The Speaker was here t’other day, and told me of the intimacy between his son and you and the militia.  He says the lawyers are examining whether Lord George can be tried or not.  I am sorry Lord Stormont is marriediski;(1072) he will pass his life under the north pole, and whip over to Scotland by way of Greenland without coming to London.

I dined t’other day at Sion with the Holdernesses; Lady Mary Coke was there, and in this great dearth of candidates she permits Haslang to die for her.  They were talking in the bow-window, when a sudden alarm being given that dinner was on the table, he expressed great joy and appetite.  You can’t imagine how she was offended.  Adieu!

(1071) Now first printed.

(1072) Lord Stormont had recently married Henrietta Frederica, daughter of count Bunau, of Saxony.-E.

514 Letter 337 To Sir Horace Mann.  Arlington Street, Oct. 16, 1759.

I love to prepare your countenance for every event that may happen, for an ambassador, who is nothing but an actor, should be that greatest of actors, a philosopher; and with the leave of wise men (that is, hypocrites), philosophy I hold to be little more than presence of mind now undoubtedly preparation is a prodigious help to presence of mind.  In short, you must not be surprised that we have failed at Quebec, as we certainly shall.  You may say, if you please, in the style of modern politics that your court never supposed it could be taken; the attempt was only made to draw off the Russians from the King of Prussia, and leave him at liberty to attack Daun.  Two days ago came letters from Wolfe, despairing, as much as heroes can despair The town is well victualled, Amherst is not arrived, and fifteen thousand men encamped defend it.  We have lost many men by the enemy, and some by our friends-that is, we now call our nine thousand only seven thousand.  How this little army will get away from a much larger, and in this season in that country, I don’t guess—­yes, I do.

You may be making up a little philosophy too against the invasion, which is again come into fashion, and with a few trifling incidents in its favour, such as our fleet dispersed and driven from their coasts by a great storm.  Before that, they were actually embarking, but with so ill a grace that an entire regiment mutinied, and they say is broke.  We now expect them in Ireland, unless this dispersion of our fleet tempts them hither.  If they do not come in a day or two, I shall give them over.

You will see in our gazettes that we make a great figure in the East Indies.  In short, Mr. Pitt and this little island appear of some consequence even in the map of the world.  He is a new sort of Fabius,

——­Qui verbis restituit rem.

Have you yet received the -watch?  I see your poor Neapolitan Prince(1073) is at last set aside—­I should honour Dr. Serrao’s integrity, if I did not think it was more humane to subscribe to the poor boy’s folly, than hazard his being poisoned by making it doubtful.