St. James's Square, Nov. 7th, 1789.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

I am persuaded it is unnecessary for me to say how sincerely sorry
I am to be obliged to acquaint you that the King's answer to Pitt's
letter of yesterday is such as to give, I am afraid, very little
hope indeed of success in the business to which it relates. The
King says, however, in it, that in compliance with Pitt's request
he defers giving a final answer till he sees him on Wednesday, so
that we cannot consider the subject as closed till then; but I
fairly own to you that I think there is now very little ground for
expecting a favourable result. The King does not enter into the
subject at all in his answer, but only refers to what has formerly
passed upon it.

I heartily wish that I was the channel of more pleasing
intelligence, and this the more, because though I certainly do not
see this point exactly in the light in which you seemed to consider
it when we conversed upon it, yet the success of it would have
afforded me real satisfaction, independent even of the
gratification of your wishes.

Believe me ever, my dear brother,
Most affectionately yours,
W. W. G.

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

St. James's Square, Nov. 9th, 1789.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

I received this morning your letter, acquainting me with your
determination, in the event of the King's answer on Wednesday being
such as there is certainly every reason to believe it will be. You
announce this as a determination in some measure taken in your own
mind, and on which you do not appear to wish for my advice; and
there are perhaps too many circumstances which must make such a
step painful to me, to allow me to be a competent adviser on such a
subject. I must therefore confine myself to expressing my very
great and sincere concern both in the cause and the effect.

Your letter does not express whether any and what part of it should
be communicated to Pitt. Perhaps you will think it right that he
should have some previous knowledge of your resolution, if such it
is, before he sees the King, but this is a point of infinitely too
much delicacy for me to take upon myself to decide; and I also
confess that the task of communicating it would be to my feelings
so extremely painful, tha