L30/14/138/11

Sent from Ampthill Park, 27 December 1776, received 21 January 1777:

1776, 1777

From: 1776 To: 1777

"I have scarce courage enough to sit down to write after so long an intermission, having nothing interesting to say is but a bad excuse tho' a true one, for I really believe there is no necessity for being very choice in one's intelligence to a distant friend. The most interesting subject at present is politics, but as in the common course of correspondence opinions upon that subject can only come from me, it is not a good or a desirable one - those two epithets indeed can in no sense have any relation to it. The only possible advantage I expect from politics is that they bring you home. Much of our jeunesse is gone to Paris for the Christmas amongst them the Duke of Dorset, Charles Fox and my brother. You know there jockeyship is become the ton [?], a lucky event for us jockeys on this side the water, as they trade very considerably with us. That trade in its different branches has been very successfull with me this last year, the consequences of which I hope to shew you in various rustic buildings which have lately employed me, particularly I think I can show you as good a cart house as you built at Woburn. The young seigneur of that place comes here tomorrow, you could not wish him different from what he is, or indeed his brothers, in the summer Reynolds began a Charming picture of them all three, and Miss Caroline Vernon in one canvass. The Fish, tho' one must not tell him so, is certainly better in his health and spirits than he used to be, he finds a great resource in Chess which he is for ever playing at, we have a great loss this year in James and Sir G Macartney, the former took it into his head all a sudden to go to Italy, why or wherefore I don't the least know, as he was taking great pains in finishing his villa, I think it was very hard upon Sir George not to get something better than his government, in which however he expects to better his fortune, but I much fear it will not answer. I suppose you have heard of Selwyns excessive and ridiculous passion for Madame Fagnani's daughter, I suppose he imagines it to Lord Marchs child, but it engrosses him so that he is quite lost to all his acquaintance and grown stupid besides". Compliments...

item

Fox, Charles,
Dorset, John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of,
Vernon, Caroline,
Crawfurd, John,
Macartney, G.,
Fagnani,
March