Private Papers of William WilberforceWilberforce, William
History
Private Papers of William Wilberforce
Wilberforce, William
Wilberforce, William, 1759-1833
"Any applications from your Society shall most certainly be attended
to. Justice Addington's grievance in particular, which I was before
acquainted with by a memorial, will be immediately removed. I do not
like to write you a longer letter than is absolutely necessary. I
trust I need not lengthen it to tell how impatiently I look to the
satisfaction of seeing you again, as stout and strong as I hope you
will return to us. Let me have from time to time a line from any hand
you can most conveniently employ, to tell me how you go on, and what
are your motions during the summer. I wish I may be able to arrange
mine, when holidays come, so as to fall in with you somewhere or other.
As soon as I can judge about Parliament meeting before Christmas or
not, you shall hear. If it sits pretty late now, it probably will not
meet till after. Adieu for the present. Every good wish attend you.
"Ever affectionately yours,
"W. PITT."
I have had very good accounts of you from two or three quarters.
"PEMBROKE HALL,
"_Saturday, June 28, 1788_.
"MY DEAR WILBERFORCE,--I have no small pleasure in writing to you
quietly from hence, after hearing the good account you sent me of
yourself confirmed by those who saw you then, and especially by our
friend Glynn. I am lucky enough to have a wet evening, which, besides
the good I hope it will do to the country at large, has the peculiar
advantage of preventing me from paying my personal respects to anyone
of my constituents, and so gives me the leisure to answer _seriatim_
the several sections of your letter. The business respecting the Slave
Trade meets just now with some rub in the House of Lords, even in the
temporary regulation respecting the conveyance, which I wonder how any
human being can resist, and which I therefore believe we shall carry;
tho' it creates some trouble, and will still protract the session a
week or ten days. We hear very little yet from the West Indies, but
a few weeks must bring more, and I have no doubt the summer may be
employed in treating with foreign Powers to advantage. I shall set
about it with the utmost activity and with good hopes of success, tho'
founded as yet rather on general grounds than any positive information.
There seems not a shadow of doubt as to the conduct of the House of
Commons next year, and I think with good management the difficulties
in the other House may be got over. Your plan of a mission to Bengal I
mention only to show the punctuality of answering your letter, as you
reserve the discussion till we meet. As for Dr. Glass, I was obliged to
answer Thornton, who applied to me for some such person (I think for
this same Dr. Glass), that the state of my engagements leaves me not
at liberty at present, and if you have any occasion to say anything
about it to them, be so good to speak of it in the same style. Of the
Penitentiary Houses what can I say more? But in due time they shall not
be forgotten.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account