574 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



if the continuance of the authority 

 confided to me by his royal hisi^h- 

 ness had ennbled nie, under his 

 royal highiiess's commands, to offer 

 to your lordshiijs a full and candid 

 explanation of those points in my 

 minute of the 1st of June, which 

 your lordships appear to me to 

 have entirely misapprehended. 

 But as his royal highness has 

 been pleased to intimate to me his 

 pleasure, that the formation of a 

 new administration should be in- 

 truiited to other hands, 1 have re- 

 quested permission to decline all 

 further coucern.in this transaction. 



I remain, however, extremely 

 anxious to submit to your lord- 

 ships some explanatory observations 

 respecting the communications 

 which I have had the honour to 

 make to you ; and 1 trust that 

 your lordships will indulge me 

 with that advantage, although I 

 can no longer address you under 

 the sanction of the Prince Regent's 

 authority. 



I have the honour to be, with 

 great respect, my lords, your most 

 faithful, and obedient servant, 



(Signed) Wellesley. 



No. 24. 

 Lord Wellesley to Lord Grey on 



the same Subject, dated 4th 



June. 



Apsley-house, 

 June 4th, 1812. 



My Lord, — When I applied yes- 

 terday to your lordship and Lord 

 Grenville, for permissiou to submit 

 to you some explanatory observa- 

 tions respecting the communica- 

 tions which I have had the honour 

 to make to you by the authority 

 of the Prince Regent, I was not 

 aware that Lord Moira had ad- 

 dressed a letter to your lordship of 



the same nature as that which I 

 was desirous of conveying to you. 



The form of such a letter, eiiher 

 from Lord Moira or me, must have 

 been private, as neither of us 

 possessed any authority from the 

 Prince Hegent, to open any further 

 commiiuioation with your lordship, 

 or with Lord Grenville; a circum- 

 stance which I deeply lament, 

 under a sanguine hope, that addi- 

 tional explanations, sanctioned by 

 authoritj', might have removed the 

 existing obstacles to an amicable 

 arrangement. 



Lord Moira has sent me a copy 

 of his letter (No. 20.) to your 

 lordship of yesterday's date; and 

 as it contains an accurate, clear, 

 and candid statement of the real 

 objects of the proposal which I 

 conveyed to you, it appears to me 

 to have furnished you with as full 

 an explanation as can be given in 

 an unauthorised paper. Under 

 these circumstances, it might be 

 deemed superfluous trouble to your 

 lordship and to Lord Grenville, to 

 solicit your attention to a private 

 letter from me ; although I should 

 be most happy if any opportunity 

 were afforded, of renewing a con- 

 ciliatory intercourse, under the 

 commands of the Prince Regent, 

 with a view to attain the object 

 of our recent communications. — I 

 have the honour to be, with great 

 respect, my lord, your lordship's 

 most faithful and humble servant, 

 Wellesley. 



No. 25. 

 Lord Grey's Reply to Lord Wel- 

 lesley's Letter, No. 24. 



Portman-Square, 

 Ju7ieAlh, 1812. 

 My Lord, — I have had the ho- 

 nour 



