newspaper; and to those intelligencers for the circumstances I refer you and him; as I shall not have time to-day probably to relate them after I have heard them, and must go to Strawberry Hill to-morrow morning to receive company, and this must go away to-morrow night.

This great majority will, I hope, at least check such attempts. Indeed, when two hundred and ninety-three members dare to pronounce so firmly, it is plain that the spirit of Innovation has gained but few counties; five or six at most, supposing Kent and Essex added to the Quintuple Alliance. That very epithet proves that the demand is confined to a small number. The object of altering the Representation I think most dangerous. We know pretty well what good or evil the present state of the House of Commons can do: what an enlargement might achieve, no man can tell. Nay, allowing the present construction to be bad, it is clear that on emergencies it will do right. Were the House of Commons now existing the worst that ever was, still it must be acceptable to our Reformers: for which House of Commons, since the Restoration, ever did more than tear two Prime Ministers from the Crown in one year? In short, the constitution of the House of Commons I see in the same light as I do my own constitution. The gout raises inflammations, weakens, cripples; yet it purges itself, and requires no medicines. To quack it would kill me. Besides, it prevents other illnesses and prolongs life. Could I cure the gout, should not I have a fever, a palsy, or an apoplexy?

There has been but one other debate of note lately; and that was in the other House, when Lord Shelburne opposed the loan, and ex

being speedily raised to the peerage for this mark of devotion; as eventually took place eight months afterwards. Dundas, too, who had a long and a keen political sight, having already determined on attaching his future political fortune to Pitt, probably thought a speculative political tenet to be undeserving of contention. Burke, whose powerful abilities would have been thrown into the opposite scale,— for he was always an enemy to experiments on the representation or on the Constitution,-stood up when Fox concluded, with the intention of replying to the arguments of the Right Honourable Secretary, his friend; but the disinclination evinced to hear him, and the noise made by those members who dreaded the prolixity of his speeches, was so great, as at once to irritate and disgust a man, who, with all splendid talents, never learned or practised the secret of knowing how and when to address the House. With strong marks of indignation in his countenance and gestures, he resumed his seat. With perfect truth did Goldsmith assert of him, when preparing to open his exhaustless stores of knowledge to men fatigued, or averse to receive his information, that

He thought of convincing, when they thought of dining!'

Lord North, who contrived to blend his own defence with the opposition which he made to the motion, moved the order of the day; for which 293 voted, and 149 against it; and thus Mr. Pitt failed by a much greater majority than before; which Dr. Tomline attributes to the increased influence of Lord North, who was now Secretary of State.-ED.

posed himself egregiously. He moved, that all loans should be ap plied to the national debt, which was an Iricism in terms; that is, to lessen a debt by borrowing more. Yet his rhodomontade on himself was still more extravagant. He vaunted his popularity, and said he was adored; yet it is neither more nor less than true, that he was hooted out of the Administration by all mankind. His falsehoods, flatteries, duplicity, insincerity, arrogance, contradictions, neglect of his friends, with all the kindred of all those faults, were the daily topics of contempt and ridicule; and his folly shut his eyes, nor did he peceive-surely, does not yet perceive-that so very rapid a fall must have been owing to his own incapacity.

The King has lost another child, Prince Octavius; a lovely boy, they say, of whom both their Majesties were dotingly fond. When Prince Alfred died, the King said, "I am very sorry for Alfred; but, had it been Octavius, I should have died too."t

We have another Prince arrived, the Duc de Chartres, of whom I' need say nothing: you have seen him, I believe. Nor have I time now for more; only to trouble you with a commission, if you can execute it. I saw the other day a book much to my taste, and which I never saw before. It is called Fatti, or Fasti, Farnesiani, I am not sure which.§ It is a thin and not large folio, and contains

* On the 5th of May, upon the third reading of the bill for raising a loan by way of annuities and by a lottery, Lord Shelburne, after condemning in the strong. est manner the terms on which it had been concluded, moved two resolutions, which he wished the House to adopt as principles for the conduct of every future loan. The resolutions were: 1. "That it is the opinion of the House, that all future loans should be conducted in the manner which may best conduce to the reduction of the national debt ;" and 2. "That it is the opinion of the House, that whenever it shall be thought expedient, in negotiating a public loan, to deal with individuals, and not on the foot of an open subscription, the whole sum to be raised shall be borrowed of, or rather taken from, such individuals, without reserve of any part for the future disposal of any Minister." The first resolution was objected to as unnecessary, and as obscure, if not absurd, in the mode of expression; the second was opposed as designed to cast a reflection on the negotiators of the present loan. Both were rejected without a division.-ED.

