April 9. 1853.] 



l^OTES AND QUERIES. 



351 



three, two of which were the king's brothers. The 

 Duke of York was absent. If we should succeed 

 in that House, so as to reject this bill, possibly the 

 ministry may break to pieces ; otherwise I rather 

 think it will bobble lamely on, through the summer, 

 •with universal discontent attending it. Chatham 

 is certainly as ill as ever ; and, notwithstanding all 

 reports to the contrary, Lord Holland has not been 

 sent to by the Court. He is arrived at his house 

 in Kent, and comes, but of his own accord, to town 

 to the birthday. On that day, the clerks. Watts, 

 and I go down to Lynch's for five or six days : I 

 wish you was of the party. It would have been 

 very kind indeed in Mr. Harvey, the six-clerk, to 

 have tipped so soon. Your Lord Lieutenant says 

 Le is to go. God help the poor man if he does. 

 I am sorry for your account of the disorders in the 

 college. I do not like anything that may throw 

 reflexion on Andrews, and I will press him to come 

 iiomewards. Adieu, my dear Bob. 



Most faithfully yours, 



R. R. 



Pay Office, 2nd May, 1769. 

 Dear Bob, 



After I wrote to you last Saturday morning, I 

 Tvent to the House, where I found a petition pre- 

 sented from fifteen tailors or tinkers, freeholders 

 of Middlesex, against Lutterell. The opposition 

 ■wanted a call of the House for Wednesday fort- 

 night. We insisted on hearing it next Monday, 

 and divided 94 against 49. This business retards 

 the prorogation till this day or to-morrow se'nnight: 

 but we are adjourned till Monday ; so nothing but 

 -hearing this nonsense remains. Wilkes' stock falls 

 very fast every day, and upon this measure there 

 was such difference of opinion amongst his friends, 

 that Sawbridge and Townsend would not attend 

 on Saturday. Serjeant Whitacre has desired to 

 "be Lutterell's counsel gratis, in order to deliver 

 his opinion at the bar of the House on the legality 

 of Lutterell's seat ; and says he shall insist, if the 

 .House should be of opinion that Lutterell is not 

 duly elected, that he himself is, as having been 

 next upon the poll of those who were capable of 

 receiving votes. 



No news yet of your secretary. Some people 

 are impatient to hear his report of the state of 

 parties, and their several dispositions to support 

 government, on your side the water. He must 

 certainly be a most competent judge, after so long 

 a residence there, and after such open and frank 

 discourse as every man there would naturally hold 

 with him upon critical matters. Some better 

 judges than him, lately arrived from Ireland, make 

 no scruple in declaring there will be a majority of 

 forty against the Castle at the opening the session. 

 Adieu, my dear little Bob : my love to the Provost. 



Yours ever, 



R.K. 



P-S. — I shall get the Journals of the House of 

 Commons for you certainly. 



Lawford, Saturday Evening, 4th Nov., 1769. 

 Dear little Bob, 

 It would be ungrateful in the present company 

 here not to take some notice of you, just as they 

 had finished the last bottle of an excellent hogs- 

 head of Burgundy, which you sent into my cellar, 

 I believe, seven years ago. What has come since 

 we will avoid mentioning. A few bottles, how- 

 ever, of the former were reserved for the divine 

 Charlotte, and she, and Caswell, and I have this 

 day finished them; and the last glass went off to 

 your health. Sister Charlotte wishes you public 

 and private happiness during this bustling winter, 

 and hopes that you are not determined to forsake 

 the English part of your family for ever. I re- 

 ceived your letter of the 24th here two days ago, 

 and should most undoubtedly desire you to send 

 me your votes, if I had not already engaged my 

 old friend at the Secretary's office to do it ; but I 

 beg early intelligence of your parliamentary pro- 

 ceedings, about which I am very anxious. I do not 

 believe there is the smallest foundation for believ- 

 ing that Junius is Wedderburn. I had, a few 

 days ago, great reason to guess at the real Junius: 

 but my intelligence was certainly false ; for send- 

 ing to inquire in a more particular manner, I dis- 

 covered the person hinted at to be dead. He was 

 an obscure man ; and so will the real Junius turn 

 out to be, depend upon it. Are Shannon and Pon- 

 sonby and Lanesborough still stout against Aug- 

 mentation? or must the friends to the measure 

 form a plan that they like themselves ? A letter 

 from Colonel Hall, of the 20th regiment, this 

 evening, informs me that General Harvey is come 

 from Ireland, and is very impatient to see me : if 

 his business is to consult me upon the utility of 

 this military plan, I am already fully convinced of 

 it : but nobody knows less than I do how to get it 

 through your House of Commons, — I only hope by 

 any means rather than a message from the king. 

 Perhaps the measure is taken, and I am writing 

 treason against the understanding of our own ■ 

 ministers. God forbid ! but I do not approve of 

 letting down the dignity and power of the chief 

 governors of Ireland lower than they are already 

 fallen, to quarrel with a mountebank at a custard 

 feast. Adieu, my dear little fellow. 



Yours ever, most sincerely, 



R.R. 



ISTHMUS OF DARIEN. 



As public attention is now much directed to 

 the canal across the Isthmus of Darien, one end 

 of which is proposed to communicate with the 

 harbour which was the site of the ill-fated at- 



