Almack’s was last night very full; Lady Anne and Lady Betty(47) were there with Lady Carlisle.  The Duke of Cumb[erlan]d(48) sat between Lady Betty and Lady Sarah, who was his partner.  Lady Sarah, your sister, and His R[oyal] H[ighness] did nothing but dance cotillons in the new blue damask room, which by the way was intended for cards.  The Duchess of Gordon(49) made her first appearance there, who is very handsome; so the beauty of the former night, Lady Almeria Carpenter,(50) was the less regarded.  We will follow, if you please, the veteris vestigia flamme.

There has (sic) been no events this week that I know of, except his Grace of Bedford’s(51) appearance at Court.  His eyes are a ghastly object.  He seems blind himself, and makes every [one] else so that looks at him.  They have no speculation in them, as Shakespear says; what should be white is red, and there is no sight or crystal, only a black spot.  It alters his countenance, and he looks like a man in a tragedy, as in K[ing] Lear, that has had his eyes put out with a fer rouge.

I dined yesterday at Lady Sarah’s with Mr. and Mrs. Garrick.(52) I say as much as I can of Lady Sarah, and her name shall be in every other line, if it will excuse the borishness of my letters in other particulars.

March leaves Lord Spencer’s to-day.  He and Varcy like [lie] to-night at St. Alban’s, and are to be in town to-morrow.  The Northampton Election will cost God knows what.  I dine to-day at Ossory’s.(53) Lady Sarah, Miss Blake, Sir Ch[arles], &c., Sec., dine here on Tuesday.  I chose that, being a post day.

I believe that the best thing I can do is to ask Lord Shelbourne(54) for the courier’s place.  I should be glad of it, if it was tenable with my seat in Parliament.  Sir G. Mac sat last night at supper between Lady Bute(55) and his future, who by the way is laide a faire peur.  I was asking Lady Carlisle which was the most likely, some years ago, to have a Blue Ribband, du beau-pere et du gendre.

Little Harry is not come to town.  Sir Charles goes down into the country next week, but not Lady Sarah that I know of.  I expect Hemmins every hour with the St. Andrew.  He has so much abuse from me every day, that I believe he wishes that I had been crucified instead of St. Andrew.  He swears that one man left the work in the middle of it, and said he would not have his eyes put out in placing those small diamonds that compose the motto.

Mr. Brereton is returned to the Bath, and the street robbers seem dispersed.  The hard weather is gone for the present, so that London will be pleasanter than it has been, for the Jockeys and Macaronis.(56) Garrick criticised your picture of mine, which he saw at Humphry’s; he has that and Sir Charles’s; it is like, but not so good and spirited a likeness as Reynolds’s(57) certainly.  But I am much obliged to you for it.  If you sit to Pompeio I shall hope to have a better, and with your Order.