Selwyn. He was born on the 10th of December, 1756, and appointed Under-Secretary of State January 13, 1795.] DEAR SIR, Paris, September 18, 1775. I HAVE been impatient for the post to set out, in order to return you the thanks which I truly owe you for your assistance. We lost so little time on the road that we were safely lodged at this house (l'Hôtel d'Ambourg, Rue Jacob,) on Thursday night, and I waited on Mr. Horace Walpole and Dr. Gem the next morning. The first I found at home, and was received with great civility and assurances of any services he could do me, in procuring me the sight of anything I wished; and though Dr. Gem was not at home when I called, he showed your letter the attention of giving me his advice, when he returned my visit that evening. Since that he has done us the honour of dining with us, on purpose to explain himself fully on the subject. The same thing which you hinted at as a difficulty in my way, did not escape him. I mean, he thinks by my account of my knowledge of the language, that it would not answer my view of passing my time agreeably and advantageously, to be introduced to the companies in which you were acquainted; for that either I should not keep pace with them as a hearer, or, at least, not be able to join in the conversation, if I understood it. I got the following account from Dr. Gem, of the persons mentioned in your letter to him, because you spoke of having had an intimacy with them. Madame de Boufflers is at Paris, and in the same state as when you saw her. Madame Geoffrin is well, and lives as usual. Mons. le Baron d'Olbach lives in the country for the summer season. He omitted Madame du Deffand, whose manner of living you know, because I told him that I had seen her at the Opera with Mr. Walpole. Mons. François is in France, but Dr. Gem does not know whether at Paris or not. I The masquerade, given a little while ago by the ambassador, on the marriage,* is reckoned to have exceeded all that ever were seen. The weather has been very bad till within these two days, or I should have executed your commission relative to Hochreau. The silk stockings I have ordered. was more afraid of the man's sending me bad ones than of his cheating me of a few livres in the price; therefore I ordered six pairs of the best, which are to come to fifteen livres a pair. If you are satisfied with the manner in which I have executed this, I shall flatter myself I shall have the pleasure of receiving some other commissions, if you think of anything I can do here for you. I am, dear sir, Your most affectionate and dutiful nephew, * A bal masqué given by the Count de Viry, ambassador from the King of Sardinia, on the marriage of Madame Clotilde, sister of Louis XVI. THE HON. HORACE WALPOLE TO GEORGE SELWYN. [This letter contains an interesting notice of the celebrated Madame du Deffand, who, as we have already mentioned, had originally been introduced to Horace Walpole by George Selwyn. The former writes to Lady Ailesbury about this period:-"I have found my dear old woman so well, and looking so much better than she did four years ago, that I am transported with pleasure, and thank your ladyship and Mr. Conway for driving me hither. She came to me the instant I arrived, and sat by me whilst I stripped and dressed myself; for, as she said, since she cannot see, there was no harm in my being stark. She was charmed with your present; but was so kind as to be so much more charmed with my arrival, that she did not think of it a moment. I sat with her till half an hour after two in the morning, and had a letter from her before my eyes were open again."* Madame du Deffand, at this period, had entered into her seventy-ninth year.] Paris, Sept. 16, 1775. MR. BRODRICK brought me your letter yesterday, and I told him, as you may be sure, how glad I shall be to be of any use to him. I shall be of little, I believe, as his object is to see things, not persons. Madame du Deffand would have been *Collective Edition of Walpole's Letters, vol. v. p. 426. more pleased with your message, which I delivered immediately, if she had had greater faith in it: yet, when Crawford and I come so often, how can she doubt her power of attraction. If possible, she is more worth visiting than ever: so far am I from being ashamed of coming hither at my age, that I look on myself as wiser than one of the Magi, when I travel to adore this star in the East. The star and I went to the Opera last night, and when we came from Madame de la Valiere's, at one in the morning, it wanted to drive about the town, because it was too early to set. To be sure, you and I have dedicated our decline to very different occupations. You nurse a little girl of four years old, and I rake with an old woman of fourscore? N'importe; we know many sages that take great pains to pass their time with less satisfaction. We have both one capital mortification; have not you? That a great-grand-daughter of Madame de Sévigné pretends, for it is not certain, that she has been debauched by ancient Richelieu,* and half the world thinks that she is more guilty of forgery. The memoirs of the two parties are half as volu * The Marshal Duc de Richelieu, so celebrated for his wit, his gallantries, and military talents, was at this period in his eightieth year. In 1780, at the age of eighty-four, he married at third wife; and, by a miscarriage only, was disappointed of again becoming a father. According to his biographer, his third duchess, notwithstanding his repeated infidelities, was sincerely attached to her octogenarian husband. The duke died in August, 1788, at the age of ninety-two. minous as those of Monsieur de Guines, and more are to appear. You shall have some royal prints. New fashions in dress, furniture, baubles, I have seen none. Feathers are waning, and almost confined to filles and foreigners. I found out an Englishwoman at the Opera last night by her being covered with plumes and no rouge; so well our countrywomen contrive to display their virtue ! I do not tell you about Mons. Turgot's * regulations and reformations, because you care no more about their patrie than your own; but you shall hear a bon-mot of Madame du Deffand. Mons. Turgot has begun several reforms and retracted them: she said,- Dans le bon vieux tems on reculoit pour mieux sauter, au lieu que Mons. Turgot saute pour mieux reculer. Of the house of Harrington I know as much as you do. Lady Barrymore is here, † and my Lord and Lady Harriot‡ are coming: the first is exces *The French Minister of Finance. He was at this period actively engaged in the Augean task of extricating his country from her pecuniary difficulties. Emilia, third daughter of William, second Earl of Harrington, and wife of Richard, sixth Earl of Barrymore. She died in 1780. Walpole writes to General Conway on the 6th of this month: "Lady Barrymore has taken a house. She will be glutted with conquests: I never saw anybody so much admired. I doubt her poor little head will be quite overset." Lady Henrietta Stanhope, fourth daughter of Lord Harrington, married, in March 1776, Thomas, fourth Lord Foley. She died in 1781. |