Removed from Brialmont. Life of Wellington (PML 7901-7916), vol. VIII, p. 252.
Marked "Private."
Thanking him for his letter and commenting "It seems to have been a difficult matter to decide and I am not at all sure that the right course has been taken. No doubt turning out the Gov't before their financial nostrums are produced would have had very bad consequences - but on the other hand nothing is worse than proceedings of parties - or party leaders, which the publick cannot comprehend; and I fear this one will look like an abandonment of Free Trade or a postponement of it to party tactics - At least it will not be easy to persuade the people that it was both right to make the motion - evidently aggressive in its nature - and right to oppose it because it was aggressive - I don't see how a Government can last long which is only saved by its adversaries and is deserted by the most consistent part of its friends - But the Prots [Protectionists] will not do the same thing how that they did in 1830. discussing the probability of peace saying "There seems a very erroneous opinion here (even among the [illegible] enemies of the Gov't & who are desirous to prove its incompatibility with peace) that no attempt can be made any where for some time - and the great bulk of men, except those personally averse to the Gov't, hold that peace must be kept else that Gov't will be upset - I don't quite agree with them - but delay is favourable to peace in this instance - because it ensures (let us hope) full preparation - both for defences and for alliances - and if that preparation is compleat, a war would be fatal to the new dynasty."