having intended a journey into Warwickshire to see Lady Hertford while my lord is in Ireland, and having accordingly ordered my letters thither, though without going, I did not receive yours of the 22d till last week; and though you desired an immediate acknowledgment of it, I own I did defer till I could tell you I had been at Linton,(820) from whence I returned yesterday.  I had long promised your brother a visit; the immediate cause was very melancholy, and I must pass over it rapidly-in short, I am going to place an urn in the church there to our dear Gal.!  If I could have divested myself of that thought, I should have passed my time very happily; the house is fine, and stands like the citadel of Kent; the whole county is its garden.  So rich a prospect scarce wants my Thames.  Mr. and Mrs. Foote(821) are settled there, two of the most agreeable and sensible people I ever met.  Their eldest boy has the finest countenance in the world; your nephew Hory(822) was there too, and has a sweetness of temper, as if begot between your brother and you, and not between him and his Tusephone.  Your eldest brother has not only established your sister Foote there, which looks well, but dropped very agreeable hints about Hory.

Your letter has confirmed my satisfaction about your situation about which indeed I am easy.  I am persuaded you will remain at Florence as long as King George has any minister there.  I do not imagine that a recall obliges you to return home; whether you could get your appointments continued is very different.  It is certainly far from unprecedented:  nay, more than one have received them at home—­but that is a favour far beyond my reach to obtain.  Should there be occasion, you must try all your friends, and all that have professed themselves so; your Mr. Pelham(823) might do something.  In the mean time, neglect none of the ministers.  If you could wind into a correspondence with Colonel Yorke,(824) at the Hague, he may be of great service to you.  That family is very Powerful:  the eldest brother, Lord Royston,(825) is historically curious and political:  if without its appearing too forced, you could at any time send him uncommon letters, papers, manifestoes’, and things of that sort, it might do good service.  My dear child, I can give you better advice than assistance:  I believe I have told you before, that I should rather hurt you than serve you by acting openly for you.

I told you in my last Admiral Boscawen’s affair too strongly:  he is not disgraced nor dismissed, but seems to reckon himself both.  The story is far from exactly known:  what I can sift out is, that he indulged himself in a great latitude in a most profitable station, was recalled against his inclination, for the present expedition; not being easily met, a second commander was appointed, whom it seems he did not much care to serve under at first.  He does not serve at all, and his Boscawenhood is