dministration. It is said,
His Majesty offered to consent to any arrangement that excluded
Mr. Fox and his associates, and that Lord North thought it was
impossible to make up any Administration, to have the appearance
of permanency, without them. What is to happen next, God alone
knows! All is confusion; and the gentlemen of landed property
are seriously alarmed. I have the honour to be, with the most
perfect respect,

My Lord,
Your Excellency's most faithful and obedient humble servant,
Robert Cuninghame.

His Excellency the Earl Temple, &c., &c., &c.

GENERAL CUNINGHAME TO LORD TEMPLE.

London, March 5th, 1783.

My Lord,

I continue to write in these curious times, though I am
confident you must have better intelligence from a variety of
other authorities. Lord North's interview, last night, with the
King did not last above ten minutes. His Majesty again asked him
if _they_ (meaning Mr. Fox and his associates) would be
satisfied with a neutral person being at the head of the
Treasury: his Lordship replied, they would only be satisfied
with the Duke of Portland. His Majesty then asked Lord North if
he would accept of the Treasury, which he declined; and so they
parted. This, the Duke of Portland told me himself, last night,
at Brookes's. Mr. Fox said something to the same effect; but it
was too late before Lord North left the King, to write by last
night's post. His Majesty looked very firm; but what course he
is to steer is not yet known.

I am happy to find, from all sorts of people who may be supposed
to know something of ideal arrangements, that there is no
intention anywhere of your Excellency not having the option of
remaining in Ireland; and that it is the universal wish you may
continue there, for the sake of this as well as of that country.
If you happened to be here now, you would have the Treasury laid
at your feet.

I have the honour to be, with perfect respect,

My Lord,
Your Excellency's most faithful, obedient, humble servant,
Robert Cuninghame.

His Excellency the Earl Temple, &c., &c., &c.

MR. W. W. GRENVILLE TO LORD TEMPLE.

Pall Mall, Thursday, March 6th, 1783.

My dear Brother,

You will very naturally have expected, long before this, to have
heard of the establishment of some new system of Gove