n of Lady Archibald, and was aide-de-camp to Mr.
Conway. He is picture-mad, and will ruin himself in virtu-land. His
wife is as musical as he is connoisseur, but she is dying of an asthma.

[Footnote 1: Mr. W. Hamilton, afterwards Sir William, was the husband of
the celebrated Lady Hamilton.]

I have never heard of the present[1] you mention of the box of essences.
The secrets of that prison-house do not easily transpire, and the merit
of any offering is generally assumed, I believe, by the officiating
priests.

[Footnote 1: A present from Sir Horace, I believe, to the
Queen.--WALPOLE.]

Lord Tavistock is to be married to-morrow to Lady Elizabeth Keppel, Lord
Albemarle's sister.

I love to tell you an anecdote of any of our old acquaintance, and I
have now a delightful one, relating, yet indirectly, to one of them. You
know, to be sure, that Madame de Craon's daughter, Madame de Boufflers,
has the greatest power with King Stanislaus. Our old friend the Princess
de Craon goes seldom to Luneville for this reason, not enduring to see
her daughter on that throne which she so long filled with absolute
empire. But Madame de Boufflers, who, from his Majesty's age, cannot
occupy _all_ the places in the palace that her mother filled,
indemnifies herself with his Majesty's Chancellor. One day the lively
old monarch said, "Regardez, quel joli petit pied, et la belle jambe!
Mon Chancellier vous dira le reste." You know this is the form when a
King of France says a few words to his Parliament, and then refers them
to his chancellor. I expect to hear a great deal soon of the princess,
for Mr. Churchill and my sister are going to settle at Nancy for some
time. Adieu!

_THE KING OF POLAND--CATHERINE OF RUSSIA._

TO SIR HORACE MANN.

STRAWBERRY HILL, _Aug._ 13, 1764.

I am afraid it is some thousands of days since I wrote to you; but woe
is me! how could I help it? Summer will be summer, and peace peace. It
is not the fashion to be married, or die in the former, nor to kill or
be killed in the latter; and pray recollect if those are not the sources
of correspondence. You may perhaps put in a caveat against my plea of
peace, and quote Turks Island[1] upon me; why, to be sure the
parenthesis is a little hostile, but we are like a good wife, and can
wink at what we don't like to see; besides, the French, like a sensible
husband, that has made a slip, have promised us a new topknot, so we
have kissed and are very good friends.