THE NEW PRUSSIAN PROPOSALS. 
33 
Grenville’s determination to resign was unchanged, though it is not 
evident that any one save Pitt was aware of it. Pitt was profoundly 
disturbed at the disagreement and on March 2 wrote to Grenville : 
‘ ‘ It would be useless to tell you on how many accounts I am misera¬ 
ble at what appears to be your determination. I am not at all sure, 
however, that the decision [of the Cabinet] will not be different to¬ 
morrow, and if it is, tho’ I shall feel comfort in one respect, I am not 
sure, that with my view of the question, I shall not be at least as ill 
satisfied as now. 5 ’ * 
In any case, Pitt was anxious that Grenville should postpone his res¬ 
ignation until the end of the Parliamentary session, his reason being 
that the proposal for a new Prussian subsidy was as yet a Cabinet secret. 
Meanwhile the opposition in the Commons were basing their argu¬ 
ments against an Austrian loan upon the failure of the previous sub¬ 
sidy to Prussia,f and as yet no opening in regard to the new plan had 
been made at Berlin. At the same time Grenville was pushing his 
plan of a closer alliance with Austria, and thus attempting to weaken 
Pitt’s determination. On March 8, Stahremberg, the Austrian ambas¬ 
sador in England, wrote privately to Grenville urging a plan of cam¬ 
paign which omitted all idea of Prussian aid, but required more effective 
Austrian assistance and more substantial help given to the French 
royalists. J Grenville referred this to Cornwallis,§ who approved it, 
and Pitt also took it under consideration. || In spite, therefore, of his 
previous insistence, nothing was done by Pitt to realize his project until 
news from abroad seemingly increased the hope of a change in Prussian 
sentiment. The negotiations at Basle between France and Prussia had 
been begun on January 13, but on February 5 Goltz, the Prussian 
negotiator, died very suddenly, and nothing was done until March 8, 
when Hardenberg reached Basle.H In the course of his journey to 
Switzerland, Hardenberg contrived an indirect communication with 
Malmesbury, in which he said that Prussia would be glad to reenter the 
war in case England would come forward with a subsidy.** Malmes¬ 
bury at first thought this a mere intrigue to bring pressure to bear on 
P A rance,ff but on March 24 he was told by the Duke of Brunswick that 
* Dropmore, III, 30. 
t See the .speeches of Fox on February 23 and May 28, 1795. Pari. Hist., XXXI, 
1315-1321, XXXII, 38-41. 
f Dropmore, III, 31. 
# Cornwallis to Grenville, March 19, 1795, Ibid., 34. 
[I Cornwallis to Grenville, March 31, 1795. Ibid., 45. 
<j For dates and resume of the negotiations at Basle, see Koch, IV, 294-300. 
** Malmesbury to Harcourt, March 16, 1795. Malmesbury, III, 253. 
tf Diary, March 24, 1795. Ibid., 213. 
3 
