Rest, and that my health is
not very fit for the commencement of a Session; but whenever you are
passing between London and Manchester I shall always be happy to see
you, and glad if you can stay a day or two - only invite yourself.
"Yours very sincerely,
"NEWCASTLE."
The next day I had the following: -
"CLUMBER,
"9 Decr. 1862.
"MY DEAR SIR,
"It is no easy matter to give any advice as to what should be done,
especially as I do not know whether Mr. Gladstone is still in London,
though I rather imagine he has left for Hawarden.
"If Mr. Sicotte were anywhere but here (where he never ought to have
been), I should advise Messrs. Howe and Tilley to see Mr. Gladstone,
perhaps with you; but I can neither recommend them to see him
with or without Mr. Sicotte, so long as he is here.
"As I wrote to you yesterday, the business ought to have been closed
three days ago, for though I think. Mr. Gladstone's stipulation wrong,
it ought not to have been allowed to interfere with a final
arrangement.
"I agree with you that the new phrase about an 'uncovered loan' is not
very intelligible, but I put the same interpretation upon it that you
do.
"I am not without hope that whilst I am writing some 'leeway' may have
been recovered through Sir F. Rogers and Mr. Anderson, but, as the best
thing I can do, I propose this:
"I ought to go down to Surrey, to attend Mrs. Hope's funeral on
Thursday morning, but being far from well, I was inclined to excuse
myself from so long a railway journey, which I find injurious, but my
decision is altered by your difficulty. I will be at Thomas' Hotel to-
morrow night at 10 o'clock, if you can meet me at that time, and if you
like to appoint Howe and Tilley a quarter of an hour later, I will see
them and discuss what we ought to do.
"I feel very confident we can yet set matters right, if we can only
prevent Mr. Sicotte upsetting the coach.
"I cannot see you on Thursday, as, being in London, I must go by the 9
a.m. train to attend the funeral at Deep Dene, and I may be late in
returning to town in the evening.
"I am, yours sincerely,
"NEWCASTLE."
Memorandum from my diary of 10th December, 1862.
"To the Duke (of Newcastle), at 10 p.m. - (Thomas Hotel), by
request. Saw Howe (representing Nova Scotia), and Tilley
(representing New Brunswick)after. Very satisfactory. Duke said
Gladstone had expressed strong approval of Pacific, &c. affair - and had
added, 'that it was one of the grandest affairs ever conceived, and he
hoped it would be completed in Duke's time - and it should have his
hearty support.' Good."
Messrs.
