the debate hobbled on very lamely, when on a sudden your brother rose,
and made such a speech[1]--but I wish anybody was to give you the
account except me, whom you will think partial: but you will hear enough
of it, to confirm anything I can say. Imagine fire, rapidity, argument,
knowledge, wit, ridicule, grace, spirit; all pouring like a torrent, but
without clashing. Imagine the House in a tumult of continued applause,
imagine the Ministers thunderstruck; lawyers abashed and almost