374 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



both from their number and merit ; 

 but his admiration has not, like 

 that ofsomevirtuosi, been confined 

 to the ancient masters, for many 

 living artists have experienced the 

 benefit of his patronage and ad- 

 vice. Such acquirementsnaturally 

 pointed him out to the Society 

 for the encouragement of Arts, 

 Manufactures, and Commerce, as 

 a proper person to preside in the 

 committee of fine arts. He was 

 accordingly elected chairman, and 

 executed the office for several 

 years with equal advantage to the 

 institution and credit to himself, 

 until he was chosen a vice-presi- 

 dent, an honour generally confer- 

 red on persons of elevated rank 

 alone. Nor was this the only dis- 

 tinction he obtained. The Royal 

 Societies of London and Edin- 

 burgh, the Society of Antiquaries, 

 the Philosophical Society of Phila- 

 delphia, and the Arcadian Society 

 of Rome, all admitted him a mem- 

 ber of their respective bodies. 

 Few men have passed their time 

 more agreeably than Mr. VV., for 

 he lived in habits of intimacy with 

 some of the wisest and best men of 

 the age. In the list of his friends 

 may be enumerated many digni- 

 taries of the church, more than 

 one statesman, and some of the 

 most eminent geniuses which our 

 nationhas produced. Adam Smith 

 used to say, that the junto of wits 

 and authors hated one another 

 heartily, but that they all had a 

 regard for Mr. W. who, by his 

 conciliatory manners, kept them 

 together. When any quarrel ordis- 

 agreement occurred, he was accus- 

 tomed to invite the parties to call 

 on him in Craven-street, to give 

 them a very good dinner, and drink 

 a glass to reconciliation. Garrick 

 and Foote had long been at vari- 



ance, but Mr.W. contrived to bring 

 them to one of those conciliatory 

 dinners; and Mr. Garrick (who had 

 much good-nature, and more ge- 

 nerosity than the world gave him 

 credit for) actually lent Foote 500/. 

 to repair his theatre in the Hay- 

 market. Mr. W.'s intimacy with 

 Dr. Franklin and Mr. Oswald, ren- 

 dered him peculiarly eligible for 

 the purpose of assisting in treating 

 for the restoration of peace with 

 America. He was accordingly ap- 

 pointed secretary to the latter, 

 who, having bailed Mr, Laurens 

 from his confinement in the Tower, 

 and become his surety to the 

 amount of 50,000/., was also ju- 

 diciously selected as a man ac- 

 ceptable to the American commis- 

 sioners, with whom, on the 30th 

 of November, 1782, they conclud- 

 ed and signed preliminary articles, 

 declaratory of the independence 

 of the United States; this being 

 understood by the belligerent 

 powers as an indispensable basis, 

 previously to their treating with 

 England on the subject of a gene- 

 ral pacification. The articles were 

 approved by the people ; and the 

 nation hailed the return of tran- 

 quillity with general gratulation. 

 All differences being thus happily 

 settled with the United States of 

 America, Mr. Oswald returned to 

 London, but Mr. Whitefoord re- 

 mained at Paris several months 

 longer with lord St. Helen's (then 

 Mr. Fitzherbert) who was the 

 minister charged to negociate 

 treaties of peace with France, 

 Spain, and Holland ; and it is a 

 curious circumstance, that three 

 of the treaties above alluded to 

 are in the hand-writing of Mr. 

 Whitefoord. These services were 

 such as entitled him to some re- 

 compence from government ; but 



