160 'OLD q' 



the taste he is generally accorded to have possessed : 

 here it descends to bras, or candle-sconces ; but to let 

 his ' dear George ' have the very best fashionable 

 advice, his grace consults the Duke of Northumber- 

 land on this question of vertu. On the other hand, 

 Selwyn is asked to show his taste by bringing Queens- 

 berry patterns of silks for 'fur clothes' and some 

 ' spring velvets ' ; which makes one almost think, in 

 these days, that it must have been a duchess, not 

 a duke, who wrote. But at this period the upper 

 classes had not begun to clothe themselves in Aus- 

 tralian wool or German rags. 



A reference to the Racing Analysis for 1778 shows 

 that the Duke did not this year make any engage- 

 ments after the death of his cousin, Charles, Duke of 

 Queensberry. This is so remarkable a departure from 

 his usual conduct on these occasions as to merit notice. 

 For this reason his grace's engagements number only 

 twenty-nine, of which he won nine; value some 

 eighteen hundred pounds. But his famous horse 

 Rocket, with, doubtless, Goodison up, only won one 

 match in this, against four the previous year. 



