Friday 20 May 2016

20th May 1816: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury writes to Captain Francis Raynes

Treasury-Chambers, 20th May, 1816.

SIR,

I have received your letter of the 1st inst. in reply to which, you must allow me to assure you, that if every individual with whom I am in habits of correspondence, were to be out of humour with me for not immediately attending to their letters, it would be utterly impossible for me to get through the business which I have to do. I certainly did hope to have it in my power to write to your sooner; but my whole time has been engrossed by the Civil List Committee, and I have been unable to command time for that purpose. I communicated, however, the result of our interview to Lord Sidmouth, who was well pleased to hear of its amicable nature. I am now on the watch for a situation such as your wishes to have pointed to, and, when a vacancy of the sort comes to my knowledge, you may be assured that I will not fail to mention your name to Lord Liverpool. At the same time, I wish you to understand, that, as I am the only channel through which your wishes are to be submitted to the head of Government, and, as I have not personally the disposal of the patronage, it is impossible for me to pledge myself to the moment when the realization of your hopes my take place.

I am, Sir,

Your most faithful humble Servant,

C. ARBUTHNOT.

[To] Capt. Raynes.

This is from Raynes (1817, pp.176-177). This is the final letter featured in Francis Raynes' book, which was published just over a year later. I will publish the result of my research about Raynes on the bicentenary of its publication.

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