<p><SPAN name="link2H_4_0298" id="link2H_4_0298"></SPAN></p>
<h2> LETTER CCXCVII </h2>
<h3> LONDON, April 6, 1767. </h3>
<p>MY DEAR FRIEND: Yesterday I received your letter from Nimes, by which I
find that several of our letters have reciprocally miscarried. This may
probably have the same fate; however, if it reaches Monsieur Sarrazin, I
presume he will know where to take his aim at you; for I find you are in
motion, and with a polarity to Dresden. I am very glad to find by it, that
your meridional journey has perfectly recovered you, as to your general
state of health; for as to your legs and thighs, you must never expect
that they will be restored to their original strength and activity, after
so many rheumatic attacks as you have had. I know that my limbs, besides
the natural debility of old age, have never recovered the severe attack of
rheumatism that plagued me five or six years ago. I cannot now walk above
half an hour at a time and even that in a hobbling kind of way.</p>
<p>I can give you no account of our political world, which is in a situation
that I never saw in my whole life. Lord Chatham has been so ill, these
last two months, that he has not been able (some say not willing) to do or
hear of any business, and for his 'sous Ministres', they either cannot, or
dare not, do any, without his directions; so everything is now at a stand.
This situation, I think, cannot last much longer, and if Lord Chatham
should either quit his post, or the world, neither of which is very
improbable, I conjecture, that which is called the Rockingham Connection
stands the fairest for the Ministry. But this is merely my conjecture, for
I have neither 'data' nor 'postulata' enough to reason upon.</p>
<p>When you get to Dresden, which I hope you will not do till next month, our
correspondence will be more regular. God bless you!</p>
<p><SPAN name="link2H_4_0299" id="link2H_4_0299"></SPAN></p>
<h2> LETTER CCXCVIII </h2>
<h3> LONDON, May 5, 1767, </h3>
<p>MY DEAR FRIEND: By your letter of the 25th past, from Basle, I presume
this will find you at Dresden, and accordingly I direct to you there. When
you write me word that you are at Dresden, I will return you an answer,
with something better than the answer itself.</p>
<p>If you complain of the weather, north of Besancon, what would you say to
the weather that we have had here for these last two months,
uninterruptedly? Snow often, northeast wind constantly, and extreme cold.
I write this by the side of a good fire; and at this moment it snows very
hard. All my promised fruit at Blackheath is quite destroyed; and, what is
worse, many of my trees.</p>
<p>I cannot help thinking that the King of Poland, the Empress of Russia, and
the King of Prussia, 's'entendent comme larrons en foire', though the
former must not appear in it upon account of the stupidity, ignorance, and
bigotry of his Poles. I have a great opinion of the cogency of the
controversial arguments of the Russian troops, in favor of the Dissidents:
I am sure I wish them success; for I would have all intoleration
intolerated in its turn. We shall soon see more clearly into this matter;
for I do not think that the Autocratrice of all the Russias will be
trifled with by the Sarmatians.</p>
<p>What do you think of the late extraordinary event in Spain? Could you have
ever imagined that those ignorant Goths would have dared to banish the
Jesuits? There must have been some very grave and important reasons for so
extraordinary a measure: but what they were I do not pretend to guess; and
perhaps I shall never know, though all the coffeehouses here do.</p>
<p>Things are here in exactly the same situation, in which they were when I
wrote to you last. Lord Chatham is still ill, and only goes abroad for an
hour in a day, to take the air, in his coach. The King has, to my certain
knowledge, sent him repeated messages, desiring him not to be concerned at
his confinement, for that he is resolved to support him, 'pour et contre
tous'. God bless you!</p>
<p><SPAN name="link2H_4_0300" id="link2H_4_0300"></SPAN></p>
<h2> LETTER CCXCIX </h2>
<h3> LONDON, June 1, 1767. </h3>
<p>MY DEAR FRIEND: I received yesterday your letter of the 20th past, from
Dresden, where I am glad to find that you are arrived safe and sound. This
has been everywhere an 'annus mirabilis' for bad weather, and it continues
here still. Everybody has fires, and their winter clothes, as at
Christmas. The town is extremely sickly; and sudden deaths have been very
frequent.</p>
<p>I do not know what to say to you upon public matters; things remain in
'statu quo', and nothing is done. Great changes are talked of, and, I
believe, will happen soon, perhaps next week; but who is to be changed,
for whom, I do not know, though everybody else does. I am apt to think
that it will be a mosaic Ministry, made up 'de pieces rapportees' from
different connections.</p>
<p>Last Friday I sent your subsidy to Mr. Larpent, who, I suppose, has given
you notice of it. I believe it will come very seasonably, as all places,
both foreign and domestic, are so far in arrears. They talk of paying you
all up to Christmas. The King's inferior servants are almost starving.</p>
<p>I suppose you have already heard, at Dresden, that Count Bruhl is either
actually married, or very soon to be so, to Lady Egremont. She has,
together with her salary as Lady of the Bed-chamber, L2,500 a year,
besides ten thousand pounds in money left her, at her own disposal, by
Lord Egremont. All this will sound great 'en ecus d'Allemagne'. I am glad
of it, for he is a very pretty man. God bless you!</p>
<p>I easily conceive why Orloff influences the Empress of all the Russias;
but I cannot see why the King of Prussia should be influenced by that
motive.</p>
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