We have no news. France has imprisoned the crew of a privateer that took one of our pacquet-boats, and carried it into Dunkirk. She is determined to draw us on farther on the hook, and we dare not seem to suspect that hook. I believe America gone past hope, unless we can recover it with half the number that was not sufficient last year. Adieu!

I shall be impatient to hear you are recovered. Your new Prince of Nassaut is perfectly ridiculous-a real peer of England to tumble down to a tinsel titularity! Indeed, an English coronet will not be quite so weighty as it was!

LETTER CCLXIX.

Strawberry Hill, June 18, 1777.

THE papers told you that Lord Chatham has again made his appearance. In his place, I think I should not have done so. I should prefer being forgotten, to putting the world in mind of me without effect. He should sleep on his laurels, and leave posterity to make the comparison between him and his successors; who certainly are not prolific of trophies. Lord Cornwallis his gained a puny advantage, and Governor Tryon has burnt a magazine, which is thought a great blow to the provincials; but the Howes are not in fashion. Lord Percy is come home disgusted by the younger; and the elder will be as much disgusted, at least his family declare so for him, at missing the Treasurer

Duke of Gloucester; and in 1816, married the Princess Mary fourth, daughter of George III.-Ed.

* The Prince of Orange pacquet-boat, captured by an American privateer, on her way from Harwich to Helvoets. On reaching Dunkirk, she was immediately released.-ED.

Earl Cowper had obtained a titular principality from the Emperor, imagining that he should take place of English Dukes; but finding his mistake, and that it would give him no precedence at all here, he dropped the title of Prince. ["An English lady, the Countess Cowper, became," says Wraxall, "at this time distinguished by the attachment of the Grand-Duke of Tuscany; and the exertion of his interest with his brother, Joseph II., procured her husband to be created a Prince of the German Empire; an honour which, I believe, had not been conferred on any British subject since the great Duke of Marlborough was raised to the dignity of Prince of Mildenheim."-Hist. Mem. vol. i. p. 283.-ED.]

On the 30th of May, the Earl of Chatham, though in a state of great weakness, had gone down to the House of Lords, and made a motion for the cessation of hostilities with America. It was rejected, after a long debate by ninety-nine against twenty-eight. His illustrious son, the future minister of the country, was present, and thus wrote, on the following day, to his mother:-"I cannot help expressing to you how happy, beyond description, I feel, in reflecting that my father was able to exert, in their full vigour, the sentiments and eloquence which have always distinguished him. His first speech took up half an hour, and was full of all his usual force and vivacity. He spoke a second time, in answer to Lord Weymouth, to explain the object of his motion, and his intention to follow it by one for the repeal of all the acts of parliament which form the system of chastisement. This he did in a flow of eloquence, and with a beauty of expression, animated and striking beyond conception."-ED.

ship of the Navy. The Duke of Marlborough's* avarice has been a theme of much abuse of late. I do not think this age has a right to cast a stone at the preceding. France to us sends most fair words; to America, stores and officers. Spain has seized an island from the Portuguese Queen ;† just as the powers of Europe treated the Empress-Queen on her father's death. I will not pity her Portuguese Majesty, lest some time or other she should accede to a partition of Poland. I will never more judge of princes at their coronations, but at their burials.

One effect the American war has not had, that it ought to have had; it has not brought us to our senses. Silly dissipation rather increases, and without an object. The present folly is late. hours. Every body tries to be particular by being too late; and, as every body tries it nobody is so. It is the fashion now to go to Ranelagh two hours after it is over. You may not believe this, but it is literal. The music ends at ten; the company go at twelve. Lord Derby's cook lately gave him warning. The man owned he liked his place, but said he should be killed by dressing suppers at three in the morning. The Earl asked him coolly at how much he valued his life? That is, he would have paid him for killing him.. You see we have brought the spirit of calcuÎation to perfection! I do not regret being old, for I see nothing I envy. To live in a crowd, to arrive every where too late, and to sell annuities for forty times more than I can ever pay, are not such supreme joys as to make me wish myself young again: indeed, one might execute all these joys at four-score. I am glad the Emperor did not visit us. I hope he is gone home, thinking France the most trifling nation in Europe.

