With regard to my brother, I should apprehend nothing, were he like other men; but I shall not be astonished, if he throws his life away; and I have seen so much of the precariousness of it lately, that I am prepared for the event, if it shall happen.  I will say nothing about Mr. Harris; he is an old man, and his death will be natural.  For Lord Chatham, he is really or intentionally mad,—­but I still doubt which of the two.  Thomas Walpole has writ to his brother here, that the day before Lord Chatham set out for Pynsent, he executed a letter of attorney, with full powers to his wife, and the moment it was signed he began singing.(997)

You may depend upon it I shall only stay here to the end of the month:  but if you should want me sooner, I will set out at a moment’s warning, on your sending me a line by Lord Rochf’ord’s courier.  This goes by Lady Mary Coke, who sets out to-morrow morning early, on notice of Mr. Townshend’s death, or she would have stayed ten days longer.  I sent you a letter by Mr. Fletcher, but I fear he did not go away till the day before yesterday.

I am just come from dining en famille with the Duke de Choiseul:  he was very civil—­but much more civil to Mr. Wood,(998) who dined there too.  I imagine this gratitude to the peacemakers.  I must finish; for I am going to Lady Mary, and then return to sup with the Duchess de Choiseul, who is not civiller to any body than to me.  Adieu!  Yours ever.

(994) Now first printed.

(995) Mr. Charles Townshend died very unexpectedly, on the 4th of September; he being then only in his forty-second year.-E.

(996) “The chancellorship of the exchequer,” says Adolphus, “was filled up ad interim by Lord Mansfield.  It was offered to Lord North, who, for some reasons which are not precisely known, declined accepting it.  The offer was subsequently made to Lord Barrington; who declared his readiness to undertake the office, if a renewed application to Lord North should fail:  a fresh negotiation was attempted with the Duke of Bedford, but without effect, and at length Lord North was prevailed on to accept the office.  Mr. Thomas Townshend succeeded Lord North as paymaster, and Mr. Jenkinson was appointed a lord of the treasury; Lord Northington and General Conway resigning, Lord Gower was made president of the council; Lord Weymouth, secretary of state; and Lord Sandwich, joint postmaster-general.  These promotions indicated an accommodation between the ministry and the Bedford party; and the cabinet was further strengthened by the appointment of Lord Hillsborough to the office of secretary of state for America.  The ministry, thus modelled, was called the Duke of Grafton’s administration; for, although Lord Chatham still retained his place, he was incapable of transacting business."-E.

(997) Lord Chatham’s enemies were constantly insinuating, that his illness was a political one.  For the real state of his health at the time Walpole was penning this uncharitable passage, see Lady Chatham’s letter to Mr. Nuthall of the 17th of August, and his lordship’s own grateful and affectionate letter to Mr. Thomas Walpole of the 30th of October.  Correspondence, Vol. iii. p. 282, 289.-E.