Sir, DUKE OF BEDFORD TO MR. PITT. Dublin Castle, November 12. 1757. There not having been any packet boat on this side the water for several days, I have been prevented informing you of the proceedings in the House of Commons, which have been of so extraordinary a nature, and have the appearance of creating so much ferment, that I should think myself inexcusable did I not send you, by an extraordinary packet, some narration for his Majesty's information and the consideration of his servants in England. On the 1st instant, the Commons came to the extraordinary resolutions* which I send you enclosed, which occasioned my consulting with the King's servants who are in the House of Commons what method they would advise me to take, when the House should come up with their resolutions to me in order to be transmitted to his Majesty as the sense of their House. I told them that they appeared to me in a light so derogatory to his Majesty's royal prerogative, and so indecent in the expressions made use of, that I could not think of giving the usual answer in these cases of promising to transmit them to his Majesty, without giving, in some shape, my negative to them, that I might not make myself particeps criminis with them; and therefore I did * Strong resolutions against pensions, absentees, and other grievances; an account of which will be found in Walpole's 1757. 1757. propose sending a message (which is warranted by precedent), requesting them to reconsider them. This was not objected to at first by any of them, though many declared their doubts whether the House would reconsider them, and some few others their dissent to the House taking that step, so unparliamentary and derogatory to the dignity of a house of parliament, to reconsider their unanimous resolutions in the same session. However, I insisted I must in duty to the King, and myself as his servant, lay in my dissent to their proceedings in some way or other. At first, I designed to do it by message; but it being represented to me from many quarters that the House would construe this (though very unjustly) an encroachment on their privileges, I took the most gentle method of appointing yesterday to receive them at the Castle, and gave them the answer which is here enclosed. This moderate method I have taken has not had the good effect expected from it; and the House has not only refused entering my answer upon their journals, as has ever been the custom, but threats have been thrown out, and I fear may possibly be carried into execution, of stopping the money bill, unless I shall comply with their demands of transmitting these their resolutions to the King. The violence and animosities of parties in this country, and the little dependence I can have on many of his Majesty's servants, who, though they ought to act jointly and heartily in promoting his Majesty's service, and defending his just and undoubted pre rogative, are, I fear, as much divided amongst themselves as the rest of the nation are, make me apprehensive of an inability to carry on the business of the Government with profit to the King and honour to myself, unless I shall be enabled, by taking some strong and vigorous measures, and properly dispensing rewards and punishments, to put a stop to this spirit of faction, which too much at present influences the determinations of Parliament. In the meantime I will, however, endeavour by all methods to assuage, if possible, the present heats, and shall wait with impatience for orders for my future conduct from his Majesty. 1757. I am, &c. BEDFORD. DUKE OF BEDFORD TO MR. SECRETARY PITT. Sir, Dublin Castle, November 17. 1757. I am now to give you, for his Majesty's information, an account of every thing material that has passed here subsequent to my despatch of the 13th instant, and relative to the dispute with the House of Commons about transmitting their resolutions of the 1st instant to his Majesty purely and simply, without either recommending the reconsideration of them to the House, or even expressing my disapprobation of the contents of them. It was my firm intention to have done either the one or 1757. the other of these; and in order to effect it, I desired the principal persons who are in civil employments, and of whose conduct in this affair I had reason to conceive some doubt, to attend me at the Castle on Monday the 14th instant. The questions I put to each of them separately I have here enclosed*, with their answers; by which you will observe that the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Solicitor-General were very explicit in not going on with the money bill till an absolute promise of transmitting the resolutions was given to the House. I must add, in justice to the Speaker, that he sheltered himself as much as he could from giving an absolute negative, by using the argument of his being * "Dublin Castle, Nov. 14th, 1757.- I sent for the gentlemen whose names are underwritten, servants of the Crown, and members of the House of Commons, to insist upon receiving from them, singly, a categorical answer upon this point: "Whether, in case a question of adjournment in order to prevent the proceeding to-day on the money bill should be proposed in the House, each would use his utmost endeavours to prevent the carrying such question? And, "Whether each will co-operate to the best of his power towards carrying through the money bill, in order to its being transmitted to England in time to be passed before the old one expires? "In case my not having sent an answer to the House whether I would transmit their resolutions of November 1st to his Majesty should be alleged as a reason for postponing the money bill, to show the impropriety of that doctrine, particularly in those who are attached by their employments to the crown; because the King's and the public business should not be stopt, and that exceeding confusion brought on which must necessarily attend the loss of the money bill, because the LordLieutenant has not given the actual promise of transmitting which the Commons desired; for if he shall have done wrong, there is a parliamentary way of proceeding against him, without in the least endangering a bill necessary for the service of his Majesty and the public." in the chair, which, he said, made it improper for him to give any assurance on a point which he alleged might affect the privileges of the House, which in his situation he was particularly obliged to maintain. But on my pressing him to engage his friends in support of Government, and not to suffer the money bill upon specious pretences to be postponed, and thereby really endangered from passing before the time the old one would expire, should I continue as inflexible as the House of Commons, I received this cold and dry answer from him, that in a point of this sort he could have no influence upon his friends, who would go as their connection did, and according to their own opinions. The conduct of the Speaker to me, and what happened afterwards in the House, where all his friends voted for the adjournment, has obliged me to put him down as giving an absolute negative to carry on the King's business, without my promising to transmit purely and simply these indecent and ill-digested resolutions to his Majesty. Mr. Tisdale, the Solicitor-General, was explicit in his declaration of insisting to have a positive and simple promise of transmitting before he could give his consent to proceed in the money bill. I The following note is taken from a diary kept by the Duke when in Ireland: —“The Speaker was with me (November 6.), disavowing in the most solemn manner his knowledge of the resolu VOL. II. U tions agreed to by the House of 1757. |