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.

1st May 1816: Francis Raynes writes again to the Chief Secretary of the Treasury

No. 4, Dorset-Place, Clapham-Road,

SIR, May 1st, 1816.

When you did me the honor to say I might expect to hear from you by Friday, 26th ult. I did  flatter myself I should not be disappointed. I cannot for a moment, Sire, suppose, from having made to you a disclosure of the recent losses my family have sustained, that the circumstance should influence you to my prejudice; but must attribute your silence to the extreme pressure of public duty, or that your interview with Lords Liverpool and Sidmouth, on my behalf, was not favorable.

On Saturday, I called at the Treasury, in the hope that I should have the honor of seeing you, with an intention to solicit the favour of you, Sir, to entreat His Majesty’s Government would be pleased to honor me with their decision; for greatly should I be relieved to be informed, even if that decision was to my disadvantage; for who can near a continued state of suspense and anxiety? Believe me, Sir, that my applications do not result from a fretful impatience, or a doubt of your disposition to forward my views, but from most urgent motives.

I have withheld from the notice of the Generals under whom I served, many mortifying and trying circumstances, and those who are acquainted with my case, do not hesitate to pronounce me an injured man; and I hope I shall be spared the pain of ever detailing them for the information of His Majesty’s Government, or the eye of others; but humbly trust His Majesty’s Government will suffer me to return to my family, with that reward their wisdom may think proper to bestow for my past services.

I have now, Sir, only to apologize for trespassing on your valuable time, and have the honor to subscribe myself,

With great respect,
Your most obedient humble Servant,
FRANCIS RAYNES.

[To] The Right Hon. Charles Arbuthnot.

22nd January 1816: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury replies again to Francis Raynes

Treasury-Chambers, 22d January, 1816.

SIR,

I have received your letter of the 5th inst. and I am induced to trouble you with this in reply to it, rather to satisfy your fears of your letter being thrown aside, than because I have any information to communicate. When you wrote to me in November, I was absent from this country, which was the cause of my not writing to you. Since my return, I was at first very unwell, and since then, I have been so much occupied by my official duties, that I have not had one moment of leisure to give to applications such as yours: but I can now assure you, that I will take an early opportunity of speaking to Lord Sidmouth about you, and that, when I have any intelligence that may be agreeable to communicate, you may depend upon hearing from me.

I am, Sir,

Your faithful humble Servant,

C. ARBUTHNOT.

5th January 1816: Francis Raynes makes more desperate enquiries about his case

Having now heard nothing from the government about the possibility of a job or remuneration for his services during the Luddite disturbances for over 4 months, Francis Raynes wrote again to both the government and his former commanding officer on the same day:

Three months after [receiving the letter from Lord Sidmouth], hearing of the vacancy of a situation in the customs, and not willing to let my age become an additional difficulty in the way of remuneration, I immediately made application to the Secretary of the Treasury, and then, after waiting a considerable time longer, I once more addressed myself to the Duke of Montrose, and, likewise, to Mr. Arbuthnot. 

Fenton, 5th of January, 1816. 

SIR, 

I had the honor to address you a letter, dated 10th November, on the subject of a remuneration for my past services. I should not have taken such a liberty, had I not considered myself as having been referred to you by His Majesty’s Government. Not being honoured by a reply, I am led to infer that what I have suggested is unsuitable. 

I would not be thought troublesome or obtrusive, but, at the expiration of three years, it is natural I should wish the suspense I have been kept in terminated. 

It would, Sir, be a great relief to me, to be informed what my prospects from the Government are, and when, if ever, I may expect a realisation of them; for is, after such a lapse of time, a remuneration for acknowledged services, rendered, to use my Lord Sidmouth’s own expression, “at a very important period,” cannot be found in a country like this, all reasonable, all rational hope ought to cease. I have been compelled to throw up my commission, from feelings every one must understand, who knows the derision unfulfilled expectations ever excite; and very many other inconveniences I have been subjected to, which might have been avoided, had I not been led to expect, from Sir Thomas Maitland himself, an immediate acknowledgement. 

