t still continues steadily to Mr. Pitt, which, considering
the looseness of morals and of the times, does the members great
credit. * * * The Duke of York never misses a night at Brookes's,
where the hawks pluck his feathers unmercifully, and have reduced
him to the vowels I. O. U. The Prince likewise attends very often,
and has taken kindly to play.

General Cuninghame appears to have disappointed the expectations of his
friends at this period, and, although present in the House on the 19th,
did not vote. It was the next thing to ratting, and seems to have been
regarded in that light by Lord Bulkeley.

General Cuninghame has been blowing hot and cold in his language
here, but has not voted, not even last night, when he appeared for
the first time in the House. I have had a letter from the Duke of
Dorset, complaining of his conduct in not resigning his seat, _as
his conscience troubled him_.

No man had so keen a scent for _rats_ as Lord Bulkeley, and he was
generally in advance of his party in detecting them.

Thurlow and Loughborough were both ill at this time ("which," says Sir
William Young, with a touch of sarcastic humour, "will much shorten the
progress of the Regency Bill in the Lords"); and on the 2nd of February,
when Mr. Grenville, in his capacity of Speaker, attended at the bar of
the House of Peers to hear the Commission under the Great Seal read,
Thurlow was unable to attend, and Lord Bathurst officiated for him. The
night before, Thurlow declared, as reported by his physician, that "if
he were ten times worse, he'd go, by G--;" his physician, however,
overruled him; and the obstruction of his presence being thus
fortunately removed, it was anticipated that the progress of the Bill
through the Lords would be so rapid as to place the Regent on the throne
in a fortnight. Active preparations were, consequently, set on foot for
settling the new Administration. Amongst the other great situations,
Ireland was offered to the Duke of Northumberland, who declined it, and
then to Lord Spencer, who accepted it, with Pelham for his secretary.

Ireland was a considerable item in the calculations of the Opposition.
"The Prince and the Opposition," writes Lord Bulkeley, "have great hopes
of a riot in their favour in the Parliament of Ireland." Some such
result was to be apprehended from the temper of the people, and the
adverse views they took of the Regency question;