298 WAR AGAINST 



vious question, Have we wherewithal to pay for it? 

 Now in Avars some pretext may be drawn from the 

 urgent necessity of the crisis for such an improvident 

 way of going on ; in peace it is madness. I have sent 

 a plain discussion of this matter, with statements of 

 our almost desperate financial situation, to the ' Edin- 

 burgh Review/ and hope it may be in time to appear 

 in this number, and call people's attention a little 

 towards so vital an interest. 



" By the way, I dined in company with Erskine 

 t'other day. He talks of ive and us as if nothing had 

 happened, and says, ' We must drive at retrenchments, 

 that is our game off with the property-tax/ and so 

 forth. The Princess Charlotte is to be kept at Wey- 

 mouth till after her birthday, but I hear a report of the 

 Duchess of Kent's apartments at Kensington being 

 prepared for her. The family quarrel is at its height, 

 and the obstinacy of the Queen unaccountable, except, 

 in my opinion, on the supposition of her having some 

 understanding with the Prince, who is said to have ex- 

 ceeded himself in the falsehood of his conduct to all 

 the parties. The accounts of the Princess of Wales are 

 worse and worse : she embarked on the 1 7th of Nov- 

 ember for Palermo, Courier and all Captain Briggs 

 volunteered taking her ; and if they have evidence 

 against her, I should think he may bring her home, 

 and not to Palermo. If they have not, the voyage 

 may furnish it. On her daughter's account I hope she 

 may not be got rid of, and it may be said that bad 

 treatment drove her to it originally. My opinion is, 

 that they will be afraid to touch her at least until 

 they have evidence ^Enylidi witnesses; for no Italians 

 would be believed ; but the voynge may supply this 



