Had you been here on the Birthday night, you would have pronounced us of the Wronghead Family, for we had nothing but _contretemps_ from the moment we set out for the Drawingroom till the next day rose upon us. At three we set out in wind and rain for St James's, & drove down Grosvenor Street; but as there was a string of carriages from Oxford Street, to get in was impossible. We therefore turned about and tried Dover Street, but there we were not permitted to go. At last, after much whipping and much delay, we were admitted into the string in Albemarle Street, and in process of time reached St James's safely and proceeded as far as the Guard Room.--Further, we never arrived! All the people who came out of the Drawingroom looked expiring, and begged we would not attempt to go in, as they were almost dead, and many had fainted. Very soon we found the Queen had taken herself off, not having spoken to above one third of the Company. Notwithstanding that we had only our labour for our trouble, we were there till half past seven before we could get our carriage. In the evening I expected Mr Mercer and Lady C. Wortley to sing, and the Eyres. All came but Mr Mercer, the songster,--another disappointment! They stayed with me till half past eleven, when we set out for Mr T. Hope's rout, but after waiting in the street _till near one_, we found to get in was impossible. Therefore very reluctantly we turned about and came home. Did you ever hear of such disappointments? However, we are all quite well, which probably would not have been the case had we done all we intended. The Wit at the Drawingroom was to call it the _levée en masse_. London does not abound in wit. The only things of the sort I have heard are what has been said about Mrs Fox's Ball. The first is given to Fox himself who was asked what it was like, and referred the inquirer to the 22nd Chapter of the First Book of Samuel at the second verse, [37] where is to be found a very just description of it, tho' probably you would not have thought to have looked at your Bible for an account of Mrs Fox's Ball. The other was a _bon mot_ of your friend, Lyttleton [38] who said, "There was all the world, but little of his wife!" Last night I was at Mrs Law's, a very pleasant Assembly. Osborne Markham [39] was flirting with his intended, Lady Mary Thynne, a pretty-looking woman. Mr Lyttleton, whose _bon mot_ respecting Mrs Fox's ball so pleased Mrs Stanhope, was a constant source of amusement to her and her daughters. Earlier that same year, on March 4th, she had written:--