freely canvassed, have been excluded from our selection. But the
following, which touches upon the small preliminaries to which statesmen
are forced to condescend on these ceremonial occasions, possesses more
general interest of an illustrative kind.

MR. W. W. GRENVILLE TO LORD TEMPLE.

Pall Mall, Jan. 31st, 1783.

My dear Brother,

While you are persecuted by Lords Arran, Aldborough, Altamnt,
and _omne quod incipit_ in A, I have had daily application from
Lord Clermont, which I have promised to submit formally to you.

His family and connexions in Ireland and their weight is the
first thing he states. To this I gave the answer of
non-residence. He says that he always resides during the
Parliament winter; that he has a house and establishment both in
Dublin and in the country; and that he is more a resident than
Lord Clanricarde or Lord Courtown. I then stated the
impossibility of increasing the number, which had been a
particular object with the King. His solution to that was, that
when the King named sixteen, he certainly did not mean to
include himself; and that the Thistle is twelve without the
Sovereign. He proposes therefore that, as he has always been one
of those talked of for it, and _as his friends make it_ a point
with him to apply, you should make it sixteen without the King,
by adding his name.

You will therefore be so good as either to send him from
yourself, or to commission me to write to him, a formal answer,
_tel qu'il vous plaira_.

In general, the list is approved; but they object to the
insertion of Lord Bechoe's name, and to the omission of Lord
Meath's.

Fox and his people are very industrious in turning it into
ridicule, by which I should think they would not increase their
Irish popularity. And what is ridiculous, is that at the same
time the Duke of Portland is taking pains to persuade all
Irishmen that he meant to have done the same if he had staid
long enough.

I have seen Edmonson, who has this day given me in a proposal,
which you will not think much more moderate than you did his
bill for the escutcheons (which, by the bye, he says you have
never paid).

I should think the twenty guineas per Knight for the
superintendence might very well be reduced to giving him _pro
tempore_, and for this installation only, one of th