+ Prince Octavius, the King's eighth son, was born on the 20th of February 1779, and died at Kew Palace on the 3d of May 1783. In reference to the death of this Prince, Hannah More says, in a letter to her sister, "The King and Queen have suffered infinitely from the loss of the sweet little Prince, who was the darling of their hearts. I was charmed with an expression of the King's: Many people," said he, would regret they ever had so sweet a child, since they were forced to part with him that is not my case; I am thankful to God for having graciously allowed me to enjoy such a creature for four years.' Yet his sorrow was excessive." Life, vol. i. p. 282.-ED.

6

The Duc de Chartres' visit to this country, in May 1783, is thus noticed by Hannah More:-"As I do not go to Ranelagh, nor the play, nor the opera, nor sup at Charles Fox's, nor play at Brookes's, nor bet at Newmarket, I have not seen that worthy branch of the House of Bourbon. I never heard of such a low, vulgar, vicious fellow. His character is-Poltron sur mer, Escroc sur terre, et vaut-rien partout."-ED.

It is called "Fatti Farnese," and contains prints from the paintings by the two brothers, Taddeo and Frederico Zucchero, in the Palace of Capralola. Taddeo, the elder, born in 1529, excelled in elegance of design. Frederico, born in 1543,

the history of the House of Farnese in prints; taken I believe, from one of their villas. There is the marriage of Horatio Farnese and the daughter of Henry the Second of France. In short, it is full of portraits and ceremonies of that time, and I should be most glad to have one, if you can procure it; though, as it came out so long ago, it may be scarce, even at Parma or Rome. If it is not-if it is common-I should wish for two copies; yet do not attempt two, if not quite easily attained. Adieu! I have not a moment more-but I believe there is nothing more worthy telling you.

LETTER CCCCII.

Berkeley Square, May 29, 1783.

I AM glad to have nothing to tell you worth telling. We have subsided suddenly into a comfortable calm. Not only war has disappeared, but also the jostling of ministries, the hostilities of factions, the turbulence of county associations, and the mutinous spirit of disbanded regiments. The signal repulse given to the proposed Reformation of Parliament seems to have dashed all that rashness of innovation. The ousted Ministers do not attempt a division in either House of Parliament. In the Lords, where most vigour was expected, Lord Shelburne and the late Chancellor made so ridiculous a figure, that even they themselves appear ashamed. Mr. William Pitt, though little supported, indulges himself in shining; and does shine marvellously. His language is thought equal to his father's; his reasoning much superior; and no wonder, if at all good! He is less deficient, even when speaking on affairs of money; and in his last speech had more fire than usual. Is not all this wonderful at twenty-three! Is not it wonderful, when he can shine, though within the orbit of Mr. Fox, and opposed to him.

This is all that is memorable, but a new suicide. A Mr. Powell, a tool of Lord Holland, and left by him in the Pay-office, was dismissed last year for a deficiency in his accounts of 70,000l. It is not yet known whence this happened; nor do I know, however ill the appearance, that he was guilty of dishonesty. Still, he had sworn to a false account, and was to be prosecuted for perjury. Mr. Burke, on succeeding Colonel Barré in the Pay-office, restored this man and another disgraced at the same time,-as Burke says, from commiseration of their distracted shame. Great censure was passed on that restoration. Mr. Burke vehemently defended himself in the House,

studied under him. A quarrel with some of the distinguished persons about the Papal court lost him the patronage of Gregory XIII., and made it advisable for him to quit Rome. He retired first to France, and afterwards removed to England, where he grew into considerable repute, and painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth. His friends at length succeeded in restoring him to favour at Rome.

and was supported; but the men were given up in two days; and in two days more Powell cut his throat.*

This happened as if to convince the newly-arrived French, that selfmurder is a weekly event in this country. We have not only the Duc de Chartres, but three ladies of the Court, the Ducs de Coigny, Fitz-James, and Polignac, husband of the Queen's Favourite, and various others, and more coming. These wise men from the East, like those of ancient time, are led by a star to a stable; their great object was Newmarket: at least, the Royal Duke's horses and dogs are so much his taste, that he has a brace of them engraved on his buttons, in the most indecent attitudes; and, at the first dinner made for him, pointed out the particular representations to Lady As our newspapers take as great liberties as any Prince of the Blood, they have made due mention of such vulgar indelicacy; and, as it gave great offence, his Serene Highness has not exhibited his stud and kennel any more.

The papers say that the Imperial Freebooters, male and female, have remitted their invasion of Turkey, on having all their demands complied with; but, as they covet all, I should not think pusillanimity would abate appetites. Are vultures tamed by one belly-full?

