524 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



that your lordship's name was not, 

 so far as I recollect, specifically 

 mentioned to me on this occasion ; 

 but it is equally due to myself to 

 declare that I never for a moment 

 imagined, nor could have believed, 

 that the general description of 

 " lord Castlereagh's friends," as 

 stated to me without exception or 

 qualification by the duke of Port- 

 land, did not comprehend your 

 lordship, whose proffered resigna- 

 tion was the basis of the whole ar- 

 rangement, and without whose ex- 

 press consent, therefore, no other 

 person couldannounce the arrange- 

 ment to lord Castlereagh. 



By these representations and as- 

 surances, at length (July 20), most 

 reluctantly, and I confess against 

 my better judgment, I was induced 

 to acquiesce in the proposed post- 

 ponement of the change ; and con- 

 sented to remain in office till the 

 termination of the expedition. 



On Saturday, September the 2d, 

 the result of the expedition to the 

 Scheldt being then known, I wrote 

 to the duke of Portland, at Bul- 

 strode, reminding his grace, that 

 the period fixed for offering the 

 seals of the war department to lord 

 Wellesley, was arrived. 



On the following Wednesday, the 

 6th of September, the duke of 

 Portland informed me, that no 

 steps whatever had been taken by 

 any of lord Castlereagh's friends, 

 to reconcile him to the change, or 

 to prepare him for it ; that the exe- 

 cution of the arrangement would 

 be attended with other resignations, 

 or at least with one other resigna- 

 tion (of which I had never before 

 received the slightest intimation); 

 and that he had himself determined 

 to retire. 



Upon receiving this intelligence, 



I immediately disclaimed any wish 

 that the arrangement, however po- 

 sitively! understood it to have been 

 settled, should be carried into ef- 

 fect under circumstances to me so 

 unexpected; and instantly reverted 

 to that " alternative " which, upon 

 each successive stage of difficulties 

 and delays, I had uniformly press- 

 ed, — that of the tender of my own 

 resignation; — which I desired the 

 duke of Portland to lay that day 

 before the king. 



On the following da}', Thursday, 

 the 7th of September, 1 declined 

 attending the cabinet ; stating in a 

 letter to the duke of Portland 

 ( which I left it to his grace to com- 

 municate to the cabinet if he should 

 think proper) that I considered my 

 resignation as in his majesty's hands; 

 and myself as holding my office 

 only until my successor should be 

 named. 



On Friday the 8th, I heard from 

 the duke of Portland that lord Cas- 

 tlereagh had sent in his resignation. 

 I have been informed since (but 

 whether correctly or not I cannot 

 affirm), that he did so in conse- 

 quence of a communication made 

 to him by your lordship, after the 

 cabinet of the preceding day. 



On Thursday the 14th of Sep- 

 tember, your lordship called upon 

 me at the foreign office, by your 

 own appointment, for the purpose 

 of explaining the causes which had 

 preventedyourmakinganycommu- 

 nication~to lord Castlereagh in the 

 earlier stages of the transaction. 



On Tuesday, September I9th, 

 your lordship, in answer to a letter 

 of mine of the preceding day, ex- 

 plained to me the grounds of your 

 silence to lord Castlereagh during 

 the latter period of the transac- 

 tion. 



On 



