appearance of the chest this morning appears to him to

My dear Sir Herbert, I received your letter this morning, and must in the first place offer you my sincere condolence on the loss you have sustained by the death of your excellent friend, Mr. Greenwood. I had very little knowledge of him myself, but everything that I have heard of him proves the general esteem and respect for his character. For himself, at so advanced an age, there could not be a happier way of going out of the world; but it must have been a great shock to all who were present at the time; and nobody, I am sure, would feel it more sincerely, or more deeply, than the King.

The numbers of the division last night in the House of Lords appear good; but the result as to the general disposition of that assembly has not been so satisfactory. Not a single bishop voted, except Chichester and Killaloe, the former holding the proxy of the Bishop of Norwich. I think we might have expected the support of the Bishop of Worcester on such an occasion, either in person or by proxy. The Bishops of Llandaff and Carlisle were in the House at the beginning of the debate, but went away before the division. The motion itself was of the most violent and unprecedented nature;

and, considering the nature of the case, we must consider those who staid away, in which number were included Lords Harrowby, Wharncliffe, and Haddington, as scarcely less hostile to the Government than those who voted. Lord Rosslyn told Lord Durham in the Irish Committee this morning, that they had twenty more proxies, but had not Peers to hold them. All this returns to what I have already said, that the state of the House of Lords is most unfavourable. Lord Hill did not answer my letter, but was present and voted. From Lord Munster I have a letter this morning, excusing himself for not having been in the division on account of the shock which he received during the debate, by hearing of Mr. Greenwood's death, which obliged him to go home.

In the House of Commons you will have seen that we were very hard run, the ex-Ministers and their friends having united with Mr. Hume, O'Connell, &c., and many of the usual friends of Government, in a vote of censure, for it can only be so described, for continuing to pay the Russian-Dutch Loan.* Here is a danger on the other side, and I doubt whether any Government was ever before placed in such difficulties.

I am quite knocked up, having been very unwell, and passed a sleepless night before the debate, the fatigue of which is now telling upon me.

* Mr. Herries, on 26th January, moved three resolutions on the payment of the interest on the Russian-Dutch Loan. The two first resolutions recited the facts of the case: on these the previous question was moved by Lord Althorp: his amendment was carried, and the House refused to entertain the resolutions by a majority of 239 to 219. The third resolution, which was a censure of the Government, was met by a direct negative, and rejected by 238 to 214.

I shall be much obliged to you for your paper on the clothing of the Army. I am, &c.

GREY.

No. 333.

The King to Earl Grey.

Brighton, Jan. 27, 1832.

The King has received Earl Grey's letter, dated at half-past one this morning, and the enclosure relating to the debate upon Lord Aberdeen's motion; and His Majesty congratulates him upon its satisfactory result, and upon so decided a proof that the feelings of the majority of the House of Lords, however opposed they may be to the Reform Bill, do not influence them to the extent of supporting, from a spirit of party, or of hostility to the existing Government, the objectionable motion which has called for this expression of their sentiments.

His Majesty, indeed, cannot but lament that the Earl of Aberdeen, whose late official duties must have made him peculiarly sensible of the mischievous tendency of such a motion, as it may affect the general interests of the country, should allow himself to be so misled by party feeling as to introduce it, and that the Duke of

* Lord Aberdeen, on January 26, moved an address to the King condemning the policy of the Government on the Belgian question. After a long debate the motion was rejected, the numbers being:

Wellington should have concurred in and supported so unjustifiable and so unstatesmanlike a proceeding.

No. 334.

WILLIAM R.

Sir II. Taylor to Earl Grey.

(Private.) Brighton, Jan. 28, 1832. My dear Lord,—I have been favoured with your Lordship's letter of yesterday, and I feel very sensibly the kind terms in which you express your sympathy in the impression made upon all here by the sudden death of poor Greenwood, which has indeed cast a gloom on our circle which it has not recovered. The King has, as you observe, felt the blow very deeply and sincerely; and there happened to be assembled here, at this period, many of the excellent man's intimate friends. I have not yet got the better of the shock, and have found it difficult to get on with my usual work.

The King learnt, with great regret, that you were feeling so unwell and suffering so much from fatigue, though he is not surprised that this should be the case, considering all you have to go through. His Majesty hopes you will get some rest to-day and to-morrow, but these are not times when persons in high responsible situations can expect any respite from labour and anxiety.

His Majesty has written to you fully, as also to Lord Althorp, respecting the debates and division in the House of Commons, which have annoyed him extremely;

and he has received with much concern the account you give of the nature of the division in the House of Lords, which he had considered satisfactory. He is, however, inclined to view the absence of Lords Harrowby, Wharncliffe, and Haddington as indicative of a friendly feeling, though not so that of the Bishops, which has surprised and disappointed him very much. It had indeed been noticed to him yesterday evening by Lord Londonderry, who arrived late for dinner, and presented the addresses after dinner.

I did not see him, having staid at home, but the King told me that he was very quiet at first, but that he grew warm and eager by degrees, and finally worked himself into a state of great excitement on the question of Reform and addition to the Peerage. The King listened without replying. He did not return to the party after seeing His Majesty, and I understand he left Brighton early this day.

The King observed that the Bishop of Worcester is at Worcester, and could not send his proxy, as he has not taken his seat. I beg to send you the memorandum on the clothing and agency of the Army. They were written when I was Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, and the Duke of Wellington and Sir Henry Hardinge, who read them, approved them at that time.

I have, &c.

H. TAYLOR.