disposed of some way or the other, I am led to suppose that it may be found necessary to relieve Admiral Vandeput at Halifax previous to a possibility for me to be able to proceed to that station. If from the alteration of the state of war (as is presumed) a separate command should again be established at Lisbon, I should be very happy to relinquish the honour your Lordship has intended me respecting Halifax for the honour of that appointment; for, in the first place, it's not removed from the seat of war as Halifax is; and in the next, the frequent intercourse with England is so much more correspondent to the business of my family and private concerns, which my presence in a short time might enable me to put in a train to be managed to my accommodation by correspondence, and which being hurried away to proceed to Halifax might almost be the ruin of from being neglected. This observation I beg leave to submit to your Lordship's consideration, and remain most respectfully, Your Lordship's most obliged and most obedient humble servant, WM. PARKER. SPENCER TO PARKER Admiralty, 4th August, 1799. Sir, I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 29th of June, which reached me yesterday, and I can only say on the subject of it, that the present state of the war is such as to make it impossible to foresee whether the arrangements to which you allude of a station at Lisbon will be adopted or not. I had expected long ere this to have seen you in England, and deferred till that period coming to any fixed determination respecting your future destination; and as everything at present still remains in a great state of uncertainty I shall content myself with saying that there is not now any idea of sending you to the coast of America directly from the Mediterranean which had been in contemplation. I am, Sir, Your very obedient humble servant, |