66 "Doctor having dropt, in spring, that an early Portuguese traveller had mentioned the horrid prac"tice of cutting up their dinner from a live animal. "It seems, that he had not yet furnished our cu"rious friend with a reference to the very identical, "and specific passage. His pertinacity, and mode "of springing upon the Doctor, was no bad image "of the Ethiopian attack. "*** I have dined with Consuls, and Half-se"cretaries of State, have entertained Embassadors, " and Cabinet Counsellors; but all is vanity.—I am "never a bit the wiser. Perhaps I have not the talent, "perhaps not the passion, for squeezing; but I re"turn home from those fountains of intelligence, no more informed than from drinking tea with Cou"sin Alice, and Uncle John." "Dean-street, Aug. 10, 1775. "I scolded Sam Salter for troubling your Lord"ship with his Letter to me. It contained, besides a "chearful account of his health, a very neat Epitaph "in Latin Iambics upon his father, and mother.— "He sent it me to license.-I re-cuse not commissions, that are so properly de mon ressort. 66 "The question between China and the Pacific "Ocean has been boulted to the bran. But Cook "is returned, and has resumed his place at the "Mitre*. He is a right-headed, unaffected man; and "I have a great authority for calling him our best "Navigator. *** In the affair of Algiers, one can hardly "conceive, how so great an army could be landed, "could be engaged for several hours, and have re"embarked the same day. It was a mere project of "the King, not liked by the Nation, or troops.-The "officers particularly suffered, and scarce a house in Spain has not some loss to deplore. Can one, help comparing it with Don Sebastian's fatal ex"pedition? 66 * The tavern where the Royal Society dined. " As "As to my domestic, Mrs. WRAY's apartment "of state is completed, and the bills paid. “*** Mr. Yorke most kindly sat with me last night. He meditates an expedition to the Moun"tains of Cambria. He is a bold and steady Anti"American.-Et sapit, et mecum facit. "Mount Ararat, Monday 21 Aug. 1775. "**** We have, upon tolerable authority, a "whimsical story. The Leaders of the Rebels dressed up two or three hundred men in English uniforms, "with proper quota of officers, their principal in "the character of an M. P. These were introduced "into the camp as deserters in a body from our 66 army. up *** The Duchess of Kingston, and Mr. Foote "have mounted, you see, the public stage. The "town rather favours her Grace's cause; but they "confess Mr. Foote is the best writer of the two. "*** La belle Cousine is not so entirely taken with sublunary pomps, and vanities, but that "she can spare time for better thoughts, on a Sunday at least. Yesterday she deposited her friend "the Bishop of Chester * in our pulpit, from whence " he gave us a Charity-sermon, in a manner to ex"tract a larger collection out of our pockets than "has been remembered. 66 “* * * * Your Lordship must allow me to pa"rentate over the manes of Josiah Colebrook †, an "old acquaintance, and the last remnant of Lord "Willoughby's administration, in whose Questor “ ship the Mitre prospered, and the Antiquaries be"came rich. 'I could have better spared a better "man.' But why better? His dexterity, and pre"cision in what alone he undertook, and his bene"volent heart, formed a character preferable to that "of prating wits, or puffing scribblers.” * Dr. William Markham, afterwards Abp. of York. ↑ Josiah Colebrook, esq. F. R, S. Treasurer to the Antiquarian Society, died Aug. 16, 1775. "Dean "Dean-street, Oct. 5, 1775. "Sir Stanyan Porten parts more easily with his "money to the highwayman, than with his Court "secrets to his nephew. - He was robbed in day 66 light, before five o'clock, on the Acton road. "From that road a fellow was pursued, and was "taken in a field close to Mount Ararat, on Sun"day (as we, of that pious house, were going to "church); who, as we calculate, will prove the very This wretch, confined in our cage the "whole day, has wonderfully moved the tender "hearts of the Ladies, who would not have him "hanged for the world! "man. "Whether his guilt in robbing our cousin will "alter the case, who knows? cr “In the mean time, our Michaelmas drums go "on à merveille. I trust, before the season is out, "we shall get another step from the quality, and go "to a couple of them on the same