resolution taken in Council
contrary to Mr. Pitt's opinion, concerning our conduct towards the
Spaniards, who upon the breaking off of the negotiations with France and
our sending Mr. Bussy away, have, it is said, made some declarations to
our Court which Mr. Pitt was for having the King treat in a very
different manner from that which the rest of the Cabinet advised; for
they are said to have been all against Mr. Pitt's opinion, except Lord
Temple. The effect of this resignation you'll easily imagine. It has
opened all the mouths of all the news-presses in England, and, from our
boasted unanimity and confidence in the Government, we seem to be
falling apace into division and distrust; in the meantime Mr. Pitt seems
to have entered, on this occasion, upon a new mode of resignation, at
least for him, for he goes to Court, where he is much taken notice of by
the King, and treated with great respect by everybody else, and has
said, according to common report, that he intends only to tell a plain
story, which I suppose we are to have in the House of Commons. People,
as you may imagine, are very impatient for his own account of a matter
about which they know so little at present, and which puts public
curiosity to the rack.

Fresh matter for patriots and politicians! Since writing the former part
of this letter, I have been at the coffee-house, and bring you back
verbatim, a very curious article of the _Gazette_. "St. James's, Oct. 9.
The Right Hon. William Pitt having resigned the Seals into the King's
hands, his Majesty was this day pleased to appoint the Earl of Egremont
to be one of his principal Secretaries of State, and in consideration of
the great and important services of the said Mr. Pitt, his Majesty has
been graciously pleased to direct that a warrant be prepared for
granting to the Lady Hester Pitt, his wife, a Barony of Great Britain,
by the name, style and title of Baroness of Chatham to herself, and of
Baron of Chatham to her heirs male; and also to confer upon the said
William Pitt, Esq. an annuity of 3000_l_. sterling during his own life,
that of Lady Hester Pitt, and that of their son John Pitt, Esq!"

A report of this matter got about the day before, and most unfortunately
all the newspapers contradicted it as a scandalous report, set on foot
with a design to tarnish the lustre of a certain great character. This
was the style of the morning and evening papers of Saturday, and of
those who converse upon