much, I believe, intending to push the clause, but bawling a very noisy Aye, and the Speaker wishing well to it, said the Ayes had it, and we were obliged to go forth, many of the enemies of the Bill even voting against us. The third reading is appointed for Monday, when a very long day is expected, as the debate has been in some measure postponed for it; and consequently it will be in your House on Tuesday, the Parliament rising on Thursday. If you do not think it worth while to give yourself so much trouble, I will meet you at Matthews's, according to our present appointment, to dinner on Tuesday, being every where and at all times &c. RICHARD RIGBY. 1753. Saturday, June 2. 1753. I inclose you the Protester*, because I mean my boy should be at Woburn to-night, and the post will not carry it you till to-morrow; I think it an extremely good preface to a political paper, and heartily wish success to the tribe of the Barebones. The Lords passed the Broad-wheel Bill yesterday without any amendments. "A new anti-ministerial paper, supported at the expense of the Duke of Bedford and Beckford, and written by Ralph, a dull author, originally a poet, a Silence, ye wolves, while Ralph to Cynthia howls, 1753. ALDERMAN BECKFORD TO THE DUKE OF BEDFORD. Soho Sqr., July 28. 1753. I had not the honour of your Grace's letter till yesterday, having been from home for some time, which will plead my excuse for not answering it sooner. I took the liberty to send a turtle, as it seemed very excellent in its kind. Your Grace's kind intention of sending warrants for two bucks, will be gratefully acknowledged. Venison is always acceptable to corporations where the members are above the commonalty and not too numerous. The gentlemen of Sarum seem not much averse to the transfer of my interest to my brother, and I am in hopes two or three meetings of jollity and good entertainment will fix him in their esteem. I scarcely know a more disinterested set of men in the kingdom. As I have always entertained a high opinion of your abilities and way of thinking in public affairs, this consideration will, I hope, plead an excuse for my presumption in looking upon you as a friend ; according to Cicero's rule, "Idem sentire de republica, initium est amicitiæ." Your Grace shall always find me ready to shew myself, on every occasion, both public and private, your Grace's most obedient and very humble servant, WILLIAM BECKFORD.* * Mr. Beckford was member Julian Beckford, sat in the next for Shaftesbury. His brother, Parliament for New Sarum. MR. RIGBY TO THE DUKE OF BEDFORD. London, August 3. 1753. My dear Lord Duke, your Sir Charles Williams is not yet come, nor have I heard when he does, therefore you must not expect this letter is to inform you of any more subsidiary treaties, or to contain any foreign politics, (though I dined yesterday with the Ambassador of Spain*,) that is to take off attention from your provincial concerns you are so deeply engaged in. You will rather imagine, when you get to the end of it, that I have wrote for my own amusement in this desart of a town, than for yours to whom I send it. However, lest the Tories should come heartily into your interest in Bedfordshire, or the corporation be in earnest desirous to serve you, that you may not be surprised at unnatural connections, and think them confined to that part of the world, I must tell you that last Sunday, the morning that I breakfasted at Holland House, and, as I told you, left my Lord President † and his friend with the master of the house, we were succeeded at dinner there by Messrs. Stone and Murray; not two tradesmen or boroughmongers of that name, but the individual and identical persons that figure most in the world under those appellations. I am bad at unravelling riddles, which you are not; if I were as honest as you are, I should be much worse at decyphering a politician's civilities; but * General Wall. VOL. II. K + Lord Granville. 1753. 1753. with all the bad ideas I picked up of them in the Walpole and Winnington schools, I must leave this to your greater perspicuity and better opinion of mankind to guess at. I never heard of either of them at that house before, nor was I told of it that morning; but Dick Edgcombe, who dined there, told me at White's when I came from Streatham. I shall tell Fox when he returns from Blenheim: to be sure it was for the Solicitor-General to report to the Chancellor how happy people may live under a clandestine marriage.* By the way, which I am sure you will not be sorry to hear, I won five hundred guineas that night at White's. Joe Wight dined at Harris's with me, and is full of gratitude for your venison and attention to him. A piece of parliament intelligence I got from him, I must tell you: six thousand of the marriage bills that are sent into the country are found out to be false printed, and obliged to be recalled: the blunder is in the dates. Harris would be obliged to your Grace for his venison you was so kind to offer: the beginning of next week if it suits. We dined at Lord Waldegrave's; half a dozen from White's, and as many of his own family, as unlike each other, I trust, as his present from his former way of life. We found cards indeed before dinner; but no card table. After dinner they were our match, for at eating and drinking I never saw their superiors, particularly Mr. Scott, whom I had Alluding to Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Bill, and Mr. Fox's marriage to Lady Caroline Lennox. never seen before: he seems shrewd and cunning; but though I have no great faith in countenances, I would not trust him with untold gold, nor, for Lord Waldegrave's sake, with any thing but what I would wish to have told. He affects the jolly fellow however, and so gets to these dinners, to let his graver patron know what is said at them. I yesterday met Sir John Elwill* in the street, and asked him after the opposition at Guilford; he told me they had settled it all amicably the day before there. The Speaker and Lord Onslow have made up all matters, and Sir John and the General again are to come in for Guilford, and the Speaker and Mr. Bugdent, as far as they can settle it amongst themselves, for the county. I have since heard from another person who lives at Epsom, that Lord Baltimore has offended all his neighbours extremely by shutting up his park. Mrs. Pitt came to town the day before yesterday to take leave of Madam Stafford, who is going to France; they came and made tea for us at General Wall's at Chelsea last night, and bespoke me to Liotard's, where I sat all this morning, and am to coterize again all night with her to-night at Vauxhall or somewhere, as we are to fix in the park. Pray tell the Duchess I am in the wrong, Fourth baronet of that title, created 1709 he died 1778 when the title became extinct. He represented Guildford in Parliament. + Thomas Bugden, Esq., member for Surrey. John Stephen Liotard, a miniature painter. He was called the Turk, from his habit of wearing the costume of that nation and a long beard. He was born at Geneva. 1753. |