up by the whole or the majority or a large part of
the Militia. My best hopes are that some mode may yet be found
which may place your own regiment in the shape that you had wished;
and William has, I know, taken all the pains he can to urge the
adoption of all or of any of the modifications of this order, which
may make it less objectionable to you; and I cannot therefore but
hope that his zeal and anxiety in this will carry it to a better
shape for you as far as you are immediately interested. But we live
in times of such pressing public duty, and the military post to
which you are called and in which you are placed, is one so forward
both in danger and in honourable distinction to you, that I should
not do my duty by you if I did not (however uncalled upon for that
opinion) add that, in my poor judgment, no state of military
arrangements or orders can for a moment admit of the possibility of
your giving up your command in an hour of danger, as immediate as
that in which I write. I know you will give me credit for the
honesty of this opinion, as well as for the affection which calls
it forth from me.

God bless you, my dearest brother.
Ever most affectionately yours,
T. G.

LORD GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

Cleveland Row, April 27th, 1798.
MY DEAREST BROTHER,

On receiving your letter to Pitt, I sent it to him, and have since
seen him and Dundas. I understand from them that you have been
misinformed about the idea of their intending to bring in any new
Bill on the subject of forming the flank companies of Militia into
light infantry battalions, as the opinion both of the Attorney and
Solicitor-General is quite clear on the interpretation of the
present law. With respect to the measure itself, I must say that as
far as I understand it, my opinion is and always has been clearly
for it. But what is much more important is, that the Duke of York,
all the Generals of districts and Lord Cornwallis, the only
military Cabinet Minister, all put the salvation of the country
upon it. In this situation I do not think that Pitt, or Dundas, or
any of us, could take upon ourselves the responsibility of omitting
a measure, stated to be clearly within the law, and in which so
large a proportion of the Militia officers are disposed to