[Footnote 1:  Second daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales.—­WALPOLE.]

I receive yours of August 25.  To all your alarms for the King of Prussia I subscribe.  With little Brandenburgh he could not exhaust all the forces of Bohemia, Hungary, Austria, Muscovy, Siberia, Tartary, Sweden, &c., &c., &c.—­but not to politicize too much, I believe the world will come to be fought for somewhere between the North of Germany and the back of Canada, between Count Daun and Sir William Johnson.[1]

[Footnote 1:  Our General in America—­WALPOLE.]

You guessed right about the King of Spain; he is dead, and the Queen Dowager may once more have an opportunity of embroiling the little of Europe that remains unembroiled.

Thank you, my dear Sir, for the Herculaneum and Caserta that you are sending me.  I wish the watch may arrive safe, to show you that I am not insensible to all your attentions for me, but endeavour, at a great distance, to imitate you in the execution of commissions.

I would keep this letter back for a post, that I might have but one trouble of sending you Quebec too; but when one has taken so many places, it is not worth while to wait for one more.

Lord George Sackville, the hero of all conversation, if one can be so for not being a hero, is arrived.  He immediately applied for a Court-Martial, but was told it was impossible now, as the officers necessary are in Germany.  This was in writing from Lord Holdernesse—­but Lord Ligonier in words was more squab—­“If he wanted a Court-Martial, he might go seek it in Germany.”  All that could be taken from him, is, his regiment, above two thousand pounds a year:  commander in Germany at ten pounds a day, between three and four thousand pounds:  lieutenant-general of the ordnance, one thousand five hundred pounds:  a fort, three hundred pounds.  He remains with a patent place in Ireland of one thousand two hundred pounds, and about two thousand pounds a year of his own and wife’s.  With his parts and ambition it cannot end here; he calls himself ruined, but when the Parliament meets, he will probably attempt some sort of revenge.

They attribute, I don’t know with what grounds, a sensible kind of plan to the French; that De la Clue was to have pushed for Ireland, Thurot for Scotland, and the Brest fleet for England—­but before they lay such great plans, they should take care of proper persons to execute them.[1]

[Footnote 1:  De la Clue and the French were this year making unusual efforts to establish a naval superiority over us, which they never had done, and never will do.  As is mentioned in this letter, one powerful fleet was placed under De la Clue, another under Conflans, and a strong squadron under Commodore Thurot.  De la Clue, however, for many weeks kept close in Toulon, resisting every endeavour of Boscawen to tempt him out, till the English admiral was compelled to retire to Gibraltar for the repair of some of his