, how improper it would be not to refuse them; but this, as I said before, is merely my own speculation. When I have informed your Grace after this, that the army is fixed for this day se'night in the House of Commons, I think I have told you all that I have been able to pick up from a supper last night at Mr. Fox's, as well as what I could hear to-day of our business. I went to the House of Lords, and from the oracle of it, my friend Joe Wight, after the house was up, I learnt that Holdernesse had there produced the treaties, and by a blunder, moved taking them into consideration on Wednesday fortnight, meaning this day fortnight. Lord Temple availed himself of the mistake; was pathetic upon it; said as they had been entered into without the advice of parliament, it was necessary parliament should have much time to deliberate upon them, as they appeared unconstitutional, derogatory from the honour of the country, &c. &c. Lord President desired him to postpone his abuse of them till he had read them, which as they were now upon the table, he might have a speedy opportunity of doing, and abusing them after he knew what they were, would be full as well as before. In short, they are fixed in the House of Lords also for this day fortnight. I forgot to tell your Grace, by way of House of Commons' concerns, that we were informed by authority that the Bank advances two millions seven hundred thousand pounds upon your land and malt, at three per cent. only. Johnny may stay very securely with you at Woburn, for we shall certainly have no business before the army this day se'night. The Princess of Wales's birth-day is not to be kept till Tuesday, because the Queen died upon the next Monday come thousand years. Mr. Pitt has accepted Lord Temple's thousand a year, and they make no scruple of owning it. Nor indeed do I see any reason to be ashamed of it; they talk of George Haldane* * Colonel of the Foot Guards; M. P. for Inverkeithing, &c.; appointed Governor of Jamaica. 1755. 1755. for Governor of Barbadoes or Carolina, but I don't know if there is any truth in it. The terrible report from Lisbon is not believed in the extent it is talked of, but feared much danger is done. I write this at past eight from Lord Gower's, and therefore beg your forgiveness of all inaccuracies and what is not intelligible. &c. &c. RICHARD RIGBY. MR. RIGBY TO THE DUKE OF BEDFORD. December 3. 1755. I never lamented the original constitutional defence of this country so much in my life as I do this day. If our militia had continued to be our support, I might have staid two days longer at Woburn, for the army is put off till Friday, the House having sat till they were tired, last night, at past nine o'clock upon Lord Pulteney's motion. Lady Betty tells me she sent the numbers upon the division, but she did not then know that in the course of the debate Beckford attacked some former Board of Admiralty, that the House understood to mean the Duke of Bedford's; and Mr. Fox took it up so warmly, that Beckford, who was of the majority side, did not stay to vote; it is not understood, however, to have amounted to any thing like a quarrel. There are accounts of Castres and Hay from Lisbon being safe, and Kepple does not go at last. I enclose you Peg's nonsense, because I said I would. 1755. MR. RIGBY TO THE DUKE OF BEDFORD. December 4. 1755. Last night when I sent your Grace an account of somewhat that had passed the day before in the House of Commons, I did not know that there had also been some altercation in the other House. But this morning, my friend Joe Wight breakfasted with me, and informed me that Ravensworth has summoned the House for to-morrow. He got up in the most violent agitation of spirits and, with great warmth of action, said he was as much for the subsidiary treaties even as the man that made them, but that he wanted more light: there were Lords in the House who could inform him of what he wanted to know, which was, what terms of accommodation were offered, if any were on either part between France and us, at the time Boscawen was sent to America, that he might be able to do what he so much wished, - find himself able to vote for the treaties. The Duke of Newcastle answered him, and told him if he would say what papers he meant, if they were proper to be brought to parliament, he would second him, but that as the treaties were made long since, their being justifiable or not 1755. would depend upon the notoriety of the state of affairs at the time they were made; that after Monsieur Mirepoix was recalled, there were no thoughts of accommodation; and therefore begged he would further explain his meaning what he would have produced. He remained still violent, said he found he was not to have an answer, and therefore should have a motion to make to-morrow, and has summoned the House accordingly. Lord Temple moved yesterday that those Hessian treaties of the years 1702, 1740, 1745, and one Russian treaty of 1747, might be laid before the House, and an address went for that purpose. His Lordship likewise was violent upon the present treaties, and fell upon the Chancellor, who, he said, had hurried on the taking them into consideration, and by his own authority converted three weeks into a fortnight alluding to Holdernesse's blunder, who got up and justified himself very glibly. And then the Chancellor laid Temple on very handsomely, said he did not expect, nor had ever heard, so unfair an allegation in that House of Parliament, appealed for his candour in wording the motion for taking the treaties into consideration of the whole House, and observed much, and very well and with a great deal of spirit, as my friend Joe tells me, upon the particular spleen and temper that Temple seemed to show upon the present occasion. By the way, Temple and Mr. Pitt live in the Parliament office, and Joe Wight tells me he had to light a fire for them, and shut them up for three or four hours |