such a state of disturbance as not to afford them reasonable safety for their persons, or security in their transactions. I have to apologise for having omitted to answer your letters; but I had really much to do at the time; and I had nothing to tell you, but to thank you. You will have seen that the plot thickens in Ireland. The worst of the mischief is that our foundation fails us whether we look to a settlement or to resistance; I mean in the House of Commons. And if we may judge from what has happened recently in Ireland, any measures that we might adopt under other circumstances to ameliorate our situation in that particular, and even delay, will only make our situation worse, and lead to total ruin. God will keep me in the right road I hope; but I don't believe that this country was ever placed in a position of such difficulty. Believe me, &c., WELLINGTON. To the King. [954. ] London, 21st July, 1828. The enclosed letter will inform your Majesty of the loss which you have sustained, in common with all your Majesty's subjects. It will be necessary immediately to consider of a successor to the Archbishop. Those who by talents, qualifications, and reputation, stand the highest are the Bishop of London and the Bishop of Durham. The latter would be preferable. But he would supersede the Bishop of London; and it would be very unfortunate if any dissatisfaction, resulting from such supersession, should occasion a difference, or even coolness, between the persons filling the sees of Canterbury and of London. The Bishop of Durham has but recently been promoted; and I believe is quite satisfied and happy. If your Majesty should determine to prefer the Bishop of London, the best person to succeed to the see of London would be the Bishop of Chester. If your Majesty should determine to prefer the Bishop of Durham, the best person to succeed to the see of Durham would be the Bishop of Lincoln. He would be preferable to the Bishop of Chester at Durham; who, on the other hand, would be preferable to the Bishop of Lincoln in the see of London, Bishop Hooley being preferred to be Archbishop. Upon the whole, I would recommend to your Majesty to promote the Bishop of London to the see of Canterbury; and the Bishop of Chester to the see of London. The person who stands first for promotion to be a bishop is Dr. Ireland, Dean of Westminster; and I would recommend to your Majesty to promote him to be Bishop of Chester, retaining his Deanery of Westminster. All of which is submitted to your Majesty by your Majesty's most dutiful and devoted subject and servant, WELLINGTON. I need not tell your Majesty that I have not had any communication with any of the persons above mentioned on the subject of this letter. The whole subject is open to your Majesty. PENSIONS payable out of the CONSOLIDATED FUND to the ROYAL FAMILY. Her Royal Highness the Princess Sophia of Gloucester :43 Geo. III. cap. 45 .. 7,000 Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hesse Hombourg (Elizabeth): By same Acts 13,000 OUT of the 4 per CENT. FUND. Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hesse Hombourg Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester 6,000 50,000 .. 1,000 Viscount Beresford to Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington. MY DEAR DUKE, Ordnance Office, 23rd July, 1828. From my enquiries to-day it appears very doubtful where the militia arms are kept in Ireland. I annex the only information we have on this matter and extracts from the Acts of Parliament. We send to-day to the respective officers in Dublin, to give us full information on this head, which Lord Downes will communicate to you on its arrival. Yours sincerely, Beresford. P.S.-Lord Downes tells me that at Cullen, head-quarters Louth militia, there is an armoury built by the county, where two or three years since he saw the arms of that regiment. [ENCLOSURES.] I. Tower, 23rd July, 1828. Messrs. Porrett and Scott present their compliments to Mr. Butler, and, in reply to his note of this day, have to acquaint him that the store accounts from Ireland do not furnish any information respecting the places of deposit of the arms of the regiments of Irish militia; but they conclude these arms are in county depôts, as in England, in the care of the adjutants of the permanent Staff, the colonels of the respective regiments having given receipts for them to the Ordnance. In the store return from Charlemont there appear 1357 muskets, distinguished from the rest in store by being described as "militia" muskets, but no such distinction is made in any of the other returns, so that it cannot be stated whether the general store includes any from militia regiments. II. EXTRACTS from Act, 4th George IV., cap. 59. 3." And be it further enacted, that every adjutant, paymaster, surgeon, quartermaster, and every non-commissioned officer and drummer on permanent pay of regular militia, when disembodied, shall be constantly resident within the city, town, or place where the arms of the corps to which such officers belong are kept, or within such reasonable distance of the depôt as shall be sanctioned by the Secretary-at-War." 4. "And be it further enacted, that the quartermaster of each regiment of militia in which a quartermaster is appointed, and when no quartermaster is appointed, then the paymaster shall have the charge and care of the arms, accoutrements, great coats, clothing, necessaries, and other stores, under the superintendence of the colonel or commandant; and the paymaster shall out of the allowance of 2d. per month for each private man and drummer directed by this Act to be issued and paid for defraying the contingent expenses of such regiment, battalion, or corps, from time to time issue and pay such sums of money as may be necessary for the repair of arms and other usual contingent expenses, upon an order in writing signed by the colonel or other commandant." 66 29. And be it further enacted, that the hire or cost of any house or place to be provided for the keeping of the arms, accoutrements, clothing, or other stores, and for the residence and accommodation of the permanent Staff belonging to any regiment or battalion of militia in Ireland, when not embodied, that is to say, of the paymaster, adjutant, surgeon, and quartermaster thereof, shall be defrayed by the county; and the necessary sum for that purpose shall be raised by the presentment of the grand jury of the said county." 31. "Provided always, and be it enacted, that it shall and may be lawful for the Lord-Lieutenant, or other chief governor or governors of Ireland for the time being (if he or they shall see sufficient cause for so doing) to order and direct that the arms, accoutrements, and other stores, or any part thereof, belonging to any regiment or battalion of the said militia, shall at any time while such regiment or battalion shall not be embodied or in actual service, be conveyed to, and deposited and kept in, any of his Majesty's ordnance stores in the city of Dublin, or to and in any such ordnance store, or to and in any other place of security in any other part of Ireland, as he or they shall from time to time order or direct, and under such rules and regulations as he or they shall think fit and proper in that behalf." To the Bishop of Chester. MY LORD, London, 24th July, 1828. I have received his Majesty's commands to inform your Lordship that his Majesty, intending to translate the Bishop of London to the see of Canterbury, with the consent of the Lord Bishop, proposes with the consent of your Lordship to translate you to the see of London. I have great pleasure in making you acquainted with his Majesty's gracious intentions, and with this mark of his Majesty's favour and confidence. The arrangement will take place as soon after the funeral of the late Archbishop as possible; and as his Majesty is desirous of having an opportunity of conversing with the Bishop of London and your Lordship, it will be desirable that you should come to London. I have the honour, &c., WELLINGTON. The Duke of Clarence to the Lord Chancellor. MY DEAR LORD, It either requires no answer or a very long one. But I shall make some remarks on parts. In the greater part of your Lordship's letter I agree entirely. Only I must observe that the data on which your Lordship reasons is incorrect, because the correspondence to which your Lordship alludes was forced on me by the ill-timed and ill-advised letter of an individual; and, after what had passed between the Duke of Wellington and myself, I have been and am anxious to obliterate the whole transaction. I therefore conceive this a perfect answer to the great mass of your Lordship's letter. At the same time it is but justice to the naval part of my [955.] |