Letter – John Swinburne to Willoughby Gordon – 7 Feb 1824

 (Copy).                    							Febry 7th 1824



Dear Gordon 

      I presume you have seen Bts Statement in the Morning Post of the 4th Febry - the Report of his Marriage was very prevalent but we paid little attention to it and I don’t think I ever mentioned it in any of my letters, but there is something like the soreness of Guilt in the way he notices it.

      Lord Grey should see it, and pray be kind enough to convey to him the following extracts from 2 letters I received last Night from Losh.



‘Bts Solicitor has sent me a General Retainer (which he says in his 2d letter explains what I said of his intention to prosecute Lord Grey.  My Opinion is he will soon be so much worse as to put an End to the business etc.  I am clear no legal measures will ever be attempted.  they  could be of no importance to Lord Grey and would utterly ruin Bt.  I don’t know certainly that Dr Willis has been consulted but I collected from Mr Bird that some such measure was in agitation etc.   Mr Bird called upon me yesterday, I certainly did not receive him very graciously for I told him at once I had a very opinion of him, however after a long conversation during which he showed me several letters confirming what he asserted I certainly am inclined to think that he has acted sincerely in endeavouring to keep Bt abroad and to put a stop to his wild proceedings.  He (Bird) seemed to be very much agitated and very anxious to do the best he could and I advised him to go immediately to London and consult with any friends of the family as to any Steps to be taken and this he promised to do immediately.  He deprecated in the strongest way any thought on the part of Mr Bt to bring forward your daughter Emily etc.   I certainly think you should not do any thing which might look like haste in going to Town or giving the least importance to the Charges of a Man who is beyond all question deranged etc.  



      I put no trust or faith in any assertion of Bird’s but he has now allowed that Bt is at present in a state of of Mind to require the interference of his friends and the advice of a Mad Doctor.

      He, Bt, has quarrelled with William Lambton (to his great satisfaction) and told him he has done with him and is heartily disgusted with and sick of the Whigs - this will amuse Lord Grey.

      My Cousin Bedingfield will I fancy call upon you, pray show him what you think requisite to put him au fait of the business.

      You will observe that the whole of Bts Manouvres and behaviour to the Girls, I was ignorant of till after he was gone.  There is good reason to believe that till this moment Bird has always asserted that Beaumont was in perfect sound Mind, and that when he and the brother were sent by Mrs B in pursuit of him, they went to the same Inn that Bt had just left and did not even pretend to look after him, and it is supposed that Bird knew he was coming here the day he appeared at the Lake. I therefore put no faith in him or his promises to go to London and look after him now.  I would again express how much and deeply I have been distressed and concerned that Ld Grey’s most valuable Life should have been exposed to the most distant risque from such a Mad Villain, on our Account, and that it was not is owing to your Manly, prudent and judicious Conduct.

      Believe me / Most truly yours 

                           (Signed).     J.E. Swinburne 



What is the Sunday paper Statement Bt alludes to