388 POLITICS OF THE DAY. [1807. 



desire ; and I also had the benefit of consulting with 

 Lord Holland and Allen respecting the negotiation 

 with America, I should be very glad to have your 

 opinion respecting the general principle which I have 

 ventured to propose for satisfying the Americans 

 without giving up our search of merchantmen, 

 viz., redress in our common laiv courts, and not our 

 Admiralty. 



" Wilberforce, having promised to let me know as 

 soon as he heard anything certain about the meeting 

 of Parliament, has written me two letters, stating 

 that one of the ministers (I presume Perceval) told 

 him they hoped there would be no occasion to meet 

 before Christmas : and Lord Melville says here that 

 it will not meet till the end of January. Though I 

 know you will not dislike this, I am sure you must 

 admit it to be a most reprehensible thing during such 

 a state of affairs. 



" I have received several letters from a friend of 

 mine, of the Orange party in Holland. The com- 

 munication is so much interrupted that he cannot 

 send me a mcmoire which he has just had the bold- 

 ness to publish on the abolition of the Dutch slave 

 trade. Their anxiety for peace knows no bounds. 



" Lord and Lady Ossulston were here for a day ; 

 and I find he has resolved at all events not to come 

 in competition with Sir Charles Monk, unless he 

 should find the sense of the county decidedly with 

 him. Indeed he says he does not care about it. I 

 remain most faithfully yours, H. BROUGHAM. 



