C.—MR. PITT in Reply.

DOWNING STREET, Tuesday, February, 3d, 1801.

MR. PITT cannot help entreating your Majesty's permission to express how very sincerely he is penetrated with the affecting expressions of your Majesty's kindness and goodness to himself, on the occasion of the communication with which he has been under the necessity of troubling your Majesty. It is, therefore, with additional pain he feels himself bound to state, that the final decision which your Majesty has formed on the great subject in question (the motives to which he respects and honours), and his own unalterable sense of the line which public duty requires from him, must make him consider the moment as now arrived, when, on the principles which he has already explained, it must be his first wish to be released, as soon as possible, from his present situation. He certainly retains the same anxious desire, in the time and mode of quitting it, to consult, as much as possible, your Majesty's ease and convenience, and to avoid embarrassment. he must frankly confess to your Majesty, that the difficulty even of his temporary continuance must necessarily be increased, and may very

But

shortly become insuperable, from what he conceives to be the import of one passage in your Majesty's note, which hardly leaves him room to hope, that your Majesty thinks those steps can be taken for effectually discountenancing all attempts to make use of your Majesty's name, or to influence opinions on this subject, which he has ventured to represent as indispensably necessary during any interval in which he might remain in office. He has, however, the less anxiety in laying this sentiment before your Majesty, because, independent of it, he is more and more convinced, that, your Majesty's final decision being once taken, the sooner he is allowed to act upon it, the better it will be for your Majesty's service. He trusts, and sincerely believes, that your Majesty cannot find any long delay necessary for forming an arrangement for conducting your service with credit and advantage, and that, on the other hand, the feebleness and uncertainty, which is almost inseparable from a temporary Government, must soon produce an effect, both at home and abroad, which might lead to serious inconvenience. Mr. Pitt trusts your Majesty · will believe, that a sincere anxiety for the future ease and strength of your Government is one strong motive for his presuming thus to press this consideration.

D.-The KING'S ANSWER to C.

QUEEN'S HOUSE, February 5th, 1801.

THE box from Mr. Pitt contained two letters, and a warrant in favour of Mr. Long. I cannot have the smallest difficulty in signing the proposed warrant, as I think him a very valuable man, and know how much Mr. Pitt esteems him.

I had flattered myself that, on the strong assurance I gave Mr. Pitt, of keeping perfectly silent on the subject whereon we entirely differ, provided, on his part, he kept off from any disquisition on it for the present, which was the main object of the letter I wrote to him on Sunday, we both understood our present line of conduct; but as I unfortunately find Mr. Pitt does not draw the same conclusion, I must come to the unpleasant decision, as it will deprive Me of his political service, of acquainting him, that, rather than forego what I look on as my duty, I will, without unnecessary delay, attempt to make the most creditable arrangement, and such as Mr. Pitt will think most to the advantage of my service, as well as to the security of the public; but he must not be surprised, if I cannot fix how soon that can possibly be done, though he may rest assured that it shall be done with as much expedition as so difficult a subject will admit.

G. R.

E.

The late DUKE of YORK to his late MAJESTY.

YORK HOUSE, Feb. 13th, 1801.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to return your Majesty papers which you were graciously pleased to allow me to peruse.

the

If my sentiments upon the Question of Catholick Emancipation, and of the Repeal of the Test Act, had not been already immutably fixed, the arguments adduced in favour of the measure would alone have been sufficient to have convinced me of the danger, if not of the absolute certainty of the dreadful consequences of its being carried into execution.

I have the Honour to be,

Sir,

Your Majesty's

Most dutiful Son and Subject,

London: Printed by C. Roworth,

Belt Yard, Temple Bar.

FREDERICK.

LETTER

ON THE

CORONATION OATH:

SECOND EDITION.

WITH NOTICE

OF THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED LETTERS OF THE

́LATE KING TO Lord Kenyon, and his lordship's answerS;

AND

LETTERS OF THE LATE MR. PITT TO THE LATE KING,
AND THE LATE KING'S ANSWERS.

BY

CHARLES BUTLER, ESQUIRE.

LONDON:

JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.

M DCCC XXVII.