men, even when the regiments are complete; and half of those pressed and new-listed men.  For our sea-force, I wish it may be greater in proportion!  Sir Charles Hardy, whose name(934) at least is ill-favoured, is removed, and old Balchen, a firm Whig, put at the head of the fleet.  Fifteen ships are sent for from Matthews; but they may come as opportunely as the army from Williamstadt-in short-but I won’t enter into reasonings-the King is not gone.  The Dutch have sent word, that they can let us have but six of the twenty ships we expected.  My father is going into Norfolk, quite shocked at living to see how terribly his own conduct is justified.  In the city the word is, “Old Sunderland’S(935) game is acting over again.”  Tell me if you receive this letter:  I believe you will scarce give it about in memorials.

Here are arrived two Florentines, not recommended to me, but I have been very civil to them, Marquis Salviati and Conte Delci; the latter remembers to have seen me at Madame Grifoni’s.  The Venetian ambassador met my father yesterday at my Lady Brown’s:  you would have laughed to have seen how he stared and @eccellenza’d him.  At last they fell into a broken Latin chat, and there was no getting the ambassador away from him.

If you have the least interest in any one Madonna in Florence, pay her well for all the service she can do us.  If she can work miracles, now is her time.  If she can’t, I believe we all shall be forced to adore her.  Adieu!  Tell Mr. Chute I fear we should not be quite so well received at the conversazzioni, at Madame de Craon’s, and the Casino,(936) when we are but refugee heretics.  Well, we must hope!  Yours I am, and we will bear our wayward fate together.

(933) The 10th of June was the Pretender’s birthday, and the 11th the accession of George II.

(934) He was of a Jacobite family.

(935) Lord Sunderland, who betrayed James II.

(936) The Florentine coffee-house.

373 Letter 140 To Sir Horace Mann.  London, June 18, 1744.  I have not any immediate bad news to tell you in consequence of my last.  The siege of Ypres does not advance so expeditiously as was expected; a little time gained in sieges goes a great way in a campaign.  The Brest squadron is making just as great a figure in our channel as Matthews does before Toulon and Marseilles.  I should be glad to be told by some nice computers of national glory, how much the balance is on our side.

Anson(937) is returned with vast fortune, substantial and lucky.  He has brought the Acapulca ship into Portsmouth, and its treasure is at least computed at five hundred thousand pounds.  He escaped the Brest squadron by a mist.  You will have all the particulars in a gazette.