uld not be renewed with England,
will not withdraw entirely from the war, and still less will take a
part hostile to the combined Powers. And whether this speculation
of theirs is true or not, while they believe it, they are more at
liberty to act solely against France, without fearing any attack
from the quarter of Berlin.

The great danger, perhaps, of trying another campaign without
subsidizing either Prussia or Austria, might first be found with
respect to Holland (at least, if the Government here act as they
threaten in the case of being unsubsidized), by their withdrawing
of the Austrian army from the neighbourhood of Maestricht, and
contracting their defence to the limits of their German frontier.
But even if they did so--which may be much doubted--might not
England and Holland, at a smaller expense than that paid to the
King of Prussia, subsidize an army of auxiliary troops to act for
the defence of Holland, and for carrying on the war in the
Netherlands, and have that army really and effectually at their own
disposal, and doing the service which they were paid for. How far
this may be practicable, I do not pretend to judge. If it is so,
nobody could doubt that it would be an expense more grateful to the
public of our own country than that of paying for a force which we
cannot bring as we ought into action, and which we must consider as
compelled by their own interests to continue the war, whether we
pay them or not for doing so. By subsidizing Austria, we acquire no
greater force than that of the last campaign, and we put the
justification of that enormous expense upon the unpromising chance
of a vigour and energy on their part such as they appear to be
altogether incapable of exerting, unless under the pressure of such
a danger as would force them to act without hiring them to do so.

The length of this letter is such as I am really ashamed to add to.

Lord Spencer writes to Lord Grenville by the same opportunity.
Neither he nor I see much prospect of making ourselves useful in
the shape and with the views proposed, and we are therefore
naturally anxious to see the ordinary course resumed in some other
person, and any such arrangements taken as may admit of our return
as soon as without inconvenience might be. We speak the more
dir