"I must now inform you what passed with regard to my affair at
L'ile-Adam.[238:1] My friend showed me a letter, which she had lately
received from Lord Tavistock, by which it appears he had fallen into
great friendship, and bore a great regard to Lady Sarah Bunbury. I
instantly forbade her to write to England a line about my affair. I bear
too great a respect to her, to expose her to ask a favour, where there
was so little probability of success: thus have vanished my best hopes
of obtaining justice in this point. Here is surely no new ground of
attachment to England."[239:1]
HUME _to_ GILBERT ELLIOT _of Minto_.
"_Hotel de Brancas, 30th Sept. 1764._
"After acknowledging that I received both your letters, that from
Brussels, and that from Calais, I should be ashamed to appear before you
with so late a letter. This day fortnight, Lord March and Selwin
appointed to go off. I sent March a very long letter for you, and
enjoined him, as he lived next door to you, to deliver it the moment he
arrived; and having thus done my duty, I went very contentedly to
L'ile-Adam, where I remained for four days. On my return to Paris, I was
much surprised to hear that March, after his post-chaise was yoked, had
changed his mind, and was still in Paris. When I appeared alarmed at
this intelligence, I was told that he had sent off an express to London
with letters, which composed my mind. Next day I saw him, and he fairly
confessed, that from forgetfulness, he had not sent off my letter. I
begged him to send it to me; he promised it, delayed it, promised again,
and at last owns that he has lost it; which gives me great vexation,
both on your account, and my own, for I spoke to you with great freedom,
and am infinitely uneasy lest my letter should fall into bad
hands.[241:1] When I rail at March, I get no other reply than, 'God damn
you! if your letter was of consequence, why the devil did you trust it
to such a foolish fellow as me?' I am therefore obliged, in a great
hurry, to give you some imperfect account of what I have done. I went to
Ansons', who seem a discreet, sober set of people. I came in upon a
mixed company, whose looks pleased me: the only objection is the quarter
of the town, which is straitened; but it is near the University, and
consequently where all the youth of France are educated. I do not like
the talking man more than you; and a very flattering letter he wrote me,
helped further to disgust me. La Bastide, the 10,000 livres man, I went
to see: he seems an agreeable man, and is well spoke of; he lives in an
agreeable house, and in a good air, and has two young Russian princes
with him, who speak very good French; he offers to take your two boys
and preceptor for 8000 livres on the whole, but without paying either
clothes or master. I suppose you would not choose to pay 5000 livres
a-year, merely for the advantage of better air. I have heard a very good
character of one Eriot, professor of rhetoric in the Collège de