ly,
Mornington.

I cannot say how I rejoice in your success in Ireland--we hear
nothing but good news of you in every way, and even from all
quarters.

MR. W. W. GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

Whitehall, March 6th, 1788.

My dear Brother,

I am very sorry to send you, in return for all your good news,
an account from hence of a very different nature. By one of
those strange caprices, to which our friends in the House of
Commons are so peculiarly liable, they have taken the alarm
about our explanatory East India Bill; and although that Bill
does no more than declare that to be the law which not only
every man who can think, but every man who can read, must agree
with you is already the law on that subject, they have suffered
themselves to be persuaded that we are doing neither more nor
less than assuming to ourselves all the power of Fox's Bill.

You must often have observed, that of all impressions the most
difficult to be removed, are those which have no reason whatever
to support them, because against them no reasoning can be
applied. Under one of these impressions; the question of the
Speaker's leaving the chair came on last night, and after
debating till seven this morning, we divided, in a majority of
only 57: Ayes, 183; Noes, 125. So many of our friends were
against us in this division, and that sort of impression runs so
strongly after such a display of weakness, that I have serious
apprehensions of our being beat either to-morrow on the report,
or Monday on the third reading. I need not tell you, that
besides much real inconvenience and embarrassment, with respect
to the measure itself, such a defeat would be in the highest
degree disreputable to Government, the personal opinions,
conduct and character of every leading man in the House of
Commons on our side being involved in this discussion. Add to
this the impression in the country, where the people will
certainly be persuaded that this House of Commons would not have
rejected such a Bill, except on just and solid grounds. We must,
however, weather it as well as we can, and submit to the
consequences of an evil which, I think, you will agree with me
it was not easy to foresee. What hurt us, I believe, materially
last night was that Pitt, who had reserved himself to answer
Fox,