my wife and I lived with my father in Soho Square, from 1754 to 1761; ONSLOW MSS and indeed we had 2007. a year more, 1007. paid by Sir John Shelley to his daughter, and the other by my father to me, and besides this the interest of the money left me by the late Lord Onslow. The 1007. was as much as my father could well spare me then as he spent his whole income in keeping up the necessary dignity of his office, and as I was otherwise a considerable expense to him in the maintaining our children and servants. When he retired and was possessed of the means, he amply shewed his generosity and goodness to me by allowing me every shilling he could and reserving to himself not more than 12 or 1,4007. a year. Thus enabled by him, upon his leaving Soho Square and going into Russell Street, Bloomsbury (where he and my poor good mother died) we removed into Curzon Street, Mayfair, into a very good house there.

In the first Parliament of George 3rd I was chosen knight of the shire for Surrey, and just before my election had the office given me of Surveyor of the King's gardens and waters; a very genteel office and worth to me nearly as much as my other. Both these offices I was removed from in 1763, the famous time when (by the counsels of that wretched man Mr. Henry Fox, afterwards Lord Holland and by the hand of him to whom this country is indebted for all the evils which have happened in this reign, I mean the Earl of Bute) that general massacre was made of almost every man in office from high to low who had had any connection with far better and higher men than themselves, those who composed the Whig Administration of the late reign, especially with the Duke of Newcastle. Among those, very much to my honor, I suffered; if I may so call it, when my father's munificence made that loss of income, great as it was, scarcely to be felt. You will read in the history of those times, of the wretched policy and more wretched end those two ministers came to; and in 1765 all things were set to rights again and every person who had been turned out of their office restore l to it or promoted to better. I was among the latter, for I was appointed a Commissioner of the Treasury with the Marquis of Rockingham, Mr. Dowdeswell, and my friends Lord John Cavendish and Mr. Thomas Townshend junior. I was on that occasion rechosen for the county, and again at the general election in 1768. In the November before, I was made a Privy Councillor and am still a Commissioner of the Treasury now (1771) acting upon the same principles as I can maintain, though with different, but full as good and able men (at my own Board I mean), Lord North in particular whose great abilities and manly courage in standing forth and in the brunt of these most factious times I have had the happiness of being a witness to, and of seeing him save the Constitution and the honour and dignity of Parliament.

Thus much for my public life to this time I shall now say something to you of a private nature and more therefore to my present purpose, which is that you should know some particulars of those you are descended from and related to. First and principally I must mention your mother to whom you both owe so much of that credit which I trust you will ever preserve in the world from her having with such unwearied pains instilled into your minds from your infancy those principles which I have the unspeakable happiness to think I see growing up in you both, and which if you maintain them, must and will carry you through the world with all that happiness and honor I so devoutly wish you both. She was the daughter of Sir John Shelley, of Michelgrove in Sussex, by Margaret daughter of Thomas the first Lord Pelham. I was married to her very young, in the year 1753 (the 26th of June) and have had now during the course of thirty-two years unspeakable obligations to her,

ONSLOW MSS. and each year more and more reason to see and adore her tenderness, truth, generosity, honour, real religion and integrity. Oh! Remember and initate her virtues, and be assured, that if you ever cease to love and respect her when living, or to honour her memory when dead, you will be the most ungrateful of sons. There are few, if any, such examples of maternal kindness and anxiety for the welfare of others as she has felt and shewn to you both. Remember it, I charge you, and return it whenever you can; as you expect a return from your children for your kindnesses and concern for them, and as you hope for the blessing of God on your endeavours for their welfare. Behave to Ler as I with pleasure and comfort can say and acknowledge you do to me. Your being descended from her will ever be a credit to you, and an honour to your name.

