STATE PAPERS. 



369 



No. 16. 

 Lord Wellesley's Reply to Lord 

 Grey, May 29th, 1812. 



Apsley House, 

 iVi«V 29, 1812. 



My Lord, — I request your lord- 

 ship to accept my sincere thanks 

 for your letter of this day's date. 



In the actual state of aftairs, it 

 might be deemed prennatuie to 

 enter into any more particular dis- 

 cussions, than those already sub- 

 mitted to your lordship on the 

 points to which you have adverted 

 with so much perspicuity, ability, 

 and candour. 



But I cannot omit this opportu- 

 nity of assuring your lordship, 

 that I have derived from the senti- 

 ments, so justly expiessed in your 

 letter, a firm expectation, that if 

 the advice, which I have humbly 

 offered to the Prince Regent, should 

 be ultimately approved, a happy 

 prospect will open to the country 

 of recovering internal peace, and 

 of prosecuting the war with sue- 



1 • • • 



cess, under an admmistmtion 

 worthy of the confidence of the 

 Prince, and of the people, and 

 equal to the arduous charge of 

 public affairs, amidst all the diffi- 

 culties and dangers of the present 

 crisis. 



I have the honour to be, with 

 the highest respect,. my lord, your 

 lordship's most faithful and obedi- 

 ent servant, Wellesley. 



No. 17. 



Minute of a Communication made 

 by Lord Wellesley to Lord Grey, 

 at Lord Grey's House, June 1st, 

 1812. 



Lord Wellesley stated, that he 

 had, on that morning, received full 

 Vol. LIV. 



authority from the Prince Regent 

 to form an administration under 

 his Royal Highness's commands; 

 and that he was specially autho- 

 rised to communicate with Lords 

 Grey and Grenviile on the subject. 

 That his Royal Highness enter- 

 tained no wish to exclude from 

 the proposed administration, any 

 person, or description of persons, 

 who could unite in the principles 

 on which the administration was 

 to be founded. 



That the two propositions stated 

 in Lord Wellesley's minute of May 

 23rd, and subsequently ex[)lained 

 in the letters which had passed 

 between Lord Welleslev and Lord 

 Grey, of the dates of the 27:h, 

 28th, and 29th of May, 1812, were 

 intended by his Roj^al Highness to 

 constitute the foundation of his 

 administration. 



That his Royal Highness had 

 signified his pleasure, that Lord 

 Wellesley should com I uct the for- 

 mation of the administration in all 

 its branches, and should be first 

 commissioner of the treasury ; and 

 that Lord Moira, Lord Erskine, 

 and Mr. Canning, should be mem- 

 bers of the cabinet. 



That it was probable, that a 

 cabinet formed on an enlarged 

 basis, must be extended to the 

 number of twelve or thirteen 

 members: that the Prince Regent 

 wished Lords Grey and Grenviile, 

 on the part of their friends, to re- 

 commend for his Royal Highness's 

 approbation the names of four 

 persons (if the cabinet should 

 consist of twelve), and of five [X'l- 

 sons (if the cabinet should consist 

 of thirteen), to be appointed by iiis 

 Royal Highness to fill such btaiions 

 in his councils as might hereafter 

 be arranged. 



2 B That 



