. I shall
therefore certainly endeavour, before I leave London, to possess
myself of Mr. Pitt's sentiments upon this subject; to which end,
it will be very material to me that he should be possessed of
your Excellency's. May I therefore request of you, to give me
such an answer to this letter as I may show to him. Your
Excellency, I am satisfied, most perfectly understands, that I
am not by any means anxious to quit my present situation, and
that so long as I continue to hold it, I will continue to serve
the Crown with zeal and fidelity. My only object at present is,
fairly to know the ground upon which I stand on this side of the
water. The very open and friendly communications which your
Excellency has had the goodness to make to me from your first
arrival in Ireland, leave me no room to doubt of my situation
there.

I have the honour to be, my Lord, with perfect respect and
esteem, your Excellency's obedient and very humble servant,

John Fitzgibbon.

His Excellency the Marquis of Buckingham.

Up to this time, notwithstanding the interview with the King, Lord
Lifford had not relinquished the Seals. Lord Buckingham was in favour of
Fitzgibbon's claims, but seems to have been a little plagued by the
incessant correspondence in which they involved him, especially as he
had strong reasons for desiring to postpone the retirement of the
Chancellor. "I again say," he writes to Fitzgibbon in one of the
numerous epistles this affair cost him, "that nothing will make me
happier than your success; but for very many reasons, which I frankly
stated to you, I trust that the opening will not be made immediately,
and I as fairly tell you that I will not _facilitate_ it. You know what
I mean by all this mystery." He did _not_ facilitate it; and Fitzgibbon
was compelled to wait upon the convenience of Government.

In the meanwhile, some new vexations had arisen between Lord Buckingham
and the Ministry; but what they were, does not appear.

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

Castlehill, Sept. 20th, 1788.

My dear Brother,

Your letter of the 14th reached me here this morning. I say
nothing to you of the feelings which have been excited in my
mind, by your detail of the particulars of your situation,
because I am sure that you do justice to my sentiments on such a
subject. Pitt has written to desire me