64 Presidentship of the Earl of Macclesfield 1757 



the President was in the chair, and Benjamin Franklin 

 a guest, 



" A Petition from the Earl of Chesterfield to the King desiring 

 a Pension, and giving reasons why it should be granted him, com- 

 municated by Mr. Stanhope, was read, with which the Company 

 were so well entertained that the President [the Earl of Macclesfield] 

 moved that his Lordship should be chosen an Honourary Member 

 for the year ensuing, which was accordingly done by Acclamation, 

 nem. con. : his Lordship's health was drank as a Benefactor and 

 Mr. Stanhope was desired to inform his Lordship of it." 



At the meeting in the following week 



" Mr. Stanhope reported that he had informed the Earl of Chester- 

 field of his Election and that his Lordship returned the Society 

 thanks for the Honour they had done him. The Treasurer, being 

 absent the 25th of August when the Earl of Chesterfield was Elected 

 an Honourary Member on account of the Petition, wrote to Mr. 

 Stanhope desiring a copy of the Petition to be inserted in the Records 

 of the Society." 



At the dinner on the 8th September it was recorded that 



" Mr. Stanhope produced the Treasurer's letter, but as he was 

 under an obligation to Lord Chesterfield not to give a copy of the 

 Petition to any one, he could not comply with the request, but 

 desired the letter might be read, and the same being read accord- 

 ingly, on the motion of the Chairman [Mr. Burrow] it was unani- 

 mously ordered by the Company present that the said letter be 

 transcribed into the records and that a sufficient space be left 

 for inserting the Petition when they shall obtain a copy of it." 



The scrupulous Treasurer consequently with his own hand 

 transcribed his letter at full length in the official Register 

 of the dinners, and as it is the only sample of his epistolary 

 style which has been preserved in the archives of the Club, it 

 seems to deserve a place in any detailed narrative of the 

 Club's history. It is here given verbatim et literatim. 



Hon d Sir, 



When Men are under difficultys of any kind, it is most natural 

 for them to apply to such of their Friends as have power to remove 

 them ; this makes me take the liberty of applying to you to extri- 

 cate me from a perplexity the minutes of the meeting at the Mitre 

 on the 25th past have involved me in. 



I Flatter myself that your wonted goodness will forgive my giving 

 you this trouble, but as y e minute stands on Dr. Birch's Paper, it 

 requires a comment to explain it. 



