the Cabinet Council, to order the troops late under the command of Lieutenant-General St. Clair, and now in Ireland, to return immediately to England. I must own this has thoroughly convinced me that the intended expedition is entirely laid aside, as I cannot possibly conceive that a determination could be taken to remove these troops, harassed as they were, at such a season of the year as this, without there was an absolute necessity for so doing, in order for the defence of this country against a French invasion. If that is the case, and troops cannot at present be spared from Scotland for that purpose, I must own I see no probability of their being spared early enough next Spring to permit these troops to go on this expedition with any prospect of success; and besides, these troops by their continual embarkations would be so harassed, that they would hardly be fit for this service, which I think particularly requires troops to be complete, and in good health, as there is no possibility of recruiting them in North America.

With regard to the Navy Debt, I think that nothing can stand in competition with it, as I fear that, if a considerable sum of money is not granted this year towards the lessening of it, His Majesty's Naval Service must entirely stand still, or, which is worse, be overturned. I doubt not but that Mr. Pelham, upon this being stated to him, will be very ready to do what lies in his power to supply the necessities of the Navy, and enable us to keep our credit till the next sessions of Parliament. it can be done in no other way, I fear it will be necessary to raise another half million more than was first intended, as I cannot think it possible that, during a French and Spanish war, the public can be induced to suffer the Navy to be neglected. I do not write to Mr.

If

Pelham on this subject, for the same reason you have till now deferred speaking to him about it, I mean the adding supernumerary distresses to those he must now necessarily labour under. But as I think it is absolutely necessary that something should be done immediately in this affair, and as I think it will be both better done by you by word of mouth, and with less trouble to Mr. Pelham, than it could be done by me in a letter to him, I would beg the favour of you to mention it to him, both as from me and yourself, and by his answer we shall be able to judge what it is possible (considering the present exigencies of the public) may be granted

to us.

I fear that if Admiral Davers is recalled from Jamaica it will be out of our power to confer that command on Commodore Smith, as I believe Admiral Mayne had the greatest encouragement given him to expect it, both by Lord Sandwich and Mr. Anson, and with mine, and I thought the joint consent of the whole Board. Though I do not personally know Commodore Smith, no one can have a greater regard for him than I have, upon account of the universal good character he bears, both as a seaman and an officer, and I am very sensible that the command he now has is far from being grateful or profitable to him, and farther that he has acquitted himself in it to the satisfaction of H.R.H. the Duke. But, at the same time, I cannot forget the much harder duty Admiral Mayne has undergone as President of the Court Martial at Deptford, and I think that after the mortification he has been obliged to go through in his submission to the Lord Chief Justice (which the Court Martial ignorantly, though innocently, drew upon themselves), it would be unjust in us not to do what

lay in our power to countenance him, and through him the whole Court Martial. I hope the Board will be willing to defer determining who shall succeed Mr. Davers in the command, till Mr. Anson's return, who will be able to inform them what has passed between him and Admiral Mayne upon that subject.

BEDFORD.

MR. GEORGE GRENVILLE TO CAPT. THOMAS GRENVILLE.

Admiralty Office, April 2, 1747.

MY DEAR TOM,-You will be surprised and sorry, but not either one or the other half so much as I am, when I tell you that your ship and the Bristol are both ordered under the command of V. A. Anson, as long as from the information he has of the strength of the enemy he judges it necessary'. Mr. Anson and Mr. Warren set out from Portsmouth the next day after you left London; and this regulation was settled whilst we were at dinner, for the next day, at the Board, I found the order prepared for signing. As I knew nothing of it, I refused peremptorily to sign it, and bid Corbett write to Mr. Anson to know what he intended to do

1 Lord John Russell alludes to this circumstance in his Introduction to the Bedford Correspondence, vol. i. p. xlix. " An instance of the Duke of Bedford's confidence in Lord Anson, appears in a letter written by the Duchess to the Admiral when his flag was flying at Plymouth. Two of the Lords of the Admiralty, Lord Sandwich and Mr. Grenville, had brothers in the command of ships. Mr. Grenville, wishing to obtain for these officers a separate command, contrived that an order for Admiral Anson not to keep their ships above seven days with him should be prepared for signature. But the Duke indignantly refused to sign the order, and the ships were placed unconditionally under Anson."

with
you:
this stopped the order that day, but yesterday
the importance of it was pressed in the strongest manner,
and that Mr. A. would have but few ships out with him;
and what would be the consequence if the Brest fleet
should be superior, and beat us, &c., &c., &c. To all
this I replied, that the same language of ifs and ands
had been used to me two years together, and that I was

Kall sick of it a third time; that the Admiralty had

ki

all promised me this cruize, with repeated vows and

oaths; that I had already been used very ill upon this

;

occasion, and that I would never consent upon any terms to release that promise; but, if they thought it proper and honourable, they must break it. Lord Vere' sent me word that he would answer with his life that Mr. Anson would not keep you above a week with him and how could that injure you, as his orders are then to permit you to go in execution of our former orders. These arguments did not prevail upon me to change my resolution or to sign those orders; but the Board are so much afraid, or so little anxious about keeping their word so solemnly given, that they have signed the order and gratified Mr. Anson in his request. I have not been at the Board to day, nor don't much care if I never go again, so much am I vexed at their behaviour to me, which I think I have not deserved, and will not forget, though I hope, after the bustle this has occasioned, that you will not be detained long.

I have received a letter from Vice-Admiral Steuart,

1 Lord Vere Beauclerc, third son of the first Duke of St. Alban's; at this time a Lord of the Admiralty, and M.P. for Plymouth. In 1750 he was made Lord Vere of Hanworth. He married Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of Thomas Chamber, Esq., of Hanworth. Lady Betty Germaine was her aunt. Swift called her "Lady Betty's saucy

niece."

in which he states the irregularity of my request for giving you the Berwick's and Woolwich's men in preference, which he says would be deemed a glaring instance of partiality, and inconsistent with his duty; that your ship has but fifteen sick, whose room he will supply, and seven short of complement, and bears twenty-five supernumeraries; that Captain Boscawen has not a man given him, but that he will try and send you away con

tented.

I shall write an answer to this next post. Let me hear from you, and what your Admiral says upon this bustle, which I dare say he has heard all the particulars of, though not a word from me. Write to me directly; and so adieu, my dear Tom.

GEORGE GRENVILLE.

ADMIRAL ANSON TO MR. GEORGE GRENVILLE.

Portsmouth, April 3, 1747.

DEAR SIR,-The reason of my not mentioning the Defiance and Bristol's going out of the Channel with me, to you before I left the town, was, that I did not think of it myself till the moment I left the town; they shall be detained from putting the Board's orders in execution as short a time as possible; if there should be any service, I know they would both of them be glad to be in it. As Captain Pritchard of the Devonshire has got the gout to that violent degree as not to be able to go to sea, I intend to give Captain West an order to command her, Mr. Warren having consented to take him upon my recommendation, and I think he cannot serve in a properer or more honourable way.