principally about Lord
Morpeth, as I perceive he is in general uppermost in his thoughts, and
the subject on which he converses le plus volontiers avec moi. Le seul
bien qui nous rests, &c.

We had a debate on Monday, when Mr. Pitt for the first time made such a
speech, that it excited the admiration very justly of every man in the
House. Except he had foreseen the particular species of nonsense which
Lord Nugent was to utter, his speech could not be prepared; it was
delivered without any kind of improper assurance, but with the exact
proper self-possession which ought to accompany a speaker. There was
not a word or a look which one would have wished to correct. This, I
believe, in general was the universal sense of all those who heard him,
and exactly the effect which his speech had on me, at the time I heard
it.

Mr. Sheridan did very well; he said a very (few) words in answer to Mr.
Courtenay, each word being exactly placed where it ought to be--quasi
tesserata emblemate--as if he had studied them a week beforehand, and
had read them instead of speaking them. His harvest at the Opera House
is likely to be very successful, for his Saturdays and Tuesdays are so
full, that he is going even to attempt the Thursdays. Vestris' Ballet
people think too long. "It is impossible that an English audience
should be satisfied. They don't know when they have got a good
spectacle, and think that finding fault is the only way to pass for
judges." Such are the words of his Honour, the prophet Brudenell. John
St. John says that the Baccelli is thrown away in the part of Nannette;
au lieu d'etre danseuse, elle n'est que la Columbine. This he takes
from the Baccelli, and the Duke of Dorset. John acts a strange
underpart at the theatre. Mademoiselle Baccelli's runner is not so
honourable an employment as being Lord North's.

Selwyn lost within this week a large sum of money. He was so larmoyant
the other morning, that I did not dare to ask him any questions about
it. Delme has sold all his hunters, and sold them at very extraordinary
prices; his hounds too sold excessively well; it was fortunate at all
events to part with them, but the people who bought them, according to
all accounts, were as mad as he had been in keeping them. . . .

In Monday night's debate neither Dunning (n)or Barry was in the House;
that looks very like a measure; it is impossible that should be mere
accident. Opposition were without several of their plumpers th