Hampton Court

April 10 1824

My Dear Moore

The Bishop of Rochester is writing a life of Burke, wishes to introduce Lord Grey's Mr. Fox's & my Father's speeches, & has heard of our copy of the last. From an enquiry made through Lord Fitzwilliam I expect to be applied to by him for it, & am very much disposed, if it would, as I imagine at all please Lord Fitzwilliam, who is a great political Hero of mine, to comply. But I of course wish first to know whether it would interfere with any use you may be making of the Speech in your Life. I should imagine not, as the Bishop must of course accept it, with the chance of having been partially forestalled by you. I should like to know likewise, in the event of acceding to this application, when you will have done with the MS of the speech. I rather think there will be no Greek dinner - & at all events it will not be before the middle of next month. last Saturday the attendance was so thin, & the accounts so unsatisfactory, I mean about Stewards &c., that the understanding was to give it up; rather prematurely I think. Tomorrow I shall try to revive or get some more important Persons to revive the idea. Had we suffered ourselves to be discourage by Lukewarmness there never would have been any Committee - & the want of zeal about Greece throughout England, is the very reason why we should exert ourselves; If there was general zeal there would be no want of any Committee. Do not you agree with me? If I can get an office Frank I will send you in a few days a Copy of an article in the forthcoming Westminster; for I have to have a few Copies struck off for myself. My direction for the next week will be Temple House, Marlow, Bucks, and then here

Yours very truly

C.B.Sheridan.

Pray add whether you think the Speech would answer to publish by itself, since the Bishop of Rochester's enquiry shows how very absurd Mr. Murray's fear of a Prosecution from Hastings family was.