young men; and said he had a son of
two-and-twenty, who, he did not doubt, would come over wiser than any of
them. Pitt was provoked, and retorted on his negotiations and
_grey-headed_ experience. At those words, my uncle, as if he had been at
Bartholomew fair, snatched off his wig, and showed his grey hairs, which
made the _august senate_ laugh, and put Pitt out, who, after laughing
himself, diverted his venom upon Mr. Pelham. Upon the question, Pitt's
party amounted but to thirty-six: in short, he has nothing left but his
words, and his haughtiness, and his Lytteltons, and his Grenvilles.
Adieu!

_THE REBEL ARMY HAS RETREATED FROM DERBY--EXPECTATION OF A FRENCH
INVASION._

TO SIR HORACE MANN.

ARLINGTON STREET, _Dec._ 9, 1745.

I am glad I did not write to you last post as I intended; I should have
sent you an account that would have alarmed you, and the danger would
have been over before the letter had crossed the sea. The Duke, from
some strange want of intelligence, lay last week for four-and-twenty
hours under arms at Stone, in Staffordshire, expecting the rebels every
moment, while they were marching in all haste to Derby. The news of this
threw the town into great consternation; but his Royal Highness repaired
his mistake, and got to Northampton, between the Highlanders and London.
They got nine thousand pounds at Derby, and had the books brought to
them, and obliged everybody to give them what they had subscribed
against them. Then they retreated a few miles, but returned again to
Derby, got ten thousand pounds more, plundered the town, and burnt a
house of the Countess of Exeter. They are gone again, and go back to
Leake, in Staffordshire, but miserably harassed, and, it is said, have
left all their cannon behind them, and twenty waggons of sick. The Duke
has sent General Hawley with the dragoons to harass them in their
retreat, and despatched Mr. Conway to Marshal Wade, to hasten his march
upon the back of them. They must either go to North Wales, where they
will probably all perish, or to Scotland, with great loss. We dread them
no longer. We are threatened with great preparations for a French
invasion, but the coast is exceedingly guarded; and for the people, the
spirit against the rebels increases every day. Though they have marched
thus into the heart of the kingdom, there has not been the least symptom
of a rising, nor even in the great towns of which they possessed
themselves. They have got no re