at it could not be helped, and that he
(Townshend) must therefore think over with the Crown lawyers
such a preamble as should recognize in future, without any
retrospect whatever. To this point Townshend said he thought
your Bill went; and therefore he told me he was to send it down
in that shape in which you sent it (excepting the omission of
the words _of right_ in the two places where they occur) to Lord
Camden for his opinion. I then mentioned what I had hinted to
him before in the way of resolutions, which might, I thought, be
so drawn as to preclude the idea of retrospect. He wished to see
the form I had adopted; upon which I gave him, as coming from
myself only, the enclosed paper, which you will see differs a
little from that which I sent you before. Both these he sent to
Lord Camden, with a letter, desiring that he and myself might
see him to-morrow morning for his ideas on the subject. You will
observe that _he_ is from principle warm for Irish claims; and
therefore I think it not a bad quarter to begin with.

I flatter myself you will approve of my reason for withholding
your despatch No. 16, as the word _courts_, without _of law_,
which we have scratched out, certainly includes the Peers; and
nothing would have been so agreeable to Lords T. and S. as a
point of form which they need not have mentioned till towards
the conclusion of the business, and so might completely have
gained their darling object--time.

Still, however, I thought much of that letter--too important to
be lost--and therefore threw it together into the enclosed
paper, which I sent to Townshend the night before last, together
with a copy of such parts of his despatches as authorized you to
pledge the faith of Government, _he having asked me for them,
not for himself_.

While I was still in a state of suspense, your letter and
despatch of the 29th reached me. I thought it best to keep the
latter till this morning, when, I need hardly say, I did not
deliver it, though I thought proper to read it to Townshend, in
order, as I told him, that he might be perfectly acquainted with
your feelings on the occasion, and might see I had not
exaggerated them. You will remember that your next despatch is
numbered 16. If it comes before you receive this, I will alter
it. To-morrow you shall know the resu