second letter, and have been angry with myself for it since; however, as
often as you'll do me the pleasure, and a very sincere one it is I
assure you, of letting me hear how you do, you may depend upon the
utmost punctuality for the future, and I undertake very seriously to
answer every letter you shall write me within a fortnight.

The ensuing winter may possibly produce many things to amaze you; it has
opened with one that I am sure will; I mean Mr. Pitt's resignation, who
delivered up the seals to the King last Monday. The reason commonly
given for this extraordinary step is a resolution taken in Council
contrary to Mr. Pitt's opinion, concerning our conduct towards the
Spaniards, who upon the breaking off of the negotiations with France and
our sending Mr. Bussy away, have, it is said, made some declarations to
our Court which Mr. Pitt was for having the King treat in a very
different manner from that which the rest of the Cabinet advised; for
they are said to have been all against Mr. Pitt's opinion, except Lord
Temple. The effect of this resignation you'll easily imagine. It has
opened all the mouths of all the news-presses in England, and, from our
boasted unanimity and confidence in the Government, we seem to be
falling apace into division and distrust; in the meantime Mr. Pitt seems
to have entered, on this occasion, upon a new mode of resignation, at
least for him, for he goes to Court, where he is much taken notice of by
the King, and treated with great respect by everybody else, and has
said, according to common report, that he intends only to tell a plain
story, which I suppose we are to have in the House of Commons. People,
as you may imagine, are very impatient for his own account of a matter
about which they know so little at present, and which puts public
curiosity to the rack.

Fresh matter for patriots and politicians! Since writing the former part