t's army may be weakened too
much to attempt it by his detaching, perhaps considerably, towards
the side of Treves; complaining that the Austrians had been
prevented from sending Blankenstein's corps towards Flanders, as
they wished, by the Prussians having engaged it in their line of
defence, and yet refusing to us a corps much more inconsiderable,
and not involved in the objection--I mean the corps of Conde--a
corps, too, which, as I have before observed, from their own
statement of their want of money, they should have been glad to
have seen transferred to the pay of another country.

These, and many other such traits of inconsistency, I advert to
only as being descriptive of the very unsatisfactory manner in
which our business is discussed, always providing on their side
apologies for future failures, instead of means of success, and
projects of vigour and enterprize. Yet though the shortness of our
possible residence here makes this inanimate character of the
Government a bar to that immediate spirit and alacrity which, for
the purposes of the present crisis, it was highly desirable to
create here, so as to act upon instantaneously; much, I should
suppose, may be done after our return, by any person of steadiness
and activity, in the course of an established residence here, there
being certainly fair grounds for the most intimate union between
the two countries, and appearances enough of general inclination
towards it, though traversed for the present by their hopes of
fighting at our cost, and by the unfavourable turn of M. Thugut's
mind upon the subject of the Netherlands. For this purpose, the
sooner a regular Minister is appointed here the better; because
though the opening of the subsequent campaign is at present distant
enough, the dilatory habits of this Government make every moment
more precious than it should be; and the points, both of the
barrier and the Dutch indemnity, may be found longer in discussion
than they were expected to be when I left London, particularly upon
the former of those two subjects, on which the future possession
of Dunkirk and Givet must, perhaps, be distinctly explained.

We have heard of Lord Malmesbury's intention to quit Frankfort on
the 10th of September, and we have read the formal acceptance,
sign