L30/14/225/5

From Prince Aug Lobkowitz, Prague, to 2nd Baron Grantham (in French):

11 Jan 1777

From: 1777 To: 1777

Translation: We are truly quits my Lord, because I have had the letter with which you honoured me on 1st October on my table having never manage to reply to it, being constantly occupied in sorting out a host of family matters which after an absence of 5 years will give me something to do for some time yet Would you have really have wanted me my Lord, to see our Ambassador before his departure in order to speak well of you. It would surely have given me greater pleasure to inform him of all the advantages of your acquaintance but all that I would have been able to tell him would have fallen far short of the truth and besides, as M le C de Kaunitz is as affable as he is kind , he would not be long in making your acquaintance. It would have been something indeed to see almost all the Diplomatic Corps change in less than a year, if you had not already seen an even greater change a short while ago, that of the Minister for Foreign Affairs is never inconsequential but even less so in the court where you reside. It may not even be that you will have trouble in accustoming yourself to the successor to a gentleman who had no greater pleasure than that of finding himself in company and who did the honours of his house with a courtesy and cordiality which delighted all those who frequented it. I have no trouble in believing that M le Marquis de Grimaldi is very well suited at his new destination. He never stopped telling us that it was with the greatest regret that he left the Embassy in Paris and that he asked nothing better than to be at an Embassy still, add to that, that he is going to a country with an admirable climate and where the respect and consideration in which ambassadors are held, above all that of Spain, goes far beyond what one could imagine; judge from all that if M le Marquis de Grimaldi should not be at ease, having been able to extract himself adroitly from a delicate situation with every advantage and to spend the rest of his days in a sort of peace and quiet which he would have in no way been able to enjoy had he kept his employment. In spite of everything, how interested I will always be in everything that happens in the place where I lived for nearly 4 years, I can only wish that everyone and my dear colleagues in particular will have reason to be happy with M le C de Florida-Blanca whom I only knew slightly by sight in Rome. It is good that the Italian Troupe has been given permission to perform during the festival at the Theatre of Madrid, it has suffered a considerable loss, as has the public through the death of Fabris, who was a pleasure to listen to. On the other hand, that of the Duc d`Albe puts the Vitalafrancas into the position of gentlemen who can live on their income without having to borrow from anyone. I was very pleased to hear that Mesdames de Villahermosa and Cogollado are pregnant and I wish them both sons with all my heart and if the results do not please them, they have only to do the same thing next year. I am extremely surprised my Lord by what you have told me about the inquisition and M d`Olavide, if it gains in strength and he find himself without a protector, in my opinion he is lost, as is M de Bornsaly if ever the King, of whom the news is bad, were to die. As for M de Fanucci his great age and constant infirmity only allowed one a glimpse of such an honourable retirement . I am told that someone called Fernandez has since spent his time badly at the Court of Naples, I do not know the reason but however I would not be vexed about it as I am sure that it is the son of old D Catalina Saxadora of the little Infanta. Please assure Monsieur your brother of my esteem, his suit was finished two months ago and so successfully that I dare to pride myself on the approval of Thomi as well as Fritz. I do not know why the embroideress has not yet sent it to Paris as I ordered her to do and I will write to Vienna about it tomorrow. My wife has charged me to tell you how much she appreciates your remembrances my Lord, and Terese the eldest sends her compliments. The others are all very well, thank God, and Antonito amuses us constantly, For the rest I seldom deserve any praise for my high spirits but how do you expect me to be physically content in a country, albeit my native land, where one sees nothing but snow everywhere and where yesterday the thermometer was at 22 degrees below freezing? I have still forgotten to tell you that all the things you had the goodness to have sent from England arrived in good condition except the barometer from which a little mercury had spilled. Please convey a thousand compliments to our dear Comte Masin who currently has the comfort of having his 2 sons with him and if any other of our gentlemen remembers me, I beg you my Lord to thank them on my behalf and I beg that you yourself be assured of the unalterable affection with which I have the honour to be, Your very humble and obedient servant, Aug Lobkowitz.

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Grimaldi,
Kaunitz,
Fabris,
Villahermosa,
Cogollado,
Robinson, Frederick,
Masin,
Olavide,
Bornsaly

DEATH, singer