The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-09-17 00:00:00

THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS TO THE MARQUIS OF

TAVISTOC K.

" Donington, March 11, 1839.
" Dear Lord Tavistock—Your two letters I have duly re-
ceived. but they are so unsatisfactory I hardly know how to
answer them. They are couched in the most friendly terms,
yet what would be the most friendly thing to me (the in-
formation I seek) is denied me. You say my letter is frank.
I expected to have been met in the same spirit. Put your-
self for one minute in the painful position in which every
member of my family now stands, and ask yourself if you
should like to be first insulted, infamy cast upon your name
for ever, and then, when you seek redress, by asking who is
the originator of the base and false calumny raised against
you, you were to be told ' It is well known who that person
is,' but you must sit down quiely, hear all this, ask no more
questions, and be subject to the false judgment and lies of
every scoundrel in England ?
" Look, I only ask you, at the paragraphs in every day's
paper, and tell me how you would succumb to such treat-
ment ?

" My letter WAS friendly, but it was ONLY so because I
thought you knew nothing of this vile business ; and it was to
give Lady Taviatock a fair opportunity to clear herself from
the disgrace that now attaches to all concerned in this, and
whose different niodes of proceeding in it are all now mixed
up together, and judged alike by the world. When I publish
my- letter to Lord Melbourne (in which I do not mince
matters), those concerned will, if they have any regard for
their characters, have to explain to the world, not to me
only, what part they have taken in this business, or all be
classed together in THAT contempt and disgrace in the
ZYES of the wolun which I must say, they MOST richly
merit.

" I only wait Lord Portman's reply before I publish all ;
and in so doing, though I may make enemies by telling the
truth, I shall not repent it when I think that those (some of
them old friends) who have helped in this business would
quietly see me and mine consigned to infamy for ever rather
than do me an act of common justice.
(Signed " HASTINGS.
I
" I must also add that will hold no personal communi-
cation with any whose names are now mixed up with this
business. The questions I wish answered are simply these :
" By whom was Lady Tavistock requested to name this
business to Lord Melbourne ?

'" By whom was Lady T. informed of the opinion enter-
tained with respect to my sister's state of health 1"

THE MARQUIS OF TAVISTOCK TO THE MARQUIS OF
HASTINGS.
" Wakefield Lodge, March 14, 1839.
"My dear Hastings—l have this moment received your
letter of the 11th, and am sorry to learn by it that mine has
uot been satisfactory to you.
" I told you all I knew from Lady Tavistock, and have
nothing to add to that statement.
" She had a painful duty imposed upon her, she discharged
it in the most cautious and delicate manner, and feels she
has nothing to reproach herself with.
" I repeat that I am unable to answer this question you
have put tome, and I do not think I should be justified in
requiring Lady Tavistock to do so. If you do not consider
this 'frank' I am sorry for it.
" I have a sincere regard for you, and should be very sorry
to forfeit your good opinion ; but Ido not see that I could
with honour act otherwise.—Yours, truly,
" TAVISTOCK."