all, I assure you, in the Temple of Concord. Unless Croesus besieged the senate with an army of ingots, I do not believe there would be a deserter from the cause of Sacra Fames. There have been indeed warm skirmishes in both the Temples of Honour and Virtue,* Lord Chatham himself heading the troops of the Opposition, but without making any impression. Lord George Germain has received several wounds from George Fox; and Burke and Wedderburn were on the point of a closer engagement; but it was made up.t The Parliament is to be adjourned to-morrow till after the holidays.

What will be next, I, the most unwise of men, do not guess. Some a little wiser, think the wisest could not tell what should be. The Opposition, who, decried as they have been, have at least not been. contradicted in their prophecies by events, think that, as Canada is left defenceless, and New York is not over-crowded with defenders, the whole force of New England, which is entire, as Burgoyne experienced, may march to Quebec, or join Washington and besiege Clinton with as numerous an army as they choose to have. In that case, Sir William Howe must abandon Philadelphia, and march to the succour of New York.

You may be sure the uninformed expect that, as America is so nearly lost, the army will be recalled. You may guess, too, that I, who do not doat on France nor desire a war at home, should not be sorry we had a little more defence; but who will ask my advice, or take it? We are, in fact, very near the end of the American war, but I doubt we are at the beginning of our troubles. Disgrace is the present chapter, and sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. If disappointment opens our eyes, it has, like a true friend, given us bitter but wholesome counsel. If obstinacy is mistaken for firmness, it will obtain at last, as it generally does, its genuine appellation.

I am sorry you are losing your nephew and Lady Lucy, and more sorry that you continue troubled with lameness. Though I am a little

nearly ten thousand men laid down their arms, and surrendered prisoners of war, on condition of being sent to England, and of never serving against America. They had fought bravely, and were three days without eating. Burgoyne is said to have received three wounds. General Frazer, with two thousand men, killed. A general cry for peace."-ED.

*Motions for an inquiry into the state of the nation had been moved in both Houses, by the Duke of Richmond and Mr. Fox; and the Earl of Chatham had also moved an Address to the King, for copies of General Burgoyne's instructions.-ED.

No account of these "skirmishes" has been preserved in the Parliamentary History. The following is from a letter written by Lord March to George Selwyn: "Bunbury has made an opposition speach in his usual manner, full of damned bad metaphors and similes, that do not apply. Addressing himself to Wedderburn, he said, that though a squalling starling, he thought he had a right to reply to the learned canary-bird. In another part, that though a poor apothecary and quack in politics, he might, perhaps, prescribe a remedy with success, when the regular physician had failed; that he should recommend anodyne plasters rather than corrosive blisters. Burke said, that his honourable friend had spoken like an independent country gentleman, and a very accomplished orator." Selwyn Correspondence, vol. iii., p. 254.-ED.

younger, you must trust my greater experience. The gout will bear no contradiction. You must submit to what it gives, and what it leaves. I do not walk a mile in a twelve-month, and suffer if I stand a quarter of an hour; but what then? There are chairs for us old folks, and in this age easy ones everywhere. Within these two months, sleep, which has been my constant support and food, has begun to grow coy. Can I wonder? At first I had a mind to find a cause; but I recollected that twenty years ago I should have said to myself, if a person of sixty complained, "The poor soul does not consider it is three-score!" We must part with all at once, or see it slip away by degrees. We cannot even choose which; nor should know how to decide, if we might. I endeavour to take patiently every thing as it comes. You have a better temper, and can do so more easily. The vision has been pleasant enough upon the whole to both of us. Thank God, it has been no worse! Let us, while we last, hope it will not be if we combat age, by pretending to believe that its consequences are accidents that may be removed, we only deceive and torment ourselves, but find no remedy. Adieu!

LETTER CCLXXVII.

Arlington Street, Jan. 4, 1778.

