"fidence and support of every true friend of his country, make it " necessary for me to trouble you with a repetition of the reasons " which I assigned to you and other gentlemen, who delivered me the representation and requifition of your meeting of the 26th of January, for declining an immediate interview with Mr. Pitt, on the " present arduous situation of public affairs. 66 ८८ " I had the honour of stating to you, I did not think it poffible " that such a meeting would tend to forward the defirable end we all " with, as long as M. Pitt remained in his minifterial capacity, not" withstanding the Resolution of the House of Commons of the 66 16th inftant. Under these circumstances the embarrafsment seems " mutual and difficult to be got over, but if any expedient can be " devised for removing it, I shall 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, " With great respect, "Your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) Thomas Grosvenor, Esq. Chairman. "PORTLAND." Thursday the 29th. The gentlemen met, and there being above eighty Members present, they came to the following resolution : Resolved, "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 express our 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. 46 "To infinuate to them, that after these declarations, we are the more strongly confirmed in our hope and expectation, that by the “ intervention of mutual friends, tome expedient may be advised, " which may tend to remove the difficulty, which is stated to be the " most material obstacle 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 House of Commons) who assembled 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 intercourse for the purpose of effecting an union confiftent " with honour and principle. With regard to the embarrassiment "stated by the Duke of Portland in his Grace's letter, referred to in "the resolutions 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 these circumftances, Mr. Pitt has it not in his power to fuggest any expedient, but is very defirous of learning, whether the Duke of Port" land can propose any thing which his Grace confiders as such; and " he begs at the fame time to add, that his present ministerial capacity " is no obstacle to his discussing every point that relates to the defirable object in question, as freely and openly as he could do in any other " fituation." 66 66 66 Berkely-Square, 31st Jan. 1784. SIR, Devon-House, Saturday, 31 January, 1784. " I am extremely forry that Mr. Pitt appears so positively to de" cline suggesting any expedient on his part, to remove the difficul" ties which obstruct the conference you defire. I believe you will agree, that the continuance of the present Ministry, and the honour of the House of Commons, are not very easily reconcileable. "It was the sense of those difficulties, and my earnest defire " of complying with the opinion of gentlemen whose sentiments " claim my highest respect, that induced me to suggest the poffibility " of an expedient which you will easily difcern would not depend upon me. The recollection of fimilar events in two fucceffive years " led me to flattet myself that there was a middle way between the " actual resignation of Ministers, and the neglect of what appeared " on the Journals of the House of Commons. I hoped that Mr. Pitt " would have adverted to those events, and I trust they will yet have E2 " due " due weight with him. I shall most certainly rejoice in any propo" sition that can promife to lay a basis for the tranquility and fettle"ment which are the objects of our common wishes. "I have the honour to be, "With great truth and regard, SIR, "Your most obedient humble servant, "PORTLAND." Thomas Grosvenor, Esq. Chairman. St. Alban's Tavern, Monday, Feb. 2, 1784. At a meeting of the gentlmen, Members of the House of Commons, who assembled 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; ८८ February 1, 1784, Berkeley-square. "Mr. Pitt being fincerely defirous that there should not continue any obstacle in the way of fuch an intercourse as has been wished for, regrets that it is not in his power to suggest expedients to remove "the difficulty felt by the Duke of Portland. He does not under" stand precisely what is the middle way which his Grace feems to "allude to; the events in the two years to which his Grace refers, appear to Mr. Pitt to have been only modes of refignation, and " such a meafure, in order to enter into a negociation, is what the pre" sent Ministry, as has been already declared, cannot agree to “Whenever any expedient is directly stated, Mr. Pitt will be happy “ to give every explanation upon it." SIR, Devon-House, Monday morning, Feb. 2, 1784. " I very fincerely regret, that the expedient to which I referred *" should be thought unapplicable to the difficulties I had stated; I certainly suggested it as a mode of refignation, but as a mode of " resignation the least embarraffing to Government in the ordinary " functions of office, and at the fame time as a proof of a difpo" sition to confult the honour of the House of Commons, as it stands " pledged by the resolution of the 16th of January. This last is a " preliminary, which as a friend to the spirit of the constitution, I " must think myself bound invariably to require. 1 "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 "should have a liberal and unreferved intercourse, and not with "the head of an Administration, to which I was merely to bring 66 an acceffion of ftrength. But Mr. Pitt's message places him in an" other character; and your own good sense will readily fuggeft to you, that it was impossible for me to suppose that your expecta"tions extended to a confidential conferrence with him, as the repre" sentative of the present Administration. " 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 should have shewn " myself infenfible of what is due to the House of Commons. " I have unreservedly fubmitted to you my ideas of the extent of your expectations. In conformity with those expectations, (Mr. " Pitt having uniformly declined to suggest any expedient on his " part) I took the liberty of suggesting an expedient, which I thought " might put us into a situation, in which the intercourse you wished " might take place with propriety. " I shall 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 shewn me, will entitle me to its conti"nuance. I have the honour to be, February 2.] Mr. Grosvenor, in the House of Commons, after remarking that his exertions, and those he acted with, in favour of that friendship and harmony, without which no nation can exist, had not been attended with success, moved, " That it is the opinion of this House, that in the present arduous " and critical fituation of affairs, it is necessary to have the exertions. " of a firm, efficient, extended, and united Administration, entitled to the confidence of this House and the People; and such as may " have a tendency to put an end to the unfortunate divisions which at present distract this country." Mr. Mr. James Luttrell seconded 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 Ministry in power, is an obstacle to the formation of fuch an Adminiftration as is likely to have the confidence of this Houfe " and the people." Mr. Minchin seconded the motion. About twelve o'clock the question was put, and the House di vided, Majority against the Minister 19 Motion concerning the Removal of Administration. February 3.] Mr. Coke, after expreffing his disapprobation of the conduct of the present Administration, and regretting the alarming predicament which the country was in for want of a strong and efficient Ministry, begged that the Clerk would read the resolutions which the House had yesterday come to, concerning that matter. The Clerk then read as follows: " That it is the opinion of this House, that in the present arduous " and critical fituation of affairs, it is necessary to have the exertions " of a firm, efficient, extended, and united Administration, entitled to the confidence of this House and the People; and such as may " have a tendency to put an end to the unfortunate divisions which " at present distract this country." " That it is the opinion of this House, that the continuance of the " present Ministry in power, is an obstacle to the formation of fuch an Administration as is likely to have the confidence of this House " and the People, and as would have a tendency to put an end to the " present divisions that distract the country." Mr. Coke then moved, "That a copy of these resolutions be pre" sented to his Majesty by such Members of the House as are of his " Majesty's Privy Council, as expressive of the sense of the House of "Commons, on the present alarming situation of public affairs." Mr. Welbore Ellis seconded the motion. At |