night. Mrs. "WRAY's cards are out for a very distant period *. "I sallied forth once more for Hampton. I met our Friend, and Madam, "all in their coach and four" we talked over our business, at least as well "as this highway-conversation would allow, and parted good friends, not without hints of a dinner. "Sam flows on, full of matter, and very cheerful. "*** Lady Am. Polworth has opened the Li" censer's office, which has been so long shut, with * I chiefly mark these passages to shew how the old Bachelor of 1758 was grown young, volatile, and social, in 1775. + Dr. Samuel Salter, Master of the Charter-house. § Amabella, eldest daughter of Philip second Earl of Hardwicke, married, in 1772, to Alexander Lord Polwarth (who was created Baron Hume in 1771, but died in 1781). On the death of her mother Jemima Marchioness Grey, Lady Polwarth succeeded to the title of Baroness Lucas of Crudwell, and is still in possession of Wrest, the seat of her grandfather the Duke of Kent. MR. WRAY had burlesqued himself into the Licenser, in other words critic en titre of compositions, written by the Yorkes and by his other intimate friends. "four "four Sonnetti from Petrarch. That Poet is hardly "inore imitable than Pindar;-for, in keeping to “his ease, and his nature, the Poetry is in danger "of escaping, and there are frequent strokes, not "concetti, as they remain with him, which the "English Translator cannot redeem from the appear"ance of something like affectation to an English "Reader. "Lady Amabella has managed him wonderfully. "She has generally kept herself close to the original; " has preserved its colour; and where she deviates a "little, gives better poetry. "I attempted, by her command, a tinkering application or two, but with little success." e Oct. 19, 1775. "I am glad the Feriæ Autumnales AcademicoWimpoliance are celebrated with all their antient "festivities; but I wonder how such a posse could "be collected. Perhaps the smoky Doctors take the "more kindly to their High Steward, as having "learnt the report, that their Chancellor will not be over courtly in the approaching session. "*** Ma belle Cousine is, notwithstanding "her sympathy for highwaymen in the cage, afraid "of them in a dark evening upon the road. Accordingly we returned the other night, guarded by "our two men, the head of each horse peering in "upon us at each window. In the Hounslow"heath conference the Earl was mentioned, non "sinè glorid; but this topic, in all its branches, "was too delicate, and much too extensive, to be "settled by our Plenipotentiaries in boots. It "claimed a more decent, and regular place of Congress. The contracting parties, however, as well as the Allies, were apparently in good humour. *This critique appears to me incomparable, and most happily expressed. "The "The Raffling Ladies are well disposed to receive any of your Lordship's favours. The sinews of "their Finery (like those of the War) have been supplied from the Exchequer. "P. S. *** To be remembered at Wimple, is cr my first ambition; and I could wish Mr. Jenyns "to be amongst the rememberers. It pleases me "that I shall no longer be to remember him, as I hope to see him in a day or two." "Dean-street, Dec. 9, 1775. "Our Ladies made a running visit en passant to "a Right Honourable croney at Hatfield, and passed "a formidable crowd of oxen at Barnet without "peril, or fear. "I have just heard from Dr. Salter, who is in "health, with his head, and paper full of miscella"neous criticisms, ancient, and modern, Greek, and "Latin. "Notwithstanding your Lordship's anti-antarctic "prejudices, I must inform you, that whatever is "come from thence is at the service of the Museum. "We have already received some fine shews of ani"mals, and beautiful, as well as rare birds, from "Mr. Forster *. “*** The collection will be ample: Natural "History, habits, utensils, arms, &c.: It will be "a monument of British, and successful navigations "in those unknown Seas. They are now to end. "A single ship is to be sent with Omai, and with "such provisions of plants, and of animals, as may "be useful to our tropical allies. We shall bring in "return the bread-tree for our West Indies, and St. "Helena. "The basis of the book is to be Captain Cook's "Journal, with proper additions from Forster's* papers, who is to write it, but subject occasionally * Mr. John Reinhold Forster. " to |