1. Whether the King is now incapable of attending to business?
2. What hopes do you entertain of his recovery?
3. What do you conjecture may be the probable duration of his complaint?
These are not the precise words, but the substance. They all answered the first question decisively, that he is now incapable, &c.
To the second, Warren gave an ambiguous answer; but said that the majority of persons afflicted with all the different species of this disorder, recovered. An explanatory question was put to him, which it took about an hour and a half to settle; whether, as far as experience enabled him to judge, he thought it more probable that the King would or would not recover. To this he said that he had not, and he believed no one else had, sufficient data to answer that question.
All the rest stated, though in terms more or less strong, that the probability is in favour of recovery.
The time, they all declared themselves unable to speak to.
A question was put to them, to show the degree of experience each had had in these cases. That of the three first appeared not to be great; that of Reynolds more; and Addington stated the particulars, which you already know, about his house at Reading.
On the whole, I think the impression of the examination was universally more favourable than was expected.
After the Council was formally broke up, Pitt proposed, in consequence of some things which had been thrown out by Lord Stormont and Lord Loughborough, that it should be understood, that any proposal for further examination in Parliament should be resisted. After some conversation, this was acceded to; and Monday settled as the day when these papers are to be taken into consideration. A Committee is then to be moved to search precedents, so that the motion itself cannot come on till Friday, or more probably Monday se'nnight.