I am aware, Sir, that letter from individuals to men in exalted situations, are frequently thrown aside, as being too trivial to merit a reply: this I never found to be the case, when my services were required: and I trust my letters will not be classed with this description only when the reward of those services is the subject of them.  I have the honor to be, Sir, 

Respectfully, 

Your most obedient humble Servant, 

FRANCIS RAYNES. 

The Right Hon. Charles Arbuthnot, &c. &c. 

 

Fenton, 5th January, 1816. 

MY LORD DUKE, 

I regret I am again compelled to renew a subject which cannot be as unpleasant to your Grace, as it is painful to me; and I did flatter myself such circumstances might have arisen, as would have precluded me every again troubling your Grace on so worn out a theme. You have, my Lord, informed me, that you are acquainted with the existing difficulty of my remuneration being obtained. My knowledge of it, so far as to enable me to form some idea of its probable duration, would materially conduce to my interest; domestic reasons making it necessary I should not let pass an opportunity of forming a permanent establishment, unless I have a certainty very shortly of obtaining the reward for my services, but which, a much longer delay in the accomplishment, will render it of little importance to me. 

I do not, my Lord, means to fatigue you with a recapitulations of what I have so often urged. Your Grace is well acquainted with all the leading features of my case, as well as with the neglect I have experienced. Neglect I must call it, for, at the end of three years, I find myself but where Sir Thomas Maitland left me, save that I have in my possession many expression of favorable wishes. Can credulity go so far as to believe a country like this, after such a lapse of time, has nothing to bestow on acknowledged services, but favorable intentions? My services, at the time were thought of no ordinary nature, or I should not have been honoured by the marked attention I received from your Grace, in the camp at Manchester, at a period which Lord Sidmouth himself acknowledges was an important one, and which will long be remembered as critical by every inhabitant of that part of the country. 

I cannot, my Lord, help owning that may mind is sore and irritated by the treatment I have received. I do not wish to give up expectations; but the folly of much longer entertaining them, can only be equalled by resigning them, without justifying myself to the world for every having formed them. 

I have the honor to be, 

With the utmost respect, 

Your Grace’s most obedient and humble Serv. 

FRANCIS RAYNES. 

His Grace the Duke of Montrose, K. G. &c.

18th August 1815: Francis Raynes is called to meet the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Charles Arbuthnot

Francis Raynes' persistence in the pursuit of a reward seemed, at last, to have paid off. His memoir relates the events that led to an important meeting that took place on Friday 18th August 1815:

“Who waits the reward of services, must ever deprecate the danger of delay,” and perceiving my cause had suffered too much from this already, I resolved to make one more effort, and again addressed myself to Lord Sidmouth. Some little time after, I received the following note from the Secretary of the Treasury:-- 

Mr. Arbuthnot presents his compliments to Captain Raynes, and would be glad to see him, if he would call upon him at the Treasury, on Friday, about One o’clock.
Treasury, 16th August, 1815. 

On calling, I was informed by Mr. Arbuthnot, he sent for me by desire of Lords Liverpool and Sidmouth, to assure me their Lordships were fully sensible of the services I had rendered, and that they regretted an opportunity had not occurred of rewarding them. Finding I was still destined to receive nothing but compliment, and that I had been sent for only to hear repeated, what I had so often before been assured of, and that I still had to wait an indefinite time for what I had, on the outset of the business, been led to expect would be immediate, I could not help shewing my astonishment and vexation. Perceiving which, Mr. Arbuthnot observed I did not seem satisfied; but assured me, as all appointments went through his hands, I might rely on an opportunity not escaping his notice, and being made known to the head of the Government: but, added Mr. Arbuthnot, “you are not, perhaps, aware, Captain Raynes, that a rule exists which prevents any person obtaining an appointment under the Government, after the age of forty-five.” My reply was, “I am not thirty-nine;” and feeling myself mortified and irritated at the remark, after the length of time I had been waiting, I said I could not help calling to mind the words of Sir Thomas Maitland, that if I did not get something at first, I never might. I have been thus minute in relating the particulars of this interview, as, some time afterwards, on mentioning that Mr. Arbuthnot told me appointments were not to be given to any body more than forty-five years old, I was told by the Duke of Montrose, he did not say so; and it has, likewise, been made the grounds of much displeasure against me, in another quarter, from the unfortunate repetition of the words of Sir Thomas Maitland...