when on a sudden your brother rose, and made such a speech[1]—­but I wish anybody was to give you the account except me, whom you will think partial:  but you will hear enough of it, to confirm anything I can say.  Imagine fire, rapidity, argument, knowledge, wit, ridicule, grace, spirit; all pouring like a torrent, but without clashing.  Imagine the House in a tumult of continued applause, imagine the Ministers thunderstruck; lawyers abashed and almost blushing, for it was on their quibbles and evasions he fell most heavily, at the same time answering a whole session of arguments on the side of the court.  No, it was unique; you can neither conceive it, nor the exclamations it occasioned.  Ellis, the Forlorn Hope, Ellis presented himself in the gap, till the ministers could recover themselves, when on a sudden Lord George Sackville led up the Blues; spoke with as much warmth as your brother had, and with great force continued the attack which he had begun.  Did not I tell you he would take this part?  I was made privy to it; but this is far from all you are to expect.  Lord North in vain rumbled about his mustard-bowl, and endeavoured alone to outroar a whole party:  him and Forrester, Charles Townshend took up, but less well than usual.  His jealousy of your brother’s success, which was very evident, did not help him to shine.  There were several other speeches, and, upon the whole, it was a capital debate; but Plutus is so much more persuasive an orator than your brother or Lord George, that we divided but 122 against 217.  Lord Strange, who had agreed to the question, did not dare to vote for it, and declared off; and George Townshend, who had actually voted for it on Friday, now voted against us.  Well! upon the whole, I heartily wish this administration may last:  both their characters and abilities are so contemptible, that I am sure we can be in no danger from prerogative when trusted to such hands!

[Footnote 1:  Walpole must have exaggerated the merits of this speech; for Conway was never remarkable for eloquence.  Indeed, Walpole himself, in his “Memoirs of George II.,” quotes Mr. Hutchinson, the Prime Serjeant in Ireland, contrasting him with Lord G. Sackville, “Lord George having parts, but no integrity; Conway integrity, but no parts:  and now they were governed by one who had neither.”  And Walpole’s comment on this comparison is:  “There was more wit than truth in this description.  Conway’s parts, though not brilliant, were solid” (vol. ii. p. 246).  In his “Life of Pitt” Lord Stanhope describes him as “a man who, in the course of a long public life, had shown little vigour or decision, but who was much respected for his honourable character and moderate counsels” (c. 5).]

Before I have done with Charles Townshend, I must tell you one of his admirable bon mots.  Miss Draycote, the great fortune, is grown very fat; he says her tonnage is become equal to her poundage.