of the Earl of Shrewsbury, was a member of the House of Commons, and was married.  He writes to the Earl his father, and tells him, that a young woman of a very good character, has been recommended to him for chambermaid to his wife, and if his lordship does not disapprove of it, he will hire her.  There are many letters of news, that are very entertaining too—­but it is nine o’clock, and I must go to Lady Cecilia’s.

Friday.

The Conways, Mrs. Damer, the Farrens, and Lord Mount-Edgcumbe supped at the Johnstones’.  Lord Mount-Edgcumbe said excellently, that “Mademoiselle D’Eon is her own widow.”  I wish I had seen you both in your court-plis, at your presentation; but that is only one wish amongst a thousand.

(795) Lady Craven; who was at this time in Italy with the Margravine of Anspach.  Lord Craven died at Lausanne in September, and the lady was married to the Margrave in October following.-E.

(796) Miss Martel married, in the following September, to Sir William Hamilton-the lady, the infatuated attachment to whom has been said to have been “the only cloud that obscured the bright fame Of the immortal Nelson.”  By the following passage in a letter, written by Romney the painter to Hagley the poet on the 19th of June, it will be seen that she had not been many days in England, before a warm passion for her was engendered in the breast of the artist:—­“At present, and for the greatest part of the summer, I shall be engaged in painting pictures from the divine lady:  I cannot give her any other epithet; for I think her superior to all womankind.  She asked me if you would not write my life:  I told her you had begun it-then, she said, she hoped you would have much to say of her in the life; as she prides herself in being my model."-E.

(797) On the first appearance of his most interesting and instructive Life of Dr. Johnson, a considerable outcry was raised against poor Boswell.  On the subject of this outcry, Mr. Croker in the introduction to his valuable edition of the work, published in 1831, makes the following excellent observations:—­ “Whatever doubts may have existed as to the prudence or the propriety of the original publication—­however naturally private confidence was alarmed, or individual vanity offended—­the voices of criticism and complaint were soon drowned in the general applause.  And, no wonder; the work combines within itself the four most entertaining classes of writing—­biography, memoirs, familiar letters, and that assemblage of literary anecdotes, which the French have taught us to distinguish by the termination Ana.  It was a strange and fortuitous concurrence, that one so prone to talk, and who talked so well, should be brought into such close contact and confidence with one so zealous and so able to record.  Dr. Johnson was a man of extraordinary powers; but Mr. Boswell had qualities, in their own way, almost as rare.  He United lively manners with indefatigable diligence,