CONTENTS Introductory Letter to the Right Hon. William Elliot, Letter to Sir Charles Bingham, bart. dated October 1773; Letter to the Honourable Charles James Fox, dated Oc- tober 1777; on the American War Letter to the Marquis of Rockingham, dated January 1777; on a proposed Secession from Parliament of Members, who had opposed the American War p. 161. A proposed Address to the King, on the same subject p. 173. Address to the British Colonists in North America p. 199. Letter to the Right Honourable Edmund Perry, Speaker of the House of Commons of Ireland, dated July 1778; Letter to Thomas Burgh, Esq. dated New Year's Day 1780; in vindication ef the Author's Parliamentary Conduct, relative to the Affairs of Ireland Letter to John Merlott, Esq. an eminent merchant of Letters (to the Lord Chancellor, to the Earl Bathurst, and to Sir Grey Cooper) with Reflections on the Exe- cutions of the Rioters in 1780 Letter to the Right Honourable Henry Dundas, one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, dated Easter Monday Night 1792; with the Sketch of a Letter to the Chairman of the Buckinghamshire Meeting, held 13th April 1780, at Aylesbury; on the Duration Letter to William Smith, Esq. dated January 1795, then Member of the Irish Parliament, now one of the Barons of the Court of Exchequer in Ireland, on the Second Letter to Sir Hercules Langrishe, dated May Letter to Richard Burke, Esq. on the same Subject p. 419. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM ELLIOT. MY DEAR SIR, AS some prefatory account of the materials, Α which compose this second * posthumous Volume of the Works of Mr. Burke, and of the causes, which have prevented its earlier appearance, will be expected from me, I hope I may be indulged in the inclination I feel to run over these matters in a Letter to you, rather than in a formal address to the Publick. Of the delay, that has intervened since the publication of the former Volume, I shall, first, say a few words. Having undertaken, in conjunction with the late Dr. Lawrence, to examine the manuscript papers of Mr. Burke, and to select and prepare for the press such of them as should be thought proper for publication, the difficulties attending our co-operation were soon experienced by The remoteness of our places of residence in summer, and our professional and other avocations us. * IX and X. Volumes of the present Edition. VOL. IX. b in in winter, opposed perpetual obstacles to the proof our undertaking. gress Soon after the publication of the Fourth Volume I was rendered incapable of attending to any business by a severe and tedious illness. And it was not long after my recovery, before the health of our invaluable friend began gradually to decline; and soon became unequal to the increasing labours of his profession, and the discharge of his parliamentary duties. At length we lost a man, of whom, as I shall have occasion to speak more particularly in another part of this undertaking, I will now content myself with saying, that in my humble opinion he merited, and certainly obtained, with those best acquainted with his extensive learning and information, a considerable rank amongst the eminent persons, who have adorned the age, in which we have lived, and of whose services the Publick have been deprived by a premature death. From these causes little progress had been made in our work, when I was deprived of my coadjutor. But from that time you can testify of me that I have not been idle. You can bear witness to the confused state, in which the materials, that compose the present Volume, came into my hands. The |