What I mentioned in my last about the four Princes, I now _know_
not to be true with respect to the Duke of Gloucester, who has held
aloof from all cabal with them, and even declared in the House of
Lords that he had done so.

MR. W. W. GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

Whitehall, Dec. 19th, 1788.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

I am very sorry that this letter must necessarily be so short, as I
should have great pleasure if there was time to state to you the
particulars of our triumph, and of the effect which it has
produced, and which is indeed little less than miraculous. It
certainly exceeded my expectations; but it was so infinitely beyond
what our opponents had thought possible, that they are beat down by
it beyond all description. I hope you will hear all this more
particularly from others. I write now only for the purpose of
sending you the following paragraph from a letter of Willis's to
Pitt last night, which he showed me. W. is speaking of the effect
of the blisters. He says: "From this, and from several other little
occurrences in the course of these last three days, I am more than
ever confirmed in my opinion that there can be no doubt of the
King's entire recovery."

I know the pleasure which this will give you, and therefore send
it, though in great haste.

Ever most affectionately yours,
W. W. G.

MR. W. W. GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

Whitehall, Dec. 21st, 1788.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

I have delayed writing for these two or three last days, in hopes
of being able to give you an account of the event of our second
division, which has, as you will have seen, been deferred from day
to day, and now is finally fixed for to-morrow. The adjournment on
Friday was necessary, on account of Pitt's health. He had entirely
lost the use of his voice by a cold, so that he could not have
spoken five sentences together, and he was in other respects much
exhausted. Our friends were a little chagrined at the delay; but it
was unavoidable, and will not, I hope, be productive of any
inconvenience.

Our next question is not a pleasant one. It turns on an abstruse
maxim of law, which makes it necessary for us to take a very
circuitous mode of doing a very plain thing. The necessity of it is
forced upon us by our lawyer