Life of Count Rumford. 569 



America, in all probability, but that unfortunately the said ship 

 has been taken and carried into Plymouth. My first impression 

 was to be much alarmed, but he assures me that passengers, in 

 his opinion, have nothing to fear, if not detention, extra expence, 

 and a little trouble. 



" 1 am absolutely obliged to set out for Munich, so if you 

 come in the time you must make yourself comfortable. I shall 

 leave people enough to do anything you may wish, and my 

 coachman, whom I do not take with me, is to go often to 

 inquire for you in Paris at the coming in of the diligences. 

 Besides which, should you arrive, you will take the carriage 

 conveying you and your baggage to my, which will then be 

 your, home. So if I find you here on my return, it will give 

 me much pleasure. 



" The King had been in Paris and invited me so kindly I 

 thought it my duty to go, but he assures me I shall not be 

 detained there on any business of importance. I go with a 

 heavy heart on account of the poor Countess. She is surely 

 not living at this moment. I have the melancholy tidings from 

 a friend of mine at Vienna, where she has been some months 

 past with her daughter, married to Count d'Apponi, a Hun- 

 garian." 



I introduce the two following letters, addressed to his 

 daughter by the Count from Munich, in some per- 

 plexity as to the date which she assigns to them. In her 

 comments she implies that she arrived at Auteuil dur- 

 ing his absence on this visit at Munich, which was not 

 the case. 



" I arrived here [Munich] after a pleasant, prosperous jour- 

 ney of eight days. I had foreseen this journey a long time, and 

 delayed setting out in hopes you would come. Had that been 

 the case, I think I should have taken you with me, for you have 

 many friends here who all desire to be kindly remembered to 

 you. Still it would have struck you very dull, as it did me, not 

 to find our good friend, the Countess. Poor Sophy, now 



