Adieu! my dearest child. How happy shall I be when I know you are in peace. Yours, ever. TO SIR HORACE MANN. Somerset House, (for I write to you wherever I HAVE got no letter from you yet, the post should have brought it yesterday. The Gazette says, that the cardinal' has declared that they will suffer no expedition against Tuscany. I wish he had told me so if they preserve this guarantee, personally, I can forgive their breaking the rest. But I long for your letter; every letter now from each of us is material. You will be almost as impatient to hear of the parliament, as I of Florence. The lords on Friday went upon the King's speech; Lord Chesterfield made a very fine speech against the address, all levelled at the House of Hanover. Lord Cholmley, they say, answered him well. Lord Halifax spoke very ill, and was answered by little Lord Raymond, who always will answer him. Your friend Lord Sandwich affronted his grace of Graftone extremely, who was ill, and sat out of his place, by calling him to order; it was indecent in such a boy to a man of his age and rank: the blood of Fitzroy will not easily pardon it. The court had a majority of fortyone, with some converts. On Tuesday we had the Speech; there were great differences among the party; the Jacobites, with Shippen and Lord Noel Somersets at their head, were for a division, Pultney and the Patriots * Cardinal Fleury, first minister of France. bGeorge Montague Dunk, second Earl of Halifax, of the last creation. Under the reign of George III., he became secretary of state, and was so unfortunate in that capacity as to be the opponent of Wilkes, on the subject of General Warrants, by which he is now principally remembered.-D. Robert, second Lord Raymond, only son of the chief justice of that name and title.-D. d John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich, passed through a long life of office, and left behind him an indifferent character, both in public and private life. He was, however, a man of some ability.-D. Charles Fitzroy, second Duke of Grafton, and grandson of Charles II., was a person of considerable weight and influence at the court of George II., where he long held the post of chamberlain of the household. "Honest Will Shippen," as he was called, or "Downright Shippen," as Pope terms him, was a zealous Jacobite member of parliament, possessed of considerable talents, and a vehement opposer of Sir Robert Walpole's government. He, however, did justice to that able minister, for he was accustomed to say, "Robin and I are honest men; but as for those fellows in long perriwigs" (meaning the Tories of the day,) "they only want to get into office themselves." He was the author of a satirical poem, entitled, "Faction Displayed," which possesses considerable merit.-D. [Shippen was born in 1672, and died in 1743. Sir Robert Walpole repeatedly declared, that he would not say who was corrupted, but he would say who was not corruptible-that man was Shippen. His speeches generally contained some pointed period, which he uttered with great animation. He usually spoke in a low tone of voice, with too great rapidity, and held his glove before his mouth.] Lord Charles Noel Somerset, second son of Henry, second Duke of Beaufort. He against one; the ill success in the House of Lords had frightened them: we had no division, but a very warm battle between Sir. R. and Pultney. The latter made a fine speech, very personal, on the state of affairs. Sir R. with as much health, as much spirits, as much force and command as ever, answered him for an hour; said, "He had long been taxed with all our misfortunes; but did he raise the war in Germany? or advise the war with Spain? did he kill the late Emperor or King of Prussia? did he counsel this King? or was he first minister to the King of Poland ? did he kindle the war betwixt Muscovy and Sweden?" For our troubles at home, he said, "all the grievances of this nation were owing to the Patriots." They laughed much at this; but does he want proofs of it? He said, "They talked much of an equilibrium in this parliament, and of what they designed against him; if it was so, the sooner he knew it the better; and therefore if any man would move for a day to examine the state of the nation, he would second it." Mr. Pultney did move for it; Sir R. did second it, and it is fixed for the twenty-first of January. Sir R. repeated some words of Lord Chesterfield's in the House of Lords, that this was a time for truth, for plain truth, for English truth, and hinted at the reception his lordship had met in France. After these speeches of such consequence, and from such men, Mr. Lyttelton got up to justify, or rather to flatter Lord Chesterfield, though every body then had forgot that he had been mentioned. Danvers, who is a rough, rude beast, but now and then mouths out some humour, said, "that Mr. P. and Sir R. were like two old bawds, debauching young members." succeeded to the family honours in 1746, when his elder brother, Henry, the third duke, died without children.