I was sorry to learn within these two days that Mrs. Wilberforce is ailing, and "I remain, my dear Wilberforce, "Yours very sincerely, "HENRY DUNDAS." In his later days when he had withdrawn to a great extent from the society which he had charmed in his youth Wilberforce's chief female friends were Hannah More, of whose letters hundreds remain, Martha More, Mrs. Fry, Maria Edgeworth. In strong contrast stand out the friendships of the youthful days, when Wilberforce's Wimbledon villa was the resort of witty and fashionable, rather than of learned and charitable ladies, when he was "sitting up all night singing" and when the society he frequented included Mrs. Siddons, Mrs. Crewe, Mrs. Sheridan, the Duchess of Portland, and last but not least, the beautiful and bewitching Jane Duchess of Gordon, she who raised the regiment of Gordon Highlanders by giving, as was said, the shilling from her mouth to the recruits. The Duchess of Gordon writes to William Wilberforce in July, 1788, of "the many happy hours I have spent at Wimbledon," and from Keswick this versatile woman tells him of the "sweet church" she had passed by and how she "found myself repeating the lines, 'Remote from man with God he passed his days, Prayer all his business, all his pleasure praise': it is thus I should like to live, the world forgetting, by the world forgot." She tries to tempt him to Gordon Castle in these words: "I know that 'silent glens have charms for thee,' and this is the country in which you will find those silent and peaceful abodes. Nature bestowed every wild, uncultivated beauty, with a purer air and brighter horizon. Here Hygeia is to be found; we lead the lives of hermits. Dr. Beattie shall be our companion. We go to bed at eleven, and sometimes visit the majestic ocean before breakfast. I am certain the air of this country would perfectly re-establish your health, which would give joy to thousands, and no one more than, &c., "J. GORDON." In this letter the Duchess encloses her correspondence with Dundas, who was one of the circle at that Liberty Hall of Wimbledon. The Duchess had had a misunderstanding with Dundas which she wished Wilberforce to heal through his influence with Pitt. She had "dropped some words" respecting Dundas to Pitt which had "got round" to the former. Dundas writes to her: "INDIA OFFICE, "_July 4, 1788_. "DEAR DUCHESS,--I received your affectionate note previous to your departure for Scotland. A great part of its contents are more fit for discussion in free conversation than by letter. I have only to beg of you always to keep in remembrance the long letter I wrote to you in consequence of some words you dropped to Mr. Pitt respecting me last winter.