STATE PAPERS. 



371 



proposal stated by your lordship 

 cannot justify any such expecta- 

 tion. 



We are invited, not to discuss 

 with your lordship, or with any 

 other public men, according to the 

 usual practice in such cases, the 

 various and important considera- 

 tions, both of measures and of ar- 

 rangements, which belong to the 

 formation of a new government, 

 in all its branches ; but to recom- 

 mend to his Royal Highness a num- 

 ber limited by previous stipulation, 

 of persons willing to be included 

 in a cabinet, of which the outlines 

 are already definitely arranged. 



To this proposal we could not 

 accede without the sacrifice of the 

 very object which the House of 

 Commons has recommended — the 

 formation of a strong and efficient 

 administration. 



We enter not into the examina- 

 tion of the relative proportions, or 

 of the particular arrangements, 

 which it has been judged neces- 

 sary thus previously to establish. 

 It is to the principle of disunion 

 and jealousy that we object — to 

 the supposed balance ofcontending 

 interests, in a cabinet so measured 

 out by preliminary stipulation. 

 The times imperiously require an 

 administration united in principle, 

 and strong in mutual reliance: pos- 

 sessing also the confidence of the 

 crown, and assured of its support 

 in those healing measures which 

 the public safety requires ; and 

 which are necessary to >ecure to 

 the government, the opinion and 

 affections of the [)eO|jle. 



No such hope is prei^ented to us 

 by this project, which appears to 

 us equally new in jjractice, and 

 objectionable in principle. It tends, 

 as we think, to establish, within 



the cabinet itself, a system of coun- 

 teraction inconsistent with ihe pro- 

 secution of any uniform and bene- 

 ficial course of policy. 



We must, therefore, request 

 permission to decline all participa- 

 tion in a government constituted 

 upon such principles: satisfied, as 

 we are, that the certain loss of 

 character which must arise from it 

 to ourselves, could be productive 

 only of disunion and weakness in 

 the administration of the public 

 interests. 



We have the honour to be, with 

 great respect, &c. 



(Signed) Grey. 



(Signed) Grenville. 



No. 20. 

 Explanatory Letter from Lord 

 Moira to Lord Grey, June 3rd, 

 on the subject of Lord Welles- 

 ley's Minute, No. 17. 



June 3, 1812. 

 My dear Lord, — The answer 

 which you and Lord Grenville 

 have returned to the proposal 

 made by Lord Wellesley seems to 

 throw an oblique imputation upon 

 me; therefore I entreat your re- 

 consideration of your statement as 

 far as it may convey that impeach- 

 ment of a procedure in which I 

 was involved. You represent the 

 proposition for an arrant^ement 

 submitted to you as one calculated 

 to found a cabinet upon a pinciple 

 of counteraction. When the most 

 materiid of the public objects which 

 were to be the immediate grouiiid, 

 of that cal)inet's exertion had been 

 previously understood between the 

 parties, I own it is difficult for 

 me to comprehend «hat principle 

 of counteriK-tion could be intro- 

 duced. If tliere beany ambij^uitir 

 2 B2 which 