-D. [After the death of Sir William Wyndham, which happened in 1740, Lord Noel Somerset was considered as the rising head of the Tory interest. "He was," says Tindal, “ a man of sense, spirit, and activity, unblameable in his morals, but questionable in his political capacity." He died in 1756.] 2 Mr. Pulteney declared against dividing; observing, with a witticism, that “dividing was not the way to multiply." b In speaking of the balance of power, Mr. Pulteney had said, "He did not know how it was abroad, not being in secrets, but congratulated the House, that he had not, for these many years, known it so near an equilibrium as it now was there."-E. Lord Chesterfield had been sent by the party, in the preceding September, to France, to request the Duke of Ormond (at Avignon,) to obtain the Pretender's order to the Jacobites, to vote against Sir R. W. upon any question whatever; many of them having either voted for him, or retired, on the famous motion the last year for removing him from the King's councils. [Lord Chesterfield's biographer, Dr. Maty states, that the object of his lordship's visit to France was the restoration of his health, which required the assistance of a warmer climate. The reception he met with during his short stay at Paris, is thus noticed in a letter from Mr. Pitt, of the 10th of September :-"I hope you liked the court of France as well as it liked you. The uncommon distinctions I hear the Cardinal (Fleury) showed you, are the best proof that, old as he is, his judgment is as good as ever. As this great minister has taken so much of his idea of the men in power here, from the person of a great negotiator who has left the stage, (Lord Waldegrave,) I am very glad he has had an opportunity, once before he dies, of forming an idea of those out of power from my Lord Chesterfield." See Chatham Correspondence, vol. i. p. 3.] George Lyttelton, afterwards created Lord Lyttelton.-D. Joseph Danvers, Esq. of Swithland, in the county of Leicester, at this time member for Totness. In 1746 he was created a baronet. He married Frances, the daughter of Thomas Babington, Esq. of Rothley Temple, Leicestershire.-E. That day was a day of triumph, but yesterday (Wednesday) the streamers of victory did not fly so gallantly. It was the day of receiving petitions; Mr. Pultney presented an immense piece of parchment, which he said he could but just lift; it was the Westminster petition, and is to be heard next Tuesday, when we shall all have our brains knocked out by the mob; so if you don't hear from me next post, you will conclude my head was a little out of order. After this we went upon a cornish petition, presented by Sir William Yonge,* which drew on a debate and a division, when lo! we were but 222 to 215-how do you like a majority of seven? The Opposition triumphs highly, and with reason; one or two such victories, as Pyrrhus, the member for Macedon, said, will be the ruin of us. I look upon it now, that the question is, Downing Street or the Tower; will you come and see a body, if one should happen to lodge at the latter? There are a thousand pretty things to amuse you; the lions, the armoury, the crown, and the axe that beheaded Anna Bullen. I design to make interest for the room where the two princes were smothered; in long winter evenings, when one wants company, (for I don't suppose that many people will frequent me then,) one may sit and scribble verses against Crouch-back'd Richard, and dirges on the sweet babes. If I die there, and have my body thrown into a wood, I am too old to be buried by robin redbreasts, am not I? Bootle, the prince's chancellor, made a most long and stupid speech; afterwards, Sir R. called to him, "Brother Bootle, take care you don't get my old name." "What's that?" "Blunderer." You can't conceive how I was pleased with the vast and deserved applause that Mr. Chute's brother, the lawyer, got: I never heard