Office.

Parliament met on the 31st of January. The Speech from the Throne
announced the conclusion of the treaty between Austria and the Ottoman
Porte, and the agreement to preliminaries between the latter and Russia.
The maintenance of peace was regarded, under the circumstances, as so
certain that His Majesty was induced to recommend for the consideration
of Parliament an immediate reduction of the naval and military
establishments. The following letters, written before the opening of
Parliament, touch slightly on these affairs.

LORD GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

St. James's Square, Jan. 6th, 1792.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

My present idea on the subject of your last letter entirely agrees
with yours, and I wait only till the great bear returns to this
hemisphere to put it in execution roundly, and without reserve. The
only thing that restrains me is the extreme importance that I feel
it is of to my honour not to involve any other persons, and still
less a whole system of Government, in a personal contest, which I
am obliged to maintain (being embarked in it) for a personal
object. The mode of doing this is not without much difficulty, and
it is the only difficulty I feel on the subject.

Before I do anything decisive, I will certainly contrive in some
manner to talk it over with you, but till I know the precise time
of his return my motions are of course suspended. The moment I am
able I will write to you again.

The solution of the French enigma which you state is, that it is a
war of bullying on both sides, the two parties being equally afraid
of each other. In the meantime there certainly are some in France
who wish the war, but very many more who fear it, and the ruin of
their finances is approaching with very rapid strides indeed. What
a contrast we shall make with them, when I come to state to you the
particulars, about which I am now little less sanguine than I was
at Weymouth.

Ever most affectionately yours,
G.

LORD GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

St. James's Square, Jan. 17th, 1792.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

Nothing more has passed _on the subject_, but a day or two will now
probably bring it to a point, as Dundas is to see _him_, and put
the question to him, yes or no, either to-morrow or Thursday. This
is not to be done with any m