[Lord Londonderry [Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquis of Londonderry], Anglo-Irish soldier and politician.] Autograph Letter Signed to cabinet minister Lord Fitzgerald, discussing Lord Brougham, General Cass, Afghanistan and other topics.

An unusually forthright communication for the period. See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. At the time of writing, Fitzgerald was President of the Board of Control under Sir Robert Peel. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and ruckled. Signed ‘Vane Londonderry’. Begins: ‘My Dear Ftizgerald / I had not an opportunity to thank you as I would in the H of Lords for all your kind attention to my wishes. I really hope I shall be able to carry the point of much importance to my Finance - I enclose my Agents Memorial to the [GSB?] for Your Information and I entertain no sort of Doubt, if the Trial is given & that other Interests in India dont extinguish the Object we shall succeed by our own sapient Minds -’. He continues: ‘You seem to have scarce done with Affghanistan [sic] before you have all the Ameers & Upper & Lower Scinde on Your Back!! Your position my dear friend is not very enviable & I know what I should say if I was not writing to a Cabinet Minister -’. He does not believe anything can ‘justify or excuse Broughams virulent Language agst General Cass.[the American pro-slavery politician Lewis Cass (1782-1866)] / Is this sort of thing to be borne in Patience? What right has My Lod Bm. to bring a publick Foreign Character into Contempt in our House of Lords by His Ipse Dixit. I know if I were General Cass, what I should do. This man will become intolerable. You old Tories all are now dining with him & petting him!! Enough!!’ He ends by explaining that he is in Paris for a few weeks, as he does not ‘like the H of Lords Atmosphere just now it is not so healthy as the Champs Eliseè [sic]’.