a clearer or a finer speech. When I went home, "Dear Sir," said I The Right Hon. Sir William Yonge, Bart., secretary at war, to which office he had succeeded in May, 1735. Walpole, who tells us (Memoires, i. p. 20,) that "he was vain, extravagant, and trifling; simple out of the House, and too ready at assertions in it," adds, "that his vivacity and parts, whatever the cause was, made him shine, and he was always content with the lustre that accompanied fame, without thinking of what was reflected from rewarded fame-a convenient ambition to ministers, who had few such disinterested combatants. Sir Robert Walpole always said of him that nothing but Yonge's character could keep down his parts, and nothing but his parts support his character.'" That these parts were very great is shown by the fact, that Sir Robert Walpole often, when he did not care to enter early into the debate himself, gave Yonge his notes, as the latter came late into the House, from which he could speak admirably and fluently, though he had missed the preceding discussion. Sir William, who had a proneness to poetry, wrote the epilogue to Johnson's tragedy of "Irene." "When I published the plan for my Dictionary," says the Doctor, “Lord Chesterfield told me that the word great should be pronounced so as to rhyme to state; and Sir William Yonge sent me word, that it should be pronounced so as to rhyme to seat, and that none but an Irishman would pronounce it grait. Now, here were two men of the highest rank, the one the best speaker in the House of Lords, the other the best speaker in the House of Commons, differing entirely." See Boswell's Johnson, vol. iii. p. 191. b Sir Thomas Bootle, chancellor to the Prince of Wales; a dull, heavy man, and who is, therefore, ironically called, by Sir C. H. Williams, "Bright Bootle."-D. Francis Chute, an eminent lawyer, second brother of Anthony Chute, of the Vine, in Hampshire, had, in concert with Luke Robinson, another lawyer, disputed Mr. Pultney's borough of Heydon with him at the general election, and been returned; but on a petition, and the removal of Sir R. W. they were voted out of their seats, and Mr. Chute died soon after.-E. to Sir R. "I hope Mr. Chute will carry his election for Heydon; he would be a great loss to you." He replied, "We will not lose him." I, who meddle with nothing, especially elections, and go to no committees, interest myself extremely for Mr. Chute. Old Marlborough" is dying-but who can tell! last year she had lain a great while ill, without speaking; her physicians said, "She must be blistered, or she will die." She called out, "I won't be blistered, and I won't die." If she takes the same resolution now, I don't believe she will.b Adieu! my dear child: I have but room to say, Yours, ever. TO SIR HORACE MANN. Wednesday night, eleven o'clock, Dec. 16, 1741. Nous voilà de la Minorité! entens-tu çela! hé! My dear child, since you will have these ugly words explained, they just mean that we are metamorphosed into the minority. This was the night of choosing a chairman of the committee of elections. Gyles Earle (as in the two last parliaments) was named by the Court; Dr. Lee,a a civilian, by the Opposition, a man of a fair character. Earle was formerly a dependent on the Duke of Argyle, is of remarkable covetousness and wit, which he has dealt out largely against the Scotch and the Patriots. It was a day of much expectation, and both sides had raked together all probabilities: I except near twenty who are in town, but stay to vote on a second question, when the majority may b Nor did she. Her grace survived the date of this letter nearly three years. She died on the 18th of October 1744, being then eighty-four years of age.-E. Giles Earle, Esq. one of the lords of the treasury, and who had been chairman of the committees of the House of Commons from 1727 to the date of this letter. He had been successively groom of the bedchamber to the Prince of Wales in 1718, clerk comptroller of the king's household in 1720, commissioner of the Irish revenue in 1728, and a lord of the treasury in 1738. Mr. Earle was a man of broad coarse wit, and a lively image of his style and sentiments has been preserved by Sir C. H. Williams, in his "Dialogue between Giles Earle and Bubb Dodington."