Copy of a letter : "Bruton Street"[London], to Spencer Perceval, 1809 Sept. 8.

Confirming what he said in his letter to the Duke of Portland on the previous day; saying that he "understood you to have declared to His Grace to be your intention, in the event of the King's promise of Lord Wellesley's appointment to the War Department being carried into effect; and that I referred to it as creating or contributing to create an unexpected difficulty (unexpected I mean by myself) such as determined me to forego the execution of that promise altogether. Your letter of yesterday evening [MA 855.37] does not at all vary my view of the Case, or my determination upon it. You tell me that you shall not object to the execution of this promise as part of an arrangement consequent upon the Duke of Portland's resignation;" continuing to discuss the implications of the promise to appoint Lord Wellesley; adding that he finds "himself placed by this conditional acquiescence in a positive engagement in a situation which I certainly did not foresee, and out of which I still think there is no way, (without stirring very delicate and embarrassing questions) but by my 'voluntarily foregoing an Engagement the difficulties of which are thus unexpectedly increased since His Majesty entered into it.' In doing this I mean not to impute the slightest blame to you; who have as good a right to determine on what conditions you will consent to the execution of a promise to which you are not bound as a party, as I have to decide whether on these conditions I will claim it's fulfilment."