7° To DUKE OF GRAFTON I DECEMBER 1766 To the DUKE OF GRAFTON, Monday 1 December 1766 Printed for the first time from a photostat of the MS in the Bury St Edmunds and West Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, kindly furnished by the late 10th Duke of Grafton through the good offices of Mr M. P. Statham (Grafton MS 779A). An extract was printed in John Brooke, The Chatham Ad­ ministration 1766-1768, 1956, p. 65. For the history of the MS see ante 25 Nov. 1766. Dated by the attempted 'coalition' between Lord Chatham and the Duke of Bedford, concerning which negotiations broke down on this day (see n. 14 below). Endorsed by Grafton: November or December 1766. Monday morning. My Lord, AS your Grace allows me to trouble you, I think it necessary to L tell you that Mr Grenville is endeavouring all he can to prevent the coalition with the Duke of Bedford,1 particularly by Mr Brand2 and Lady Waldegraves On the other hand the Duchess,4 Lord Tavistock,s Lord Gower6 and Lord Ossory7 are eager for it.8 I should hope that whatever terms Lord Chatham means to grant,9 may be given directly, for those that wish ill, hope to defeat 1. From the beginning of the Chatham bitious of office for himself, he had served administration, Grenville had advocated as intermediary between Grafton and the strong opposition, while Bedford and his Bedfords in Aug. 1766; see Correspon­ followers wavered between opposition and dence of John, Fourth Duke of Bedford, negotiations for re-entering the govern­ ed. Lord John Russell, 1842-6, iii. 342-3. ment; see Namier and Brooke ii. 543. 6. Granville Leveson Gower (1721- 2. Thomas Brand, HW's friend and 1803), younger brother of the Ds of Bed­ correspondent, who had married Lady ford; styled Vet Trentham 1746-54; 2d Caroline Pierrepont, half-aunt of the E. Gower, 1754; cr. (1786) M. of Stafford. Duchess of Bedford. A former Whig ad­ 7. Nephew of the Ds of Bedford. herent, Brand hoped to gain a peerage 8. 'It was thought that the Duchess, through the Duke of Bedford's interest. Lord Tavistock, Lords Gower and Ossory 3. Lady Elizabeth Leveson Gower were earnest for the junction' (Autobiog­ (1724-84), younger sister of the Ds of raphy and Political Correspondence of Bedford; m. (1751) John Waldegrave, 3d Augustus Henry Third Duke of Grafton, E. Waldegrave, 1763. ed. Sir William R. Anson, 1898, p. 102). 4. Hon. Gertrude Leveson Gower 9. On 27 Nov. Chatham conveyed the (1715-94), m. (1737), as his second wife, terms to Lord Gower, who went to Wo­ John Russell, 4th D. of Bedford. She burn the next day to report them to and her brother Lord Gower had for Bedford: "That Lord Gower should be some time been hoping to return to appointed Master of the Horse, Lord Court. Weymouth one of the postmasters, and 5. Francis Russell (1739-67), styled M. Mr Rigby (though out of delicacy to of Tavistock; second surv. son and heir of him, as he showed some little inclina­ John, 4th D. of Bedford; M.P. Unam­ tion in this session [of Parliament] to .