be permitted an opportunity. We have the honor to be, Sir, your much obliged and obedient servants,
| (Signed) | “Geo. Drieberg, | Colonel, | Commanding Brigades. | |
| “P. du Plat | Colonel, |
“To Captain Lillicrap, R.N.”
“East Sheen, 26th Nov. 1807.
“Dear Sir,– Mr Tyrwhitt hath promised to send me the result of his communication with the Secretary of the Admiralty; meaning, I believe, to abide by his advice. Your letter doth not say whether you have seen the First Lord. Depend on it, more may be done by your enforcing your claim in strong but respectful terms, than by any other channel. No one is better able to do so than yourself, and few have justice more unequivocally on their side. I told Mr. T., that I was ready to attend his summons, and I conclude I shall hear from him. In the mean time, do not omit seeing the First Lord, and urging the claim you have, and the injustice you and the service will suffer, if you are so neglected. You may rely on it, such representation comes with double force from the person injured than it doth from any second person who hath not a commanding influence.
Yours sincerely,
“To Captain Lillicrap, R.N.”
“Edinburgh, Dec. 23, 1807.
“My dear Sir,– I can assure you, that it has neither proceeded from neglect nor from any indifference to the object of your wishes, that I have not written directly to yourself before this.
“The moment I learnt from Captain Bouverie, that you thought my application to Lord Cathcart, and his Lordship’s recommendation, could be of any use to you, I did not fail to state in writing to his Lordship how much the service was indebted to your care and exertions in the re-embarkation of the troops from Rugen, and the landing in Kioge bay. I referred his Lordship to my former letter, written at the time; and I took the liberty to impress very strongly the great advantage to the army and to the public interest in general upon conjunct expeditions, that those officers of the navy who had shewn great and marked attention to the other branch of the service should feel that we were grateful, and that the Generals were disposed to exert any little interest they might possess in assisting their promotion.
“I stated my own sentiments, as they applied to you, as I had before done: and I am sorry to add, that if Lord Cathcart’s interest carmot prevail, I have very little hope from my own; indeed, I should be almost afraid that any recommendation that could be supposed to infer political friendship, or personal connexion, would be prejudicial.
“I saw Lord Cathcart yesterday, who has promised me to state the case upon the grounds upon which I put it; and from his manner, I flatter