THE RIGHT HON. CHARLES W. WYNN TO THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.
Tuesday evening.
My dear B——,
I do not believe that the French Cabinet is mad enough to entertain any view of the conquest of Spain. Experience must have taught even to them more wisdom, but Monsieur and the Ultra-Royalist party dread the intercourse with a Republic on their frontiers, and besides, have revived the old notions of the family connexion, and their duty to protect a Bourbon monarch. This is fed by their communications with Spain, where for the last ten months they have been active in exciting, both by money and other means, the Royalist or insurgent party, and these designs are equally instigated by the Ultra-Royalist and Ultra-Liberal party in both countries. The former, with the view of re-establishing the authority of the beloved Ferdinand; the latter, of raising by any means a war, which they calculate must end in the overthrow of both thrones.
We have no wish ourselves to take Cuba, but are inclined to give her the fair option of either continuing Spanish, becoming independent, or uniting with Mexico, positively resisting, however, even if necessary with arms, her occupation by any third power, i.e., North America.
I continue most completely separated from the rest of the Cabinet. Whether they live at all together I know not, but believe they do. However, we have all been in town now for more than a week, and I never have seen anything of any of them except in Cabinet. No one dinner have I been asked to since the conclusion of the Session, excepting one in the beginning of September at Robinson's. Now we all know that business can never be really settled in the meetings of so numerous a Cabinet, but that it must be in fact arranged at more private meetings and dinners.
Canning is certainly not cordial, though there is nothing I have a right to complain of. Still I see that he is disposed to discuss the business of his own office, &c., with Lord Bathurst, Peel, or Robinson, but not with me. Peel is reserved in his natural manner, but I rather get on with him. What is Canning's object I cannot at all discover. His obvious policy would be to unite us to himself, but I am clear that is not in his view. His language to me on the Catholic question was in such a tone as to lead me to doubt extremely whether he can be relied upon. He dwelt to much on the disposition of the Duke of York, if he succeeded to the throne, to stake his Crown entirely upon opposition to it, and talked so much on the advantages of a compromise, which should secure everything except Privy Council and Parliament; professing willingness himself, if that was conceded, to oppose any agitation of the question for a considerable time, that I am myself convinced that he is disposed to consider it as a millstone, to which he is not absolutely pledged, and which he will for his own interest shake from off his neck. We have begun on Wellesley's plan, but as yet made no progress. Indeed it is so defective, that though it professes to rest upon two or three plain principles to be adopted or rejected, there are double that number not adverted to which must be previously understood and determined.
Ever affectionately yours,
C. W. W.
THE RIGHT HON. CHARLES W. WYNN TO THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.