the magnitude of the grievance called for the
interposition of the legislature--_et librari animum meum_.

The subject of the following letter, although, from its nature,
cautiously expressed, may be inferred from the allusion it contains to
the Duke of Leeds, who held the office of Secretary of State. His Grace
was on the eve of relinquishing the Seals, but, for reasons of his own,
or, perhaps, to avoid embarrassing the Ministry, he desired his
intentions to be kept secret. Having imposed this obligation on others,
he seems to have violated it himself, and thus his approaching
retirement became known to Lord Buckingham before his Lordship received
any intimation of it from Lord Grenville. The silence of his habitual
and confidential correspondent on a point of so much interest disturbed
Lord Buckingham's sensibility; but it will be felt that Lord Grenville's
vindication is conclusive.

LORD GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

Holwood, April 26th, 1791.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

I should certainly be much to blame if I were insensible to the
kindness of your last letter, though written under an impression,
in the justice of which I should be very sorry indeed to acquiesce.
I have little time for justifications on that subject, but my
anxiety to remove such an impression makes me say that I am not
conscious to myself of any want of that confidence towards you,
which our friendship demands, and which I wish to be reciprocal.
But that I neither ask of you, nor can think that you require from
me, the breach of actual or even of implied engagements to others,
not to divulge points in which they are concerned. A strict
observance of such engagements is surely the condition of all
honourable intercourse in society, and a duty from which no degree
of confidence, friendship, or affection towards a third person, can
absolve one. With respect to this particular case of the Duke of
L., I am sure your own reflections will not suffer you to impute
blame to me, if after having required from those with whom he was
acting an engagement of secrecy, which he had a right to demand
from them, his own levity, or any other reason, induced him to
divulge his own secret. Ask yourself, and I will leave the subject
there, whether you had rather have known this event, as has been
now the case, a day or two later than you migh