STATE PAPERS. 



^n 



felons as must precede the details of 

 any new anaugement. h% a pre- 

 liniinar}- question, which appeared 

 to them of great importance, they 

 thought it necessary immediately 

 to bring forward to prevent the 

 inconvenience and embarrassment 

 of the further delay which might 

 be produced, if this negociation 

 should break off in a more advanced 

 state, they asked, " Whether this 

 full liberty extended to the con- 

 sideration of new appointments to 

 those great offices of the household, 

 which have been usually included 

 in the political arrangements made 

 on a change of administration ; in- 

 timating their opinion, that it 

 would be necessary to act on the 

 same principle on the present oc- 

 casion." 



Lord Moira answered, "That 

 the Prince had laid no restriction 

 upon him in that respect, and had 

 never pointed, in the most distant 

 manner, at the protection of those 

 officers from removal ; that it 

 would be impossible for him (Lord 

 xMoira), however, to concur in 

 making the exercise of this power 

 positive and indispensable, in the 

 formation of the administration, 

 because he should deem it on 

 public grounds peculiarly objec- 

 tionable." 



To this Lord Grey and Lord 

 Grenville replied, they also acted 

 on public grounds alone, and with 

 no other feeling whatever than 

 that which arose Irom the necessity 

 of giving to a new government that 

 character of efficiency and stability, 

 and those marks of the constitu- 

 tional support of the crown, which 

 were required to enable it to act 

 usefully for the public service; 

 and that on these grounds it ap- 

 peared tc them indispensable, that 



the connection of the sreat offices 

 of the court, with the political 

 administration, should be clearly 

 established in its first arranse- 

 ments. 



A decided difference of opinion 

 as to this point having been thus 

 expressed on both s-ides, the con- 

 versation ended here, with mutual 

 declarations of regret. 



Nothing was said on the subject 

 of official arrangements, nor any 

 persons proposed on either side to 

 till any particular situations. 



B. and C. Two Letters (which 

 passed between Lords Moira, 

 and Grey) subjoined for the 

 purpose of throwing light on 

 the ground of part of these 

 Transactions. 



(Copy) B. 



MayZ\st, 1812. 

 MydearLord, — A just anxiety not 

 to leave any thing subject to mis- 

 understanding, must excuse me if 

 I am troublesome to you. Since I 

 quitted you, the necessity of being 

 precise in terms has occurred to 

 me: and, although I think I can- 

 not have mistaken you, I wish to 

 know if I am accurate in what I 

 apprehend you to have said. I 

 understood the position, stated by 

 you as having been what you ad- 

 vanced in the house of lords, to 

 be this, " That pledges had been 

 given to the Catholics, a departure 

 from which rendered their present 

 disappointment more galling; and 

 that you said this in the hearing of 

 persons who could contradict you 

 if you were inaccurate." Just say 

 whether I have taken your ex- 

 pression correctly or not. Believe 

 me, &c. &c. Moira. 



Holland 



