Queries.
RIGBY CORRESPONDENCE.
In looking over old family papers, I find a bundle of letters, sixty-seven in number, some of them very interesting, written to my grandfather by Richard Rigby, commencing in the year 1758, and ending 1781. This Richard Rigby, it appears, held the then sinecure office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland, but resided altogether in England, and held office under several administrations as Paymaster of the Forces. His letters from 1769 to 1781 are all dated from the Pay Office. He is the Mr. Rigby whose awkward integrity is alluded to by Philo-Junius in his letter of 22nd June, 1769, and who is ironically styled "Modest" by Atticus in letter of 14th November, 1768. My object is to endeavour to ascertain from some of your correspondents whether there is any representative of Mr. Rigby who possibly might have in his possession the counterpart of the correspondence above alluded to, which to Irishmen could not fail to be of interest, and probably of historic value. The writer was a member of the Irish House of Commons, and, it appears, was in the habit of giving very graphic details of Irish politics in general, and of the proceedings of the House of Commons in particular. Under date of 8th December, 1769, Mr. Rigby thanks him
"For your constant accounts of what passes in your parliaments. If it was not for the intelligence I give the ministers from you and the rest of my friends, they would know no more of what is doing in the Irish Parliament than in the Turkish Divan. For (neither) the Lord Lieutenant nor his Secretary ever write a line to the Secretary of State."
Again, 2nd December, 1771:
"I am much obliged to you for your constant intelligence, and so are greater persons than myself, for I happened to be with Lord Rochford to-day when his letters arrived from his Excellency, and he had sent no despatches of a later date than the 26th, so that his Majesty and his ministers would have known nothing of a report having been made by that committee, but for my information. Lord R. sent your letters with my leave to the King. They will do no discredit to the writer, especially when compared to that blotting paper wrote by his Excellency."
In another letter he talks of the reports of speeches made by his correspondent being far better than those of any note-taker; so that if they are forthcoming, I have no doubt they would be of interest and value to the historian of Ireland of that time.
K. K.