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judge than I am how far such a proposal will be agreeable to thecautious disposition of your brethren.
“ I am, &c.
“ J. Cavendish.”
Upon my going to London at the meeting of parliament, I sawthe Duke of Grafton, and had a long conversation with him uponthe subject of my letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Heapproved of the plans, and expressed his approbation of them inthe most open and sincere manner, but told me that Lord Shel-burne was against the immediate publication of the letter, forreasons which did not at all satisfy him. The Duke informed methat he had communicated the matter to Lord (Camden. I soonafter saw Lord Camden, when he was pleased t<o say, “ that everyline in the letter was right, but that it would t ake me twentyyears to overcome men’s prejudices.” When he was afterwardsPresident of the Council for many years, he never gave me theleast intimation of his being disposed to assist in promoting ameasure which he had so much approved.
On the 29th of the same month I dined with Lord Shelburne.In a conversation after dinner he requested me not to publish theletter to the Archbishop. I asked him why ? He replied, it wasnot the time! That, I rejoined, was always the answer of a states-man when he disliked a proposition, and that I wished he wouldplainly say, that he disliked it. He observed, that was not thecase, but that he wished it to be put off a year or two. Havinghad reason to suspect that he had a disposition to be nibbling atthe revenues of the Church, and being certain that they only