-E. a George Lee, brother to the lord chief justice; he was appointed one of the lords of the admiralty on the following change, which post he resigned on the disgrace of his patron, Lord Granville. He was afterwards designed by the Prince of Wales for his first minister, and, immediately on the prince's death, was appointed treasurer to the princess dowager, and soon after made dean of the arches, a knight, and privy counsellor. He died in 1758. In a letter to Dodington, written from Spa, on the 8th of September, Lord Chesterfield says:-"I am for acting at the very beginning of the session. The court generally proposes some servile and shameless tool of theirs to be chairman of the committee of privileges. Why should not we, therefore, pick up some Whig of a fuir character, and with personal connexions, to set up in opposition? I think we should be pretty strong upon this point.”—E. John, the great Duke of Argyle and Greenwich.-D. be decided to either party. Have you not read of such in story? Men, who would not care to find themselves on the weaker side, contrary to their intent. In short, the determined sick were dragged out of their beds: zeal came in a great coat. There were two vast dinners at two taverns, for either party; at six we met in the House. Sir William Yonge, seconded by my uncle Horace, moved for Mr. Earle: Sir Paul Methuen and Sir Watkyn Williams Wynne proposed Dr. Lee-and carried him, by a majority of four: 242 against 238-the greatest number, I believe, that ever lost a question. You have no idea of their huzza! unless you can conceive how people must triumph after defeats of twenty years together. We had one vote shut out, by coming a moment too late; one that quitted us, for having been ill used by the Duke of Newcastle but yesterday-for which, in all probability, he will use him well to-morrow-I mean, for quitting us. Sir Thomas Lowther, Lord Hartington's uncle, was fetched down by him and voted against us. Young Ross, son to a commissioner of the customs, and saved from the dishonour of not liking to go to the West Indies when it was his turn, by Sir R.'s giving him a lieutenancy, voted against us; and Tom Hervey," who is always with us, but is quite mad; and being asked why he left us, replied," Jesus knows my thoughts; one day I blaspheme, and pray the next." So, you see what accidents were against us, or we had carried our point. They cry, Sir R. miscalculated: how should he calculate, when there are men like Ross, and fifty others he could name! It was not very pleasant to be stared in the face to see how one bore it-you can guess at my bearing it, who interest myself so little about any thing. I have had a taste of what I am to meet from all sorts of people. The moment we had lost the question, I went from the heat of the house into the Speaker's chamber, and there were some fifteen others of us—an under door-keeper thought a question was new put, when it was not, and, without giving us notice, clapped the door to. I asked him how he dared lock us out without calling us; he replied Horace Walpole, younger brother of Sir Robert, created, in his old age, Lord Walpole of Wolterton. He was commonly called "Old Horace," to distinguish him from his nephew, the writer of these letters.-D. The son of John Methuen, Esq. the diplomatist, and author of the celebrated Methuen treaty with Portugal. Sir Paul was a knight of the Bath, and died in 1757.-D. c Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart. the third baronet of the family, was long one of the leaders of the Jacobite party in the House of Commons.-D. d Sir Thomas Lowther, Bart. of Holker, in Lancashire. He had married Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, daughter of the second Duke of Devonshire.-D. e Afterwards the fourth Duke of Devonshire. f Charles Ross, killed in Flanders, at the battle of Fontenoy, 1745. Thomas Hervey, second son of John, first Earl of Bristol, and Surveyor of the royal gardens. He was at this time writing his famous letter to Sir Thomas Hanmer. [With whose wife he had eloped. In the letter alluded to, he expresses his conviction that his conduct was natural and delicate, and that, finally, in heaven, Lady Hanmer, in the distribution of wives, would be considered to be his. Dr. Johnson (to whom he had left a legacy of fifty pounds, but afterwards gave it him in his life-time) characterises him as very vicious." "Alas!" observes Mr. Croker, "it is but too probable that he was disordered in mind, and that what was called vice was, in truth, disease, and required a madhouse rather than a prison." He died in 1775. See Boswell's Johnson, vol. iii. p. 18, ed. 1835.] 46 |