"fidence and fupport of every true friend of his country, make it "neceffary for me to trouble you with a repetition of the reafons "which I affigned to you and other gentlemen, who delivered me the representation and requifition of your meeting of the 26th of Ja"nuary, for declining an immediate interview with Mr. Pitt, on the "prefent arduous fituation of public affairs. 66 66 "I had the honour of ftating to you, I did not think it poffible "that fuch a meeting would tend to forward the defirable end we all "with, as long as M. Pitt remained in his minifterial capacity, notwithstanding the Refolution of the Houfe of Commons of the 16th inftant. Under these circumftances the embarraffment feems "mutual and difficult to be got over, but if any expedient can be "devised for removing it, I thall be extremely ready to confer with Mr. Pitt, and to contribute every faculty in my power to promote "the object of our joint wishes. "I have the honour to be, "Your most obedient humble fervant, (Signed) Thomas Grofvenor, Efq. Chairman. Thurfday the 29th. The gentlemen met, and there being above eighty Members prefent, they came to the following refolution : Refolved, “That the Chairman be requested to return our thanks to the "Duke of Portland and Mr. Pitt, for the additional favour they have "now given of their attention to our wishes. "To exprefs cur cordial fatisfaction to find they agree in opinion "with this meeting, that an union is of the highest importance, "and is the object of their joint wishes. "To infinuate to them, that after thefe declarations, we are the more ftrongly confirmed in our hope and expectation, that by the "intervention of mutual friends, fome expedient may be advised, "which may tend to remove the difficulty, which is ftated to be the "most material obftacle to a communication between them, on the fubject of a cordial and permanent union. (Signed) T. GROSVENOR, Chairman.". St. St. Alban's Tavern, Saturday, January 31, 1784. At a meeting held by the gentlemen (Members of the Houfe of Commons) who affembled from time to time, with a view to conciliate differences, and to forward an union of the contending parties, in Parliament, the following letters to the Chairman of the meeting were received and read. "Mr. PITT has already had the honour of stating to Mr. Grofvenor, that there are no difficulties on his part in the way of an im"mediate intercourfe for the purpofe of effecting an union confiftent "with honour and principle. With regard to the embarraffinent "ftated by the Duke of Portland in his Grace's letter, referred to in "the refolutions of the meeting, arifing from Mr. Pitt's remaining "in his minifterial capacity, it is an embarraffiment which Mt. Pitt cannot remove, by refignation, in order to negociate. In thefe circumftances, Mr. Pitt has it not in his power to fuggeft any expedient, but is very defirous of learning, whether the Duke of Port"land can propofe any thing which his Grace confiders as fuch; and "he begs at the fame time to add, that his prefent minifterial capacity is no obftacle to his difcuffing every point that relates to the desirable "object in queftion, as freely and openly as he could do in any other "fituation." 66 Berkely-fquare, 31st Jan. 1784. SIR, Devon-Houfe, Saturday, 31 January, 1784. "I am extremely forry that Mr. Pitt appears fo pofitively to decline fuggefting any expedient on his part, to remove the difficul"ties which obftruct the conference you defire. I believe you will agree, that the continuance of the prefent Miniftry, and the ho"nour of the House of Commons, are not very easily reconcileable. 66 "It was the fenfe of those difficulties, and my earneft defire "of complying with the opinion of gentlemen whofe fentiments "claim my highest refpect, that induced me to fuggeft the poffibility "of an expedient which you will eafily difcern would not depend The recollection of fimilar events in two fucceffive years "led me to flattet myself that there was a middle way between the "actual refignation of Minifters, and the neglect of what appeared the Journals of the Houfe of Commons. I hoped that Mr. Pitt "would have adverted to thofe events, and I trust they will yet have 66 upon me. on E 2 * duc due weight with him. I fhall moft certainly rejoice in any propo"fition that can promife to lay a bafis for the tranquility and fettle"ment which are the objects of our common withes. "I have the honour to be, "With great truth and regard, SIR, Your moft obedient humble fervant, Thomas Grofvenor, Efq. Chairman. "PORTLAND." AND St. Alban's Tavern, Monday, Feb. 2, 1784. At a meeting of the gentlmen, Members of the Houfe of Commons, who affembled from time to time, with a view to conciliate differences, and to forward an union of the contending parties in Parliament, the following letters were read; 6.6 February 1, 1784, Berkeley-fquare. "Mr. Pitt being fincerely defirous that there fhould not continue any obftacle in the way of fuch an intercourfe as has been wifhed for, regrets that it is not in his power to fuggeft expedients to remove "the difficulty felt by the Duke of Portland. He