I have been expecting a letter all day, as Friday is the day I have generally received a letter from you, but it is not yet arrived and I begin mine without it.  M. de Guerchy has given us a prosperous account of my Lady Hertford’s audience still I am impatient to hear it from yourselves.  I want to know, too, what you say to your brother’s being in the minority.  I have already told you that unless they use him ill, I do not think him likely to take any warm part.  With regard to dismission of officers, I hear no more of it:  such a violent step would but spread the flames. which are already fierce enough.  I will give you an instance:  last’ Saturday, Lord Cornwallis(380) and Lord Allen,(381) came drunk to the Opera:  the former went up to Rigby in the pit, and told him in direct words that Lord Sandwich was a pickpocket.  Then Lord Allen, with looks and gestures no less expressive, advanced close to him, and repeating this again in the passage, would have provoked a quarrel, if George West(382) had not carried him away by force.  Lord (Cornwallis, the next morning in Hyde-park, made an apology to Rigby for his behaviour, but the rest of the world is not so complaisant.  His pride, insolence, and over-bearingness, have made him so many enemies, that they are glad to tear him to pieces for his attack on Lord Temple, so unprovoked, and so poorly performed.  It was well that with his spirit and warmth he had the sense not to resent the behaviour of those two drunken young fellows.

On Tuesday your Lordship’s House sat till ten at night, on the resolutions we had communicated to you; and you agreed to them by 114 to 35:  a puny minority indeed, considering of what great names it was composed!  Even the Duke of Cumberland voted in it; but Mr. Yorke’s speech in our House, and Lord Mansfield’s in yours, for two hours, carried away many of the opposition, particularly Lord Lyttelton, and the greater part of the Duke of Newcastle’s Bishops.(383) The Duke of Grafton is much commended.  The Duke of Portland commenced, but was too much frightened.  There was no warmth nor event; but Lord Shelburne, who they say spoke well, and against the court, and as his friends had voted in our House, has produced one, the great Mr. Calcraft(384) being turned out yesterday, from some muster-mastership; I don’t know what.  Lord Sandwich is canvassing to succeed Lord Hardwicke, as High Steward of Cambridge; another egg of animosity.  We shall, however, I believe, be tolerably quiet till after Christmas, as Mr. Wilkes Will not be able to act before the holidays.  I rejoice at it:  I am heartily sick of all this folly, and shall be glad to get to Strawberry again, and hear nothing of it.  The ministry have bought off Lord Clive(385) with a bribe that would frighten the King of France himself:  they have given him back his 25,000 a year.  Walsh(386) has behaved nobly:  he said he could not in conscience vote with the administration, and would not Vote against