I am extremely glad that Lady Lucy is so much mended, and I trust she will live to reward your nephew's great merit towards her. I do believe, with your physicians, that warm weather will re-establish you. Patience I need not preach to you-it is part of you; but I will tell you what would expedite your recovery miraculously-the sea-air. Go to Leghorn, and drive on the shore; go out in a boat for a few hours: you will walk well in half-a-dozen. I have experienced this in as short a time as I prescribe. You will be angry, perhaps,-I mean, as much as you can be,—but I am not sorry you have a little gout; it will be a great preservative.

*The great General of Queen Anne.

†The Spanish fleet, under the conduct of the Marquis of Casa Tilly, had, in February, taken possession, almost without opposition, of the isle of St. Catherine's, on the coast of Brazil.-ED.

Sir Horace Mann, the younger, had married, in April 1765, Lady Lucy, daughter of Baptist Noel, fourth Earl of Gainsborough.-En.

LETTER CCLXX.

Strawberry Hill, July 17, 1777. You are very kind, my dear sir, in your inquiries about the Duke of Gloucester. You will have heard, long before you receive this, how very ill his Royal Highness has been. I wish I could say I was yet quite easy about him. We are very impatient for to-morrow's letters. It is unfortunate that he did not pass the summer again at Castel Gondolfo. The heats and nauseous air of Venice immediately affected him deeply, and I fear his Royal Highness's mind was not in a situation to resist outward impressions. He fell away exceedingly, had a flux at Padua, and at Verona was so reduced, that he was persuaded to return to England. Before he could' set out, he grew daily so much worse, that he was taken out of bed and put into a post-chaise, and made journeys for two days of twenty-six and thirty miles; at the end of which he slept eight hours, and mended a little. The Duchess, in the mean time, half distracted, sent a courier for Dr. Jebb and Adair; who, we hope, arrived last Saturday; for Dr. Jebb promised to post without pulling off his clothes. The Duke got to Trent, and found himself refreshed from the cool air of the mountains; but his dysentery returned with violent pains. He keeps his bed; but when the last letters came away, which was on the 4th of this month, his surgeonpage hoped the extremity of the danger was over. It is, indeed, impossible ever to be secure about so precarious a constitution; and, unless his Royal Highness's mind is set at peace about his family, I fear he has not strength to resist the anxiety that preys upon a state of health too obnoxious to every kind of attack. To add to the Duchess's misery, her little boy was in a bad way at the same moment.

You inquire about America, and what Lord Percy* says. I cannot give you information from any authority. I live here, and see nobody of either side that knows any thing. The Duchess's three daughters are, by his Royal Highness's goodness, lodged in Hampton Court Park; which is very near me, and take up most of my time. They are charming girls: I don't mean only their persons, but good, sweet-tempered, admirably brought up, and amiable in every respect. I try to amuse and improve them; though I have little to do on the latter head, and they are so reasonable and easily contented, even with the company of an old uncle, that the other is not difficult. But what is all this to America, except that it proves how little it occupies

*Eldest son of Hugh, first Duke of Northumberland. His lordship had distinguished himself greatly in the important action of Lexington, and the reduction of Fort Washington, &c. On the death of his father, in 1786, he succeeded to the family honours. -ED.

The Ladies Laura, Maria, and Horatia Waldegrave, daughters of the Duchess of Gloucester by her first husband, James Earl of Waldegrave. [Lady Elizabeth Laura married in 1782 to Lord Chewton, afterwards fourth Earl Waldegrave; Lady Charlotte-Maria married in 1784 to the Earl of Euston; and Lady Anna-Horatia married in 1786 to Lord Hugh Seymour.-ED.]

me? The last Gazette informed us that General Howe was but then going to open the campaign, having been in want of campaign equipage. I do not know that Lord Percy says any thing; for I have heard he is very circumspect. He certainly does not talk of pacification. He is said to say, that this campaign will finish the war. I doubt his having said so, as the Ministers are not said to be of that opinion. In the mean time, American privateers infest our coasts; they keep Scotland in alarms, and even the harbour of Dublin has been newly strengthened with cannon. But there is a much bigger cloud ready to burst. The open protection and countenance given by France to the Americans is come to a crying height. We complain: I know not what civil words they give, but they certainly give us no satisfaction. The general opinion is, that we are at the eve of a war with them. Should the Americans receive any blow, my own sentiments are, that France would openly espouse their quarrel, not being at all disposed to let them be crushed. You know that at the beginning of this contest I told you I thought it would be an affair of long duration. A French war would abridge it-but how? I will prophesy nothing on that head. I don't like to look into that book.

