Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Third, Volume 4 (of 4)Walpole, Horace
History
Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Third, Volume 4 (of 4)
Walpole, Horace
Great Britain -- History -- 1760-1789; Great Britain -- History -- George III, 1760-1820
With these hopes I left London, and in a few days afterwards had the
mortification to see them blasted, by receiving a fresh messenger from
the Duke of Cumberland, desiring my immediate attendance in London. A
letter, written by Lord Albemarle by the Duke’s order, dated at night,
May 22nd, brought me this account in words to this effect,--that the
Duke had been five hours with Mr. Pitt at Hayes, without prevailing on
him to take a part; that the King was the next morning to answer some
_questions_, to be put to him by his present Ministers, in one of which
his Royal Highness was personally concerned, and that the Duke desired
my support on the occasion. Lord Albemarle also adds, that the King had
been most insolently treated by his Ministers, and shamefully abandoned
by those who should have profited by this occasion to serve their
King and country. On receiving this account, my first step was to go
instantly to receive his Royal Highness’s commands, whom I found just
going to Court to know the King’s determination. He told me, however,
in a few words, the advice he had given to the King the night before,
and referred me to Lord Albemarle for the whole of what had passed
since I last waited upon him, commanding me also to wait upon him on
his return from St. James’s, and to dine with him. Lord Albemarle’s
account tallied so exactly with what the Duke afterwards related to
me, that it is needless to repeat both. His Royal Highness said, that
finding Lord Temple cooler on the subject than he expected, and that
Mr. Pitt was also less forward since Lord Temple’s arrival in London,
he had explained to the King the absolute necessity there was of every
object being removed that might prevent Mr. Pitt’s taking a part, and
hoping even to have his Majesty’s assurance that many measures might be
redressed, and some wholly broken through, to make it more satisfactory
to Mr. Pitt on entering upon his Ministry.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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