*rr. 36.] THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE. 197 



from writing till to-day, when I fear there is no cer- 

 tainty of your receiving this letter before you leave 

 Howick. Therefore I shall write to-morrow or next 

 day at length to Portman Square. In the mean time, 

 I wish you to turn in your mind the insecurity of any 

 promise the Prince of Orange could make to the Prin- 

 cess Charlotte. I doubt not he would say very readily, 

 on her asking some pledge, ' Oh yes, certainly? and 

 after the marriage they would do with her as they 

 pleased; so that it seems as if nothing but a Parlia- 

 mentary proceeding could give any real safety. How- 

 ever, it is clear (as you observe) that this mode should 

 be tried by her first, and that the refusal, or, what is 

 much more likely, the grant of the pledge and its sub- 

 sequent forfeiture, would strengthen the ground for 

 interference. In the mean time, while she does as may 

 be fittest for her, there is no reason why in Parliament, 

 and on public grounds, independently of her, the 

 question should not be mooted. But this is leading 

 into a long discussion, and may better be deferred till 

 I write fully. All I am anxious about is to warn you 

 against the personal prejudices which some of our 

 friends are so fond of mixing with even the most 

 sound and general questions. You prevented these 

 from interfering upon the subject of Burdett's motion 

 last session, and I daresay you will have a similar 

 difficulty in our cause now. The old Princess's affairs 

 will be sought to be mixed up with this, which in 

 reality stands quite apart from them. It would be 

 perfect folly to mix them together. Of the Cochrane 

 business I know nothing, except that I have received 

 general retainers for the respective parties within the 

 last three or four days, apparently in the contempla- 



