508 
fhape attached to Lord Shelburne. Durmg 
the preceding year, Lord Bute purchafed a 
piece of wafte-ground that lay between the 
garden wall of Devonthire Houfe and the 
bottom of Berkeley-fquare, in London. {ft 
was formerly a pool of dirty water, difem- 
bogued from Curzon-ftreet, &c. After raif- 
ing the ground, and draining the water, 
Lord Bute refolved to build a magnificent 
houfe here. He built the fhell of the pre- 
fent houfe, but preceeded no further. He 
fold the premifes for eighteen thonfand 
pounds, and the Marquis of Lanfdown, 
(then Earl of Shelburne) bought them. Wot 
being now in office, his attention was wholly 
direéted to the finifhing and improving his 
houfe and gardens; which, for talte and ele- 
gance, are not exceeded in Great Britain. 
The fums of money which have been ex- 
pended upon this fplendid and princely pa- 
lace muft have been immenfe. We fhall 
mention but one or two particulars. The 
ceilings are all painted by Cipriami. The 
other paintings are all by the bef mafters. 
Thofe of the library are from the ruins found 
in Herculaneum. Among all the elegant 
and fuperb receptacles for books, from the 
Alexandrian library to the prefent day, 
there is nothing that comes in competition 
with Lord Lanidown’s. The room is up- 
wards of one hundred and twenty feet long, 
and of breadth proportionable. The cen- 
trical part is arched, and over each arch is 
adome. The chimney-piece is in admirable 
ftyle, and decorated with fome very capital 
Egyptian marble, reprefenting Bufiris, 
Ofiris, &c. The books ure placed in niches, 
and before each nich is a marble Grecian 
ftatue, of the moft exquifite workmanthip. 
There are no mouldings; but in their place 
an Etrulcan border, of a moft elegant ap- 
pearance, and in the true Attic ftyle. The 
books are upwards of fifteen thoufand in 
number, in all languages, and particularly of 
the higheft eftimation, all arranged in the 
moft claflical and fcientific manner. In his 
Lordthip’s retired fituation, at all times, 
his favotrite purluits were the fplendid em- 
bellifiments of bis town and country refi- 
dences ; his decorations, and his plantations, 
were, in unifon with his mind, the ornament 
and the interef of his country. But this 
muft be underftood to be in thofe perieds of 
leifure, when he was totally difengaged trom 
the affairs of ftate. During the fhort inter- 
vals that he was in office, his public duty he 
thought claimed, and aétually’ did engrofs 
and poffefs, "all the faculties of his mind 
At other times, he made his amu‘ements 
the employment of various artifts in and 
about his houfes in Bucks, Wilts, and 
Londen. ‘There was no diffipation in his 
character, nor idle hours in his condutt. 
He was always actively engaged. From the 
Monient that he quitted the Court, he ar- 
Account of the late Marquis of Lanfdown. 
‘Mr. Calcraft did the fame, though in no 
made 
[June 1, 
dently wifhed to attach himfelf to Lord Chat- 
ham. ‘At length’ an opening for this wifh 
incidentally occurred. In the year 1765 
the Rockingham adminiftration was ap- 
pointed. Although this adminiitration had * 
not the approbation of Lord Chatham, yet 
they wifhed to fhew that they had fomewhat 
of his countenance; and therefore they 
his law-friend, Lord Chiet-juftice 
Pratt, a peer, by the title of Lord Camden. 
From this moment Lord Shelburne and 
Lord Camden became intimate ; and their 
fentiments agreeing upon al! public. points, 
ah union was foon accomplifhed between 
Lord Chatham and Lord Shelburne. When 
the Rockingham adminiftration was difplaced 
in the year 1765, and Lord Chatham was 
called upon to form a new adminiftration, he 
made Lord Shelburne Secretary of State for 
the Southern Department, to which was an- 
nexed the department of the Colonies. It 
is not generally known, that while he held 
this fituation, the conteft with the colonies 
(which had in fome meafure been laid afleep 
by the repeal of the flamp aét) was revived 
by new meafures. He gave unequivocal 
proofs of his decided opinion againft thefe, 
new meafures ; and when it was fecretly re- 
folved by the interior cabinet that the French 
fhould poffefs themfelves of Corfica, without 
any interruption from this country, contrary 
to the inftraétions he hed been authorized to 
give Lord Rochford on this bead, he refolved 
to refign, which he did in Oétober, 1768. 
He found that there was a power behind 
the throne (which Lord Chatham had faid) 
that was greater than the throne itfelf. To 
this unrefponfible influence he could not 
fubmit. The American war fucceeded: du- 
ring which he regularly and with great ener- 
gy opnofed the futile, puerile, and malignant | 
meafures of the Miniftry. Amongft other 
reprehenfible and impotent projeéts to fup- 
port this mad war, was the appointment of 
Mr. Fullarton, a fecretary to Lord Stor: 
mont, when abroad, to the rank of Lien- 
tenant-colonel in the army, and to the com- 
mand of an intended new regiment. When 
this matter came before the Houfe of Lords, 
Lord Shelburne fpoke of it with fome degree 
of contempt and afperity, denominating the 
commander a commis, a clerk, &c. taken from 
the defk. Mr. Fullarton, judging thefe 
terms highly derogatory to his rank, fent 
Lord Shelburne a challenge tofighthim. As 
Mr. Fullarton was a member ot the Houfe of 
Commons, Lord Shelburne did not chufe to 
treat the meflage with the contempt it de- 
ferved, but accepted the challenge. —The 
following is an authentic accountof the duel, 
fent to Mr. Almon, by whom it was publifhed. — 
“Tord Shelburne with Lord Frederick 
Cavendith for his fecond, and Mr. Fullarton 
with Lord Balcarras for his fecond, met at 
-half-paft five in Hyde Park, March 22, 1780. 
Lord Balearras and Lord Fred. Cavendith, 
propoted 
ae 
