ou the detail of this very long conversation.
It was very free and open on both sides, and convinced me that
he was certainly, and at all hazards, to have the situation, of
which I hardly had a doubt before. He pledged himself repeatedly
to the public measures, and to a variety of details which it is
not necessary to state, and left me with every personal
expression and many wishes that I would reconsider my answer.
The next moment, Fox came to me in the Prince's chamber, and I
had nearly as long a conversation with him; he stated his
knowledge that Lord Shelburne would succeed to Lord Rockingham,
and his idea of throwing up. I stated Lord Shelburne's promises
to measures, which I found Lord Shelburne had made to him; but
the loss of the object, which was evidently a favourite point
with him, seemed to affect him much. I repeated my apprehensions
that the people would not stand by him in his attempt to quit
upon private grounds, which from their nature would appear to be
a quarrel for offices, and not a public measure. He saw all
this, and said that it had been urged to him by several, but
that he was not _determined_. I went into the House of Lords,
where I found the Duke of Richmond, who was outrageous at the
idea of a resignation, and who went before me in all I had said
to Fox upon this subject; and you will easily conceive that this
opinion was strengthened by the most explicit speech that I ever
heard, which Lord Shelburne gave as his creed and the test of
his conduct, and which indeed seemed satisfactory to every one
who heard him.

This day has opened a new scene: the King declared his intention
of giving the Treasury to Lord Shelburne; and it was proposed to
Lord J. Cavendish to take the vacant seals, which, from variety
of reasons, Lord John declined; and notwithstanding all that the
Duke of Richmond could urge, Fox has resigned, and the King has
accepted the seals. _En nova progenies!_ Lord Shelburne keeps
the Treasury, and it is _supposed_ that Pitt is his Chancellor
of the Exchequer; Duke of Grafton, Lord Camden, Conway, Duke of
Richmond and Keppell remain, and mean to go on; who are the two
Secretaries are not known. I have had a long conversation just
now with the Duke of Richmond, who is unhappy, but determined to
go on till the first breach on fair public g