I have received your two letters of July 1st and 7th, with the prices of Stosch’s medals, and the history of the new pontificate.  I will not meddle with the former, content with and thanking you much for those you send me; and for the case of liqueurs, which I don’t intend to present myself with, but to pay you for.

You must, I think, take up with this scrap of a letter; consider it contains a conquest.  If I wrote any longer, before I could finish my letter, perhaps I should hear that our fleet was come back again, and, though I should be glad they were returned safely, it diminishes the lustre of a victory to have a tame conclusion to it-without that, you are left at liberty to indulge vision—­Cherbourg is in France, Havre and St. Maloes may catch the panic, Calais my be surprised, that may be followed by a battle which we may gain; it is but a march of a few days to Paris, the King flies to his good allies the Dutch for safety, Prince Edward takes possession of the Bastile in his brother’s name, to whom the King, content with England and Hanover—­alas!  I had forgot that he has just lost the latter.-Good night!

Sunday morning.

Mr. Conway, who is just come in to carry me away, brings an account of an important advantage gained by a detachment of six battalions of Hanoverians, who have demolished fourteen of the French, and thereby secured the magazines and a junction with the English.

(929) The King.

441 Letter 278
To George Montagu, Esq. 
Strawberry Hill, Aug. 20, 1758.

After some silence, one might take the opportunity of Cherbourg(930) and Louisbourg(931) to revive a little correspondence with popular topics; but I think you are no violent politician, and I am full as little so; I will therefore tell you of what I of course care more, and I am willing to presume you do too; that is, myself.  I have been journeying much since I heard from you; first to the Vine, where I was greatly pleased with the alterations; the garden is quite beautified and the house dignified.  We went over to the Grange, that sweet house of my Lord Keeper’s(932) that you saw too.  The pictures are very good, and I was particularly pleased with the procession, which you were told was by Rubens, but is certainly Vandyke’s sketch for part of that great work, that he was to have executed in the Banqueting-house.  You did not tell me of a very fine Holbein, a woman, who was evidently some princess of the White Rose.

I am just now returned from Ragley, which has had a great deal done to it since I was there last.  Browne(933) has improved both the ground and the water, though not quite to perfection.  This is the case of the house:  where there are no striking faults, but it wants a few Chute or Bentley touches.  I have recommended some dignifying of the saloon with Seymours and Fitzroys, Henry the Eighths and Charles the Seconds.  They will correspond well to the proudest situation imaginable.  I have