Our lawyers flatter me, that one more session will complete the discussion of Cavalier Mozzi's affair. Without Mr. Duane I do not know what we should have done. He is patient, cool, attentive, and

* Two individuals, Powell and Bambridge, the one cashier, the other accountant of the Military Pay-Office, having been accused of malversation in the discharge of their functions, had been dismissed by Colonel Barré from their situations, while he was Paymaster of the Forces, under Lord Shelburne's Administration. One of the first acts of Mr. Burke, on coming again into that office, was to reinstate, without previously consulting Mr. Fox, both these individuals. On Mr. Martin having said, in the House of Commons, that he looked upon their restoration as a gross and daring insult to the public, Mr. Burke rose in great heat, and exclaimed, “It is a gross and daring"-but, before he proceeded further, Mr. Sheridan pulled him down on his seat. This took place on the 2nd of May. On the 19th, Sir Cecil Wray having expressed his astonishment that the new Paymaster should have reinstated two persons suspected of so great a crime as the embezzlement of public money, Mr. Burke apologized for the violence he had displayed on the former evening; but said, that "nothing was farther from his intention than to offer an excuse for what he had done relating to the two unfortunate gentlemen; he felt such a sunshine of contempt within, that, if the act was undone, he was convinced he should do it again. He called Messrs. Powell and Bambridge two unfortunate men, and said they had been committed to his protection by Providence; one of them had been with him, and appeared almost distracted; he was absolutely afraid the poor man would lose his senses; this much he was sure of, that the sight of his gray hairs, and the condition in which he had seen him, had so affected and overcome him, that he was scarcely able to come down to the House." Several members expressed their strong disapprobation of Mr. Burke's conduct, and the business would have been agitated anew, had not Powell a few days after put an end to his existence with a razor, and Mr. Rigby announced that Bambridge was removed from his situ. ation. In July, Bambridge was tried on an information filed against him in the Court of King's Bench, for conniving at the concealment of forty-eight thousand pounds, and found guilty; and, in November, he was sentenced to pay a fine of two thousand pounds, and be confined in the King's Bench prison for six months.-ED.

very intelligent. I must do justice to Mr. Sharpe, who really is very active and zealous for the Cavalier.

Mr. Robert Walpole, your diplomatic brother at Lisbon, is come over for a few months; and has brought a young wife, the daughter of a Scottish merchant settled there, who is the phenomenon of the day. She is a regular beauty, but in my eyes less pleasing than my nieces, the Waldegraves and Miss Keppel. The last, with a little too much plumpness, has a most divine face, with exact features, beautiful skin, and sweet countenance. Lady Horatia is extremely pretty, and like the Duchess; but not of that great style and commanding glory. Lady Maria, the handsomest of the three sisters, has a spirit and sensible vivacity, with a perfect person and lovely hands and arms, that make her more charming than an irreproachable beauty, as Mrs. Robert Walpole is. The Duchess of Devonshire,‡ the empress of fashion, is no beauty at all. She was a very fine woman, with all the freshness of youth and health, but verges fast to a coarseness. A more perfect model than any of them, but in minature, Lady Jersy,§ is going to Paris, and will be very angry if they do not admire her as much as she intends they should. Good night! You perceive by my babble that I have nothing to say, and fill my paper with any trifle.

LETTER CCCCIII.

Strawberry Hill, June 11, 1783.

You never gave me a commission before, my dear sir, that I was unwilling even to try to execute; but you will see in a moment that I am the most improper person in the world to attempt what is required. I say nothing of my gratitude to you for all the trouble you have taken for me on a thousand occasions, which ought to make me decline no task to oblige you. In the present case, I should have a stronger incitement-zeal for the cause of inoculation, which I hope will not suffer by the absurdity of a Leyden Gazette, though falling in with the prejudices of Italy and Germany. Absurdity catches

*The Hon. Robert Walpole, fourth and youngest son of Horatio first Lord Walpole, and Envoy at Lisbon, married, in 1780, Diana, daughter of Walter Grosett, Esq., a merchant of that city.

Anna Maria, eldest daughter of Frederick Keppel, Bishop of Exeter.

Lady Georgiana, eldest daughter of John, first Earl Spencer, born in 1757, and married in 1774 to William, fourth Duke of Devonshire.

Frances, sole daughter and heir of Dr. Philip Twysden, Bishop of Raphoe, younger son of Sir William Twysden, of Royden Hall in Kent, Baronet; and wife of George Bussy, fourth Earl of Jersey.

|| The Great-Duke of Tuscany was going to inoculate his children, when he saw in a Leyden Gazette, that Prince Octavius had been killed by inoculation, and immediately desired Sir Horace Mann to inquire of Mr. Walpole (with whom he knew Sir Horace corresponded) whether it was true. Mr. Walpole knew, on his

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