THE period of a month is elapsed; and therefore, not to break through an ancient custom which I am not young enough to be excused violating, (though legislators often dispense themselves from observing their own laws,) I begin a letter to you, not at all foreseeing with what it is to be filled. The distance of place, and the extreme taciturnity of the Howes, must have taught you a little not to expect events from America every day. Even Burgoyne has left himself nothing to say-till he arrives. We have lived a fortnight on the capture of Mud Island, though it is far from clear that it is yet taken. If, on the contrary, New York should be retaken by the provincials-but stay, I do not know they intend it,-it has a most slender garrison, so has Quebec; but Washington may think it a shorter way of terminating the war by overwhelming the army under Howe -if he can. In truth, I am no judge of what is most for their interest -but the Congress seem to know.

You must not suppose, though I make such short work of it, that it is the language here to sit down and give America for lost. The Ministers had, indeed, very nearly said so, and Lord North was to bring terms for peace after the holidays; mais nous avons changé

*

* On the 10th of December, Lord Beauchamp having moved an adjournment "to the 20th of January," Mr. Burke moved to substitute the words "this day se'nnight." This was opposed by Lord North; who observed, that he hoped the campaign had produced events which would enable us to propose and enforce terms of conciliation with the Colonies. The Opposition, on the other hand, ridiculed the

tout cela, and nothing is talked of but raising regiments and sending another army-I don't know whither, because, supposing a new army can be raised, which is a postulatum, it will be a little necessary to know whether we have New York, or Philadelphia, or Quebec; and though, probably, one or two of them-but I really do not know what I say, nor have I found any body on whose sleeve I pin my faith in these affairs. We have had assertion, and prophecy, and confidence, and all have been brought to shame, and none of them are ashamed; and so I refer you to the Chapter of Accidents.

The Parliament, when it shall meet, is to go into a great inquiry, which, I conclude, will end in nothing at all, or, rather, not end. The talk of the day is, that France has signed a treaty with the provin cials, and the Stocks look pale upon it; but all these rumours only fill up the chinks of time, and will be forgotten when great events happen. By great events I mean foreign war and domestic calamity. We are on the high road to both. The present moment is only like the half-hour at the theatre before the play begins; the galleries are riotous, pelt the candle-snuffers, or bawl for the overture; when the curtain is drawn up, nobody thinks but of the tragedy.

We have had a great misfortune in our family; the Bishop of Exeter* is dead, who married my brother's eldest daughter. She is left with four children and a very small provision indeed; but Sir Edward has acted nobly, and gives up to her an estate at Windsor of eight hundred a-year, and a house in town, and keeps her a coach. He has, indeed, been a most bountiful father always, and has not made his children wait for his death.

Jan. 7th.

I have received yours of the 10th of last month. You will have learnt before now that the total defeat of Washington was converted into a total defeat of Burgoyne, and it is very much the opinion of the City that the American war will soon be turned into a French one; but I doubt France will stay till we have not a regiment left in the island, which you know would save a great deal of blood.

Don't trouble your head any longer about Lady Lucy's having a son; they are the happiest who have no children.

We are not content with having lost America; we shall not have an army to defend England. Why does not Mrs. Anne Pitt return? She would find most people as mad as herself.

idea of the present Ministers becoming negotiators for peace and conciliation, as the greatest of all possible absurdities.-ED.

* Dr. Frederick Keppel, fourth son of William-Anne, second Earl of Albemarle; in 1754 appointed Canon of Windsor, and in 1762 promoted to the Bishoprick of Exeter. He married, in September 1758, Laura, the eldest of the three daughters of Sir Edward Walpole.-ED.

LETTER CCLXXVIII.

Feb. 6, 1778.

It is odd, that in the heat of a Parliamentary campaign, enlivened by a civil war, I should have nothing particular to tell you. The troops of the latter are gone into winter quarters. The others are in the field, and skirmish every day. If any of the generals are wounded, they do not own it. Some of the forces of the larger army have deserted to the enemy; and on Monday the numbers of the Opposition mounted to a hundred and sixty odd.* On the other hand, it is commonly believed, that the old general of the minority, Lord Chatham, is to command the King's forces. It is certain that there is a great coolness between him and General Rockinghamt, but I think that disagreement so much more beneficial to the Court; and I see so little advantage to be acquired by gaining an old commander without soldiers, so fractious, so unsettled, and so impracticable, that I shall wonder much if he is invited to take the lead. It might add to the present distractions, and could cure none.