does not under"ftand precifely what is the middle way which his Grace feems to "allude to; the events in the two years to which his Grace refers, 66 appear to Mr. Pitt to have been only modes of refignation, and "fuch a measure, in order to enter into a negociation, is what the pre"fent Ministry, as has been already declared, cannot agree to "Whenever any expedient is directly ftated, Mr. Pitt will be happy "to give every explanation upon it." SIR, Devon-Houfe, Monday morning, Feb. 2, 1784. "I very fincerely regret, that the expedient to which I referred fhould be thought unapplicable to the difficulties I had stated; I certainly fuggefted it as a mode of refignation, but as a mode of "refignation the least embarraffing to Government in the ordinary "functions of office, and at the fame time as a proof of a difpo-. "fition to confult the honour of the Houfe of Commons, as it stands "pledged by the refolution of the 16th of January. This laft is a "preliminary, which as a friend to the spirit of the conftitution, I muft think myself bound invariably to require. With refpect to myself, I am willing to hope that I have not "been mistaken in the conception I formed of your wishes, by fuppofing that it was with Mr. Pitt that you were defirous I "fhould have a liberal and unreferved intercourfe, and not with "the head of an Administration, to which I was merely to bring "an acceffion of firength. But Mr. Pitt's meffage places him in an"other character; and your own good fenfe will readily fuggeft to you, that it was impoffible for me to fuppofe that your expecta"tions extended to a confidential conferrence with him, as the repre"sentative of the prefent Administration. 86 "If I had done this, I must have fallen in your esteem (which, "I affure you, is a very ferious object to me) as I fhould have fhewn myself infenfible of what is due to the Houfe of Commons. 86 <6 "I have unrefervedly fubmitted to you my ideas of the extent of your expectations. In conformity with thofe expectations, (Mr. "Pitt having uniformly declined to fuggeft any expedient on his part) I took the liberty of fuggefting an expedient, which I thought might put us into a fituation, in which the intercourse you wifhed "might take place with propriety. 66 66 "I fhall be happy to find that my propofitions have met with your approbation; but, in every grant, I hope that my anxiety to me"rit the partiality you have fhewn me, will entitle me to its conti46 nuance. I have the honour to be, "with great regard and efteem, 66 Thomas Grofvenor, Efq. SIR, your most faithful and obedient fervant, February 2.] Mr. Grofvenor, in the Houfe of Commons, after remarking that his exertions, and those he acted with, in favour of that friendship and harmony, without which no nation can exift, had not been attended with fuccefs, moved, "That it is the opinion of this House, that in the present arduous "and critical fituation of affairs, it is neceffary to have the exertions "of a firm, efficient, extended, and united Adminiftration, entitled. "to the confidence of this Houfe and the People; and fuch as may "have a tendency to put an end to the unfortunate divifions which "at prefent diftract this country." Mr. Mr. James Luttrell feconded the motion, and it was carried without a divifion. Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, then moved, "That it is the opinion of this House, that the continuance of the "prefent Miniftry in power, is an obftacle to the formation of fuch "an Adminiftration as is likely to have the confidence of this House and the people." Mr. Minchin feconded the motion. About twelve o'clock the queftion was put, and the Houfe divided, Ayes Majority against the Minister 223 204 19 Motion concerning the Removal of Adminiftration. February 3.] Mr. Coke, after expreffing his difapprobation of the conduct of the prefent Administration, and regretting the alarming predicament which the country was in for want of a strong and efficient Miniftry, begged that the Clerk would read the refolutions which the Houfe had yefterday come to, concerning that matter. The Clerk then read as follows: "That it is the opinion of this House, that in the prefent arduous "and critical fituation of affairs, it is neceffary to have the exertions "of a firm, efficient, extended, and united Administration, entitled "to the confidence of this House and the People; and fuch as may "have a tendency to put an end to the unfortunate divifions which "at prefent diftract this country. "That it is the opinion of this Houfe, that the continuance of the prefent Miniftry in power, is an obftacle to the formation of fuch an Administration as is likely to have the confidence of this Houfe " and the People, and as would have a tendency to put an end to the "prefent divifions that distract the country." Mr. Coke then moved, "That a copy of these refolutions be pre"fented to his Majefty by fuch Members of the House as are of his Majefty's Privy Council, as expreffive of the fenfe of the Houfe of "Commons, on the prefent alarming fituation of public affairs." Mr. Welbore Ellis feconded the motion. |