I have the honour to be, with great regard,
Your Grace's most obedient and most humble servant,
Grosvenor Square, Wednesday, P.M. near Five o'clock, Jan. 30th, 1782.
THE MARQUIS OF ROCKINGHAM TO THE DUKE DE CHANDOS.
Having not gone to dinner till rather late, and my company having staid with me till just now, I have not been able to return an answer to your Grace's very obliging letter as soon as I otherwise should have done. It also prevented my being able to profit of the honour you proposed to me of calling here this evening.
I will call at the Duke of Richmond's before two o'clock to-morrow, and I hope that his Grace and I shall have the honour of meeting your Grace at the House of Lords, between two and three o'clock; I should imagine, any time before three o'clock will afford us time for the honour of some conversation together.
I have the honour to be, with great regard,
Your Grace's most obedient and most humble servant,
Grosvenor Square. Wednesday night, past Nine o'clock, Jan. 30th. 1782
THE MARQUIS OF ROCKINGHAM TO LORD TEMPLE.
I felt myself much honoured by the very kind intimation which you sent to me by Mr. T. Grenville, that your Lordship would not be unwilling to come to town, to attend in the House of Lords, in case any matter was likely to come on, which might appear to me to be of importance in the present miserable state of the affairs of this country.
I should have wrote to your Lordship to have apprized you of the motions intended by the Duke of Richmond on the subject of the execution of Colonel Harris in Charlestown in North America, and of the proclamation which had in consequence been issued by General Green. I was very doubtful in regard to the _probable day_ on which the business might come to be discussed.
On the Duke of Richmond's first mentioning the subject, it came out that the Ministers at last acknowledged that they had no official information; but as a vessel had arrived from New York, and some officers had also arrived from Charlestown on Friday or Saturday last, I thought it probable that on _Monday_ or _yesterday_ we might have heard that they had got _official information_, and that possibly some papers would be to be laid before the House, and the discussion of the matter would then have been fixed for some day, and regularly proceeded upon.