I wish that Storer would be in humour with them till the Session was over, and say nothing.  If then nothing is done, he may begin his grumbling.  W. K. and John, I take it for granted, report these things, if they happen to hear of them.  He will succeed at last, I do not doubt; in the meantime, le meilleur parti est de se taire.

Lady Julia, as I understand, is to meet Lady B(etty?) in the country, and come up with her to town.  What a fracas we shall have when my Lady Dowager arrives; and if she does not, I see no end of her vexations.  The Admiral says that she talks of coming. . . .

(170) The Countess Dowager of Carlisle.

(1781,) June 18, Monday night.—­I saw this morning Lady Julia, who looks very well, and has no brogue.  I sat a great while with her and Lady Betty, and talked over with them our foreign affairs; but no letter is come from Warner, although a mail is, as I see by the papers, arrived both from France and from Flanders.  The Jamaica fleet is safe at last, and the Emperor(171) declares Ostende to be a free port.  The two Houses will rise yet this month, and this is all that I know of public matters.

Charles, from paying his debts, proceeds to make presents; he is now quite magnifique avec une abondance de richesses.  Varey dined with me to-day, Storer, and Lord Carmarthaen.

I have now settled with my servants to go to Streatham on a Saturday after Mie Mie’s dancing, and to stay there till Tuesday noon, and this every week, during the time that I shall stay in this part of the world; and if I can get no one else to be with me on those days, I shall take Lobort(?), which will be a benefit to Mie Mie.

The Duke of Gloucester is returned from Bruges, where he passed two days with the Emperor.  What object there was in this expedition besides that of seeing the Emperor, I do not know.  But a cat looking on a king, could not, in all probability, have more innocent consequences.  Malden, I suppose, is come back with him, as his conferences with his Imperial Majesty could not be more interesting, after his R(oyal) H(ighness) was gone.

Lord Cornwallis’s letter to Mr. Webster’s father on the death of his son est tres touchante.  The town empties extremely.  I reckon my stay to be from this time about five weeks.  Belgiosioso told me last night that he had had letters from Milan, by which he was informed that the M. Fagnani was gone quite mad.  He has been stone blind a considerable time, and I take for granted both these misfortunes are come from the same cause, that is, mercury.  His experiments to ease the one probably occasioned the other.  I never hear one syllable from any of the family; I hope in God that I never shall, or poor Mie Mie either.  It grows every day less likely, and yet when I am out of spirits that Dragon, among others, comes across me and distresses me; and the thought of what must happen to that child, if I am not alive to protect her.  You will not wonder