dy B(etty?) in the
country, and come up with her to town. What a fracas we shall have
when my Lady Dowager arrives; and if she does not, I see no end of
her vexations. The Admiral says that she talks of coming. . . .

(170) The Countess Dowager of Carlisle.

(1781,) June 18, Monday night.--I saw this morning Lady Julia, who
looks very well, and has no brogue. I sat a great while with her and
Lady Betty, and talked over with them our foreign affairs; but no
letter is come from Warner, although a mail is, as I see by the
papers, arrived both from France and from Flanders. The Jamaica
fleet is safe at last, and the Emperor(171) declares Ostende to be a
free port. The two Houses will rise yet this month, and this is all
that I know of public matters.

Charles, from paying his debts, proceeds to make presents; he is now
quite magnifique avec une abondance de richesses. Varey dined with
me to-day, Storer, and Lord Carmarthaen.

I have now settled with my servants to go to Streatham on a Saturday
after Mie Mie's dancing, and to stay there till Tuesday noon, and
this every week, during the time that I shall stay in this part of
the world; and if I can get no one else to be with me on those days,
I shall take Lobort(?), which will be a benefit to Mie Mie.

The Duke of Gloucester is returned from Bruges, where he passed two
days with the Emperor. What object there was in this expedition
besides that of seeing the Emperor, I do not know. But a cat looking
on a king, could not, in all probability, have more innocent
consequences. Malden, I suppose, is come back with him, as his
conferences with his Imperial Majesty could not be more interesting,
after his R(oyal) H(ighness) was gone.

Lord Cornwallis's letter to Mr. Webster's father on the death of his
son est tres touchante. The town empties extremely. I reckon my stay
to be from this time about five weeks. Belgiosioso told me last
night that he had had letters from Milan, by which he was informed
that the M. Fagnani was gone quite mad. He has been stone blind a
considerable time, and I take for granted both these misfortunes are
come from the same cause, that is, mercury. His experiments to ease
the one probably occasioned the other. I never hear one syllable
from any of the family; I hope in God that I never shall, or poor
Mie Mie either. It grows every day less likely, and yet when I am
out of spirits that Dragon, among others, comes across me and
distresses me; and