I have no events to send you. London, I suppose, is very empty at this season; but I have little dealings with it. The affairs of my family find me full employment, and it is the most suitable one at my time of life. Adieu!

LETTER CCLXXI.

Strawberry Hill, August 11, 1777.

I WRITE in a most anxious moment, and tremble lest you should know worse than we have heard yet. I had a letter from the Duchess on Tuesday, that raised our hopes. Yesterday brought one from Dr. Jebb to my brother, that dashed them down again. Sir Edward, who is truly very sagacious in physical cases, does not despond; and I, always disposed to expect what I wish, and who do not believe that it is so easy to die as is imagined, do not quite despair-yet that word quite would scarce turn a scale against a feather. I dare not look farther, nor figure the distress of the Duchess, if the dreadful misfortune should happen. Lord Cholmondeley* is gone to Trent, and will be of great use and comfort-but I will hope yet. Do not wonder, nor take it ill, that nobody thought of writing to you: think but of what the distress and confusion must be; and how little they could attend to any thing but writing to England. I, here, only contemplating in

* George-James, fourth Earl of Cholmondeley, great-nephew of Horace Walpole; and upon whose death he succeeded to the ancient Walpole estates at Houghton, &c. In 1782, he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Court of Berlin; and, in 1815, was advanced to the Earldom of Rocksavage and Marquisate of Cholmondeley. He died in April 1827.-ED.

melancholy tranquillity the misfortune hanging over my poor niece, should not write to many but you at such a moment. The Duke's family must be exhausted with fatigue and anxiety, and I fear barely able to go through their duty. You should pity them, not suspect them of neglect.

I can tell you nothing else that you will like much better. The conquest of America is put off to the millennium.* It is hoped, and thence supposed, that General Howe is gone to take some place, or beat some army, that is more practicable than dislodging Washington. Burgoyne has sent over a manifesto, that, if he was to overrun ten provinces, would appear too pompous;† and yet, let him achieve ever so little, it will be sure of not being depreciated; so great is the want of something to keep up the spirits of the people, who stare a little at being bullied on their own coasts, after being told that five thousand men would overrun all America. France sits by and laughs, receives our remonstrances, sends us an embassadress, and winks on Dr. Franklin that it is all the comfort she will give us.-I believe you will not wish me to expatiate on that chapter.

Lady Mary Churchill's eldest daughter is married to Lord Cadogan. She is very pretty, amiable, and eight-and-twenty; he, rich and fifty. It is a great mach for her, and in my opinion preferable to one with most of our youths, who dissipate enormous fortunes in a couple of years. I have not time to say more now, nor any event to tell you.

LETTER CCLXXII.

Strawberry Hill, Sept. 1, 1777. THE Duke is still struggling at Trent. Ten days ago the letters were suddenly and wonderfully mended, and we flattered ourselves the

* Gibbon, at that time in Paris, writing, on the 13th of August, to M. Holroyd, says, "What a wretched piece of work do we seem to be making of it in America! The greatest force which any European power ever ventured to transport into that country, is not strong enough even to attack the enemy; the naval strength of Great Britain is not sufficient to prevent the Americans (they have almost lost the appellation of rebels) from receiving every assistance that they wanted; and, in the mean time, you are obliged to call out the militia to defend your own coasts against their privateers. Upon the whole, I find it much easier to defend the justice than the policy of our measures; but there are certain cases, where whatever is repugnant to sound policy ceases to be just."-Ed.

+ General Burgoyne had, in June, dispersed a manifesto calculated to spread terror among the contumacious, and particularly to revive in their minds every latent impression of fear, derived from knowledge or information of the cruel operations of the Indian savages. The pompous turgidity of style in which it was couched, excited the ridicule of the Americans, and procured for the General the sobriquet of Chrononhotonthologos.-ED.

Mr. Walpole's sister.

Charles Sloane Cadogan, third Lord Cadogan. In 1800, his lordship was advanced to the dignities of Viscount Chelsea and Earl Cadogan. Miss Churchill was his second wife.-ED.