f which you are in every respect qualified to give me so good an
opinion, you will not be surprised at the solicitude which I
express to know all that you may think about it. Perhaps it may not
come in question, if Pelham is strong again and in health, but if
it does, as very possibly it may, I cannot enough say how desirous
I shall be to discuss the whole matter with you; and as time may
press in the instant of its being proposed, I know that you will
readily turn this in your mind in the present moment. I shall be in
town on Thursday, which being a fair day here, ends our eight days'
exercise; it has passed very prosperously, they do extremely well,
and have been from seventy to eighty out, and working every day
seven or eight hours. We go on to beat the rebels in Ireland, but
we beat them into soldiers.

God bless you, dearest brother.

LORD GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

Cleveland Row, June 13th, 1798.
MY DEAREST BROTHER,

I do not hear of any Irish news this morning; if there is any, I
will add it before I close this letter. I entirely agree with you
in thinking the situation of Irish Secretary to be in rank and
estimation much below Tom's calibre. In point of real utility and
scope for displaying the powers of his mind, God knows it is
difficult, extensive, and important enough for the talents of the
greatest man this country ever saw. It is, however, as you will
have learnt by my note of yesterday, out of the question; and
Pelham's rank is too much on a level with his, to admit of the idea
of interposing Tom or Lord D. between Lord C. and him.

When I wrote yesterday, I had not seen Nugent's letter, nor indeed
heard much of the particulars, as you will have seen from my
letter. I think nothing can be better than Nugent's conduct seems
to have been, and his letter is extremely manly, distinct and
judicious. But what a picture does it offer of our officers! I
believe I do not know _this_ Lumley; but I do not, as far as I
_have_ known them, think that there is one of the race fit to be
trusted with the command of a patrole of watchmen, from Lord
Scarborough downwards. Walpole I had long known, and certainly I
should have said the same of him. What a calamity it is, that our
army has not yet been taught that the command of