. At last he said that the same effects were felt
here, and would be so till Government should show a sufficient
strength and consistency in Parliament. Scarce anything more
passed on his side, except strong expressions of personal regard
to you, and a warm encomium on the Duke of Portland, and the
language held by him on your subject, and on that of the state
of Ireland.

He gave me hopes of seeing Lord Shelburne the next day; but the
great man was at his recess at Streatham, and was not visible
till yesterday. When I went to him, he began with unbounded
expressions of a determination to support you as long as he had
anything to do here. He understood that you went in great
measure at his request, and therefore he considered it as common
cause. He begged that his silence might never be construed into
indolence or timidity: the subject was never off his mind. As a
proof, he mentioned his former silence, at which you was
alarmed, and its being followed by the most explicit
declarations, in which you had professed yourself fully
satisfied. After a great deal more of such verbiage, I stated
your wish as to the dissolution. He objected strongly to the
taking so capital a step till something was decided about the
negotiation at Paris. If the war should continue, it would be
necessary to determine on some plan suited to such an event. But
if we had peace, the advantages to Government in Ireland would
be great and almost infinite. Such an event would throw the
Volunteers upon their backs, would bring back the army to that
country and to this, and would also bring the fleet into the
Channel. He dwelt very much on the great advantage of not being
obliged to meet the Parliament till October, and when I hinted
at the possible necessity of a contrary resolution, he argued
strongly, and I think satisfactorily, against such a measure. He
then concluded the conversation, expressing a perfect readiness
to hear me again more at large on the subject. Seeing that he
would not hear any more at that time, I ended with saying that I
was not commissioned to state decisively your sentiments on this
very unexpected event, but that I was sure you would feel much
disappointed if a measure which you thought so necessary was
postponed without the most serious consideration and the most
urgent reas