As my opinions do not always agree with the majority any where, it is not mine that we are on the brink of a French war. It is needless to repeat my reasons; I have told you them before.

The Duke of Gloucester has again been out of order; but not nearly

* On Monday, the 2nd of February, Mr. Fox moved, in the Committee on the State of the Nation, "That no more of the Old corps be sent out of the nation." No reply was made to his speech, and the question was negatived by 259 against 165. The motion excited much interest out of doors. At an early hour a vast multitude assembled in the lobby and environs of the House: but, not being able to gain admission by entreaty or interest, they forced their way into the gallery, in spite of the door-keepers. The House, considering the intrusion a high breach of privilege, directly ordered strangers to withdraw. A partial clearance of the gal lery, however, only took place: the gentlemen withdrew, but the ladies, through courtesy, were suffered to remain. Upon which Governor Johnstone observed, that if the motion for clearing the House was a supposed propriety to keep the state of the nation concealed, it was necessary that all strangers should withdraw. "This," says Mr. Hatsell, " produced a violent ferment for a long time, the ladies showing great reluctance to comply with the orders of the House; so that, by their perseverance, business was interrupted for nearly two hours: but, at length, they too were compelled to submit."-ED.

The coolness between these distinguished statesmen, here referred to by Walpole, certainly existed. In the very last letter ever addressed by Lord Chatham to the Marquis of Rockingham, he had urged the necessity of making a firm stand for the sovereignty of England over America: to which letter the Marquis gave this reply "What your lordship considers as a fundamental point, is one which I can by no means think a sine qua non, in a treaty to restore peace and friendship between Great Britain and America. My line in politics has ever been, not to hold out flattering expectations to the people, when I was not able to see the probability of their being accomplished. I conceive that America will never again assent to this country's having actual power within that continent. I cannot, therefore, so far betray my trust to the public as to act as if that was practicable, which I thought otherwise."-ED.

so ill, I think, as some thought, or as I have seen him. He still coughs a good deal. His constitution is always alarming, and one must not trust too much to the wonderful recoveries he has had; yet perhaps frequent advertisements are not contrary, lest his youth and courage should make him presume too much.

These paragraphs are the quintessence of my letter, and it ought to end here, were it a decent quantity: yet why should one write more than one has to say? A letter tells you I am not negligent, though perhaps I grow lazy. I never was good at detailing. The event of things is all I mind; which I own does not help conversation. I leave you ignorant of nothing decisive. The present inquiries in Parliament into the conduct of the war I look on as a tale of a tub. The Ministers give themselves up to be teazed, more to amuse their antagonists than inform them; and the latter are pleased with making speeches. But can all this make peace, or carry on the war? Neither but the inability of making either will produce other-guess events, and they will be serious.

These are my politics, which I adopt from no side, and preach to nobody. They are of not much use even to myself; for I am not of an age to trouble myself about what is to happen. When one talks of the times, one must think something; and, isolé as I am, it is more natural to look at the affairs of nations than at the feathers and fashions of the young, though perhaps as grave a subject. I would neither be boyish nor morose. Age, without any study on my part, has given me great indifference, and yet has been so good as to leave me spirits enough to be tranquil and to amuse myself. It is enough, not to wish to live or die.

LETTER CCLXXIX.

Arlington Street, Feb. 18, 1778. I Do not know how to word the following letter; how to gain credit with you! How shall I intimate to you, that you must lower your topsails, waive your imperial dignity, and strike to the colours of the thirteen United Provinces of America? Do not tremble, and imagine that Washington has defeated General Howe, and driven him out of Philadelphia; or that Gates has taken another army; or that Portsmouth is invested by an American fleet. No: no military new event has occasioned this revolution. The sacrifice has been made on the altar of Peace. Stop again: peace is not made, it is only implored, and, I fear, only on this side of the Atlantic. In short, yesterday, February 17th, a most memorable era, Lord North opened his Conciliatory Plan,-no partial, no collusive one. In as few

*"A dull, melancholy silence," says the Annual Register, "for some time succeeded to Lord North's speech. It had been heard with profound attention, but