Had this recall happened a week later I should not have wondered:  it was haughty, indeed, at the time it was dictated; but two days, and we heard of the reversal of all the King of Prussia’s triumphs; of his being beat by Count Daun; of the siege of Prague being raised:  of Prince Charles falling on their retreat and cutting off two thousand:  we would willingly not believe to the extent of all this,(797) yet we have known what it is to have our allies or ourselves beaten!  The Duke has been forced to pass the Weser, but writes that the French are so distressed for provisions that he hopes to repass it.  I notified to you the settlement of the ministry, and, contrary to late custom, have not to unnotify it again.  However, it took ten days to complete, after an inter-ministerium of exactly three months.  I have often called this the age of abortions; for the present, the struggles of the three factions, that threatened such disturbances, have gone off like other forebodings.  I think I told you in my last the chief alterations; the King would not absolutely give the secretary at war to Lord George Sackville; Lord Barrington remains:  the Duke of Dorset would not take a pension eo nomine; his cinque-ports are given to him for life, with a salary of four thousand pounds a-year.  Lord Cholmondeley, who is removed for Potter, has a pension equal to his place.  Mr. M’Kinsy is not treasurer to the Princess, as I told you.  One of the most extraordinary parts of the new system is the advancement of Sir Robert Henley.  He was made attorney-general by Mr. Fox at the end of last year, and made as bad a figure as might be.  Mr. Pitt insisting upon an attorney-general of his own, Sir Robert Henley is made lord keeper!(798) The first mortification to Lord Holderness has been, that, having been promised a garter as well as Lord Waldegrave, and but one being vacant, that one, contrary to customs has been given to the latter, with peculiar marks of grace.  I now come to your letter of June 18th, and attribute to your distance, or to my imperfect representations of our actors and affairs, that you suppose our dissensions owing to French intrigues—­we want no foreign causes; but in so precarious a letter as this I cannot enter into farther explanations; indeed the French need not be at any trouble to distract or weaken our councils!

I cannot be at peace while your fate is in suspense; I shall watch every step that relates to it, but I fear absolutely impotent to be of any service to you:  from Pucci’s not being recalled, I would hope that he will not be.  Adieu!

P. S. Lord Dublin is not yet first lord of trade; there are negotiations for recovering Lord Halifax.

July 5th.

As I was sending this to London I received the newspapers of yesterday, and see that old Pucci is just dead.  I cannot help flattering myself that this is a favourable event:  they cannot recall no minister; and when they do not, I think we shall not.