284 Longleat Papers, No. 4. 



property at Lavington by marriage with a representative of the 

 family of Dauvers. He sat in Parliament for Woottou Basset. 

 The published " Letters and Correspondence ^' of Henry St. John, 

 four vols., 8vo., 1798, begin 13th October, 1710.] 



1. Henry St. John to Rt. Hon. Robeet Harley (afterwards 

 Earl of Oxford). 



" Dear S' " Bucklebury. May 1. 1708 



" M' Long is now with me, & the account he gives me is that there are 3 

 candidates att Cricklade, M"' Dunch,* M'' Vernon & one M' Goddard. the two 

 former have engaged all the votes but 50, which are 30 short of the N°. necessary : 

 so that if the latter sh'* resign to me still it is impossible for me to succeed. Mr 

 Long & another gentleman of my friends have talked with the BaiHff & others 

 whom they can trust, & you may depend on this as a true state of the matter I 

 have seen Mr Child's Letter to M' Long from the Devizes f wherein he owns it 

 impossible to do any good there : & in short the intention was only to have drawn 

 me into a share of the expense. 



" Mr Long is clearly of opinion, that M' Robert Bertie does not care to stand, 

 & that I might be chose att Westbury if my Lord Abingdon pleased w*" I am 

 very far from thinking he will. 



" I neither have omitted nor w"* omit any trouble, care or expence in my power 

 since my f i-iends think I might be of some little use to them & to my countiy, 

 but know not w*" waj' to turn myself. 



" My father % makes a scandalous figure, neglected by all the gentlemen & sure 

 of miscarrying where his family always were reverenced. 



" It is late at night. I am ever y' most faithfully 



"H. S. J." 

 " You wiU acquaint Harcourt 



with these matters. 

 E' Honb''^ R. Harley." 



2. The Same to (name not preserved). 



" Bucklebury. Nov. 14. 1708 

 " Dear Tom. I never was more vex'd in my life than when I rose this morning 



to find y^ sei^vants I had order'd to attend you in y' morning had been drunk all 



night & neglected to wait on you. I have sent them a-grazing, & I ask y' pardon 



for y^ ill-usage you had. 



" I forgot to speak to M" Harley att Oxford in a matter w*" concerns me very 



nearly & w'' I desire you to mention to him. A Kinsman of mine, & as honest 



• In 1708 Edmund Ounch, Esq., of Down Amney, near Cricklade, and James Vernon, Esq., were 

 returned for Cricklade. 



+ The Child family were of Headington, Devizes, and Tatton Keynell, in Co. Wilts. John Child, 

 Mayor of Denzes, 1694, 1702. Sir Francis Child, M.P. for Devizes, 1698, 1701, 1710. Robert 

 Child, 1713. 



t Sir Henry St. John died at Battersea, his family-seat, July 3rd, 1708, in his 87th year. 



