le to
him. But I do not believe anything of that sort; his general state
of health has been bad for some time, and I was told that his last
and fatal attack was in his bowels. The two Lascells and (sic) dined
at his house not a week ago. Sir R. Keith comes in, in his room.
Lord N(orth) and Lord Suffolk recommend him. March has demurred upon
it, but seems not determined for particular reasons. I have been
employed about this, this whole day at Court, and then with Lord
North, and going backwards and forwards. March will not do what he
should, at the time it ought to be done, and then things are in
confusion, when they should be adjusted, and carried into execution.
It is to no purpose endeavouring to persuade him; if you tell him
what may happen, he silences you with some adage, or a qu'importe,
and so drives everything off till he does (not) know what party
(parti?) to fix upon.

(127) Lord Carlisle declined the offer of a Lordship of the
Bedchamber, see Trevelyan's "Early Life of Fox," chap. iv.

(128) On November 16th Burke moved for leave to bring in a Bill for
composing the present troubles and for quieting the minds of his
Majesty's subjects in America. The motion was negatived, after an
important debate, a little before five o'clock in the morning, by
210 to 105 votes.

(1775,) Dec. 9, Saturday m(orming), at home.--By accident you will
receive no letter from me to-morrow, but by no accident facheux. For
the future, however I conclude my day, I will begin it by writing to
you, when the day comes that I am to write.

Yesterday I dined at Lord Gower's; there were the B(isho)p of
Worcester, Lord Stanley and Lady Betty, Lord March, Storer, K.
Stewart, and la famille; en verite votre beau-pere est bien servi;
le diner fut superbe. I was obliged, without staying for my coffee,
to go to the House, where we were till about ten. I hope that it is
the last day of business before the Recess.

I sent your letter last night to Lady Carlisle, and wrote to her
myself. But I will defer no more writing to anybody till the
evening, excepting to Ald. Harris, who is at present very clamorous
for a letter, for he has not heard from me in God knows how long a
time, and at this minute I have mislaid his last letters.

I have contrived to wrench out of Charles's black hands 50 pounds
for Spencer, by watching the opportunity of his play, and should
have got from anybody but himself one thousand of the 1,500, for he
had won that,