I have not time or paper to give you a full account of’ a vast treasure that I have discovered at Lord Hertford’s, and brought away with me.  If I were but so lucky as to be thirty years older, i might have been much luckier.  In short, I have got the remains of vast quantities of letters and state papers of the two Lords Conway, secretaries of state—­forty times as many have been using for the oven and the house, by sentence of a steward during my lord’s minority.  Most of what I have got are gnawed by rats, rotten, or not worth a straw:  and yet I shall save some volumes of what is very curious and valuable—­three letters of Mr. Gerrard, of the Charter-house, some of Lord Strafford, and two of old Lennox, the Duchess, etc., etc.  In short, if I can but continue to live thirty years extraordinary, in lieu of those I have missed, I shall be able to give to the world some treasures from the press at Strawberry.  Do tell me a little of your motions, and good night.

(936) Now first printed.

444 Letter 280
To Sir Horace Mann. 
Strawberry Hill, Aug. 24, 1758.

You must go into laurels, you must go into mourning. our expedition has taken Cherbourg shamefully—­I mean the French lost it shamefully—­and then stood looking on while we destroyed all their works, particularly a basin that had cost vast sums.  But, to balance their awkwardness with ours, it proved to be an open place, which we might have taken when we were before it a month ago.  The fleet is now off Portland, expecting orders for landing or proceeding.  Prince Edward gave the ladies a ball, and told them he was too young to know what was good-breeding in France, he would therefore behave as he should if meaning to please in England—­and kissed them all.  Our next and greatest triumph is the taking of Cape Breton, the account of which came on Friday.  The French have not improved like their wines by crossing the sea; but lost their spirit at Louisbourg as much as on their own coast.  The success, especially, in the destruction of their fleet, is very great:  the triumphs not at all disproportioned to the conquest, of which you will see all the particulars in the Gazette.  Now for the chapter of cypresses.  The attempt on Crown-point has failed; Lord Howe(937) was killed in a skirmish; and two days afterwards by blunders, rashness, and bad intelligence, we received a great blow at Ticonderoga.  There is a Gazette, too, with all the history of this.  My hope is that Cape Breton may buy us Minorca and a peace, I have great satisfaction in Captain Hervey’s gallantry; not only he is my friend, but I have the greatest regard for and obligations to my Lady Hervey; he is her favourite son and she is particularly happy.

Mr. Wills is arrived and has sent me the medals, for which I give you a million of thanks; the scarce ones are not only valuable for the curiosity of them, but for their preservation.  I laughed heartily at the Duke of Argyll, and am particularly pleased with the Jesus Rex noster.(938)