LONDON,December 15,1758.
MY DEAR FRIEND:It is a great while since I heard from you,but I hope that good,not ill health,has been the occasion of this silence:I will suppose you have been,or are still at Bremen,and engrossed by your Hessian friends.
Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick is most certainly to have the Garter,and Ithink I have secured you the honor of putting it on.When I say SECURED,I mean it in the sense in which that word should always be understood at courts,and that is,INSECURELY;I have a promise,but that is not 'caution bourgeoise'.In all events,do not mention it to any mortal,because there is always a degree of ridicule that attends a disappointment,though often very unjustly,if the expectation was reasonably grounded;however,it is certainly most prudent not to communicate,prematurely,one's hopes or one's fears.I cannot tell you when Prince Ferdinand will have it;though there are so many candidates for the other two vacant Garters,that I believe he will have his soon,and by himself;the others must wait till a third,or rather a fourth vacancy.Lord Rockingham and Lord Holdernesse are secure.Lord Temple pushes strongly,but,I believe,is not secure.This commission for dubbing a knight,and so distinguished a one,will be a very agreeable and creditable one for you,'et il faut vous en acquitter galamment'.
In the days of ancient chivalry,people were very nice who they would be knighted by and,if I do not mistake,Francis the First would only be knighted by the Chevalier Bayard,'qui etoit preux Chevalier et sans reproche';and no doubt but it will be recorded,'dans les archives de la Maison de Brunswick',that Prince Ferdinand received the honor of knighthood from your hands.
The estimates for the expenses of the year 1759are made up;I have seen them;and what do you think they amount to?No less than twelve millions three hundred thousand pounds:a most incredible sum,and yet already subscribed,and even more offered!The unanimity in the House of Commons,in voting such a sum,and such forces,both by sea and land,is not the less astonishing.This is Mr.Pitt's doing,AND IT IS MARVELOUSIN OUR EYES.
The King of Prussia has nothing more to do this year;and,the next,he must begin where he has left off.I wish he would employ this winter in concluding a separate peace with the Elector of Saxony;which would give him more elbowroom to act against France and the Queen of Hungary,and put an end at once to the proceedings of the Diet,and the army of the empire;for then no estate of the empire would be invaded by a co-estate,and France,the faithful and disinterested guarantee of the Treaty of Westphalia,would have no pretense to continue its armies there.
I should think that his Polish Majesty,and his Governor,Comte Bruhl,must be pretty weary of being fugitives in Poland,where they are hated,and of being ravaged in Saxony.This reverie of mine,I hope will be tried,and I wish it may succeed.Good-night,and God bless you!