ROBERTSON. 277 



other scenes you recommend to me I have seen. I have 

 heard the Bishops of Salisbury and Oxford. There was some 

 elegance, a spice of drollery, and not a little buffoonery in 

 the sermon of the latter ; and his audience admired and 

 laughed, and were edified. Blair is but a ninny of an orator ; 

 he makes his hearers serious, and sets them a- crying; but 

 here they go to heaven, laughing as they go. You cannot 

 imagine what strange characters I have met with, which I 

 cannot now take off. I am a sort of domestic with Dr. 

 Campbell, the best of all the authors I have seen.* I am often 

 with Tucker of Bristol. I dined and drank claret with Douglas, 

 the murderer of Bower." " There were nine other persons in 

 company (at another dinner), all of them retainers to the author 

 or bookseller ; and I will draw you such a picture of that night, 

 that you shall say the seeing of it alone was worth my coming 

 to London. I wrote Bruce a long letter about news some 

 days ago : you would probably meet with him and hear its 

 contents. The Hanoverians are still making progress, as you 

 will read more at large in the ' Chronicle/ The only thing 

 which engrosses the talk of politicians is the flight of Bonneville. 

 He was the officer who dissuaded the landing at Rochefort, 

 and who, before the court-martial, gave evidence directly 

 opposite to Clerk's. He went over to Holland ; was seen often 

 at d'Affry's, the French Ambassador's : he told him, ' Sir, 

 I do possess some merit; I saved one town to France, 

 and three generals to England.' His evidence acquitted 

 Mordant, &c. From Holland he went over to France. You 

 may believe Pitf and Colonel Clerk, &c., enjoy this adventure, 

 which is indeed a remarkable one. Last day I was in the 

 House of Commons, of which I am made free by "- 



Unfortunately the MS. breaks off just as he was about 

 to describe the debate. 



* The able author of the fine historical pieces in the edition 

 1740 of Harris's * Voyages.' Dr. R. always used to mention his 

 Presbyterian horror of the " profane expletives " which he found 

 formed a part of all English colloquial discourse in those days. 



t Sic. 