So will it be to you, my dear grandchildren, that you are descended from that excellent mother of yours (now, alas, no more) of whom I will attempt to give you some idea. She was the third daughter of Mr. Ellerker, of Risby Park in Yorkshire, and on the death of her brother, became a co-heiress of his fortune (which was 5,000l. a year) with her three sisters; one of whom is married to the present (1785) Earl of Leicester, son of Lord Viscount Townshend. Her mother was Barbara, sister of Mr. Dixon of Belford in Northumberland, to whose bountiful and munificent will you owe so large a part of your fortune; indeed the whole of it, till your father's death, which I hope is far distant. As you have the misfortune of never knowing her yourselves, it is fit you should be informed by me, who, thank God, did know her, what as well as who she was. She was moral, conscientious, and religious in the best sense of the words, having an excellent understanding, and consequently no affectation. She was, indeed, genuine, undisguised truth itself. Her person and gentleness of manners (for she was handsome, civil, elegant, cheerful, calm, and composed at all times and in all places) made her admired wherever she went; but this, though she must have seen and known it, was so far from raising any vanity in her, that she never loved shewing herself and rather avoided public places than otherwise, and never was in one without being glad when she was got back to her family and her home, which she always deemed our house to be as much as her own. She preferred her husband's and his family's interests to every other consideration in this world, loved their company more than any other, and had no intimates but those who were also theirs. She was exemplary in her attention to her children with whom she made it a point to pass most of the morning, and indeed had them under her own eyes almost all the day. Her modera tion was equal to her judgment and was observable on every occasion. In the duties of a wife, mother and daughter none could exceed her. She was alike in body and mind; all cleanliness, purity and decency in both. In thought, word or deed she never gave offence to any creature living, and to those she was most with, nothing but delight. In 1782 we lost this inestimable treasure. Such had she lived, would she have been indeed to you her children, of infinitely more value than the addition which (vast as it is) she has made to the family stock of fortune, though her death was a still greater diminution of its stock of virtue and goodness. May it be long before the latter suffers the only one that can equal it, the death of your grandmother.

You will read in the former part of these notes, who my mother was, and what she was. My father does her justice in what he says of her, and to my knowledge lamented her loss and revered her memory the two years he survived her. I must ever do so, and remember with

gratitude and tenderness her partiality and love to me which! asted from ONSLOW MSS. my birth to the last moments of her life (in June 1766) which I attended with sorrow, as I did my father's afterwards. He died in my arms; as I hope to do in yours.

ONSLOW

10 December 1785.

"His conduct was a legacy to all
Richer than mammon's to a single heir."

[NOTE ON THE REBELLION OF 1745.]

Dr. Young.

26th September 1745.-Hearing in the country the day before, that the rebels in Scotland had defeated the King's troops, commanded by Sir John Cope, at Preston near Edinburgh, I thought it proper to go to Kensington, where the Court then was, to pay my duty to the King, and to learn there, what was to be done upon so extraordinary and so unexpected an event. When the King came into the Drawing Room (being the first public day since the news) he looked as became him on the occasion, with a composedness that showed attention to what had happened, but void of the least appearance of fear or dejection, and just with cheerfulness enough to give spirit to others. I never saw him I think show so much of true greatness as he then did. After he had spoken to several and as usual, he turned to me, and looked as if he would have me to come a little out of the circle, that he might speak to me out of the hearing of others. When I came forwards, which was not however quite out of the hearing of those who had stood close to me, he asked me whether I thought there would be a large appearance of members of the House of Commons, when the Parliament met, which was to be that day three weeks. I told him I hoped and believed there would.

He said it was an extraordinary occasion they met upon that the matter was now become very serious, meaning the progress of the rebels, and that he hoped for and chiefly depended upon the vigour of his Parliament on this occasion, that they must be his true support, and that it was his Parliament he could and would trust to. He said, some things perhaps may fall out that may not be exactly according to law; but as it was a time of danger, he hoped that if any such thing did happen, it would pass by as unavoidable. I told him, he had the law and the legal force of the Kingdom on his side, which was the great support of his cause. He replied, it is true, but things will happen at such a time, that are not strictly within it. He then returned to the talk of his Parliament, and said he did not only now rely upon Parliament, but had always done so, for the support and security of his government; and however he might sometimes have disapproved of some particular men's behaviour there, yet in general he always liked and loved and trusted to Parliaments and added, you, Sir, know this to be true. I said, his doing of that had been the strength and the honour of his Government. He replied, I ever thought so. I told him, I was persuaded his subjects in general were firmly resolved to support him and his family; and considered their own interests as involved in and united with that; and that as our all was therefore now to be defended, I thought all was to be made use of for it. I found he understood me, as meaning, which I did, that all our forces in Flanders should be sent for, in order to put a quick end to this rebellion, and prevent any invasion; upon which he smiled,

ONSLOW MSS. and said somewhat to it, but so low, that I really did not hear enough of it to be able to repeat it.

Two or three other things were then said, which I cannot recollect, and afterwards with some little emotion, looking steadfastly at me, France, says he, has been the occasion of all this; France, the old and bitter enemy of this country, and till her power is checked, or she is subdued (I cannot say which of the expressions) this nation will never be in quiet. He then said, I know your zeal for me, and I depend very much on your activity, your experience, and, he was pleased to add, your capacity. I replied, those words, Sir, do me more true honour and give me more comfort than I ever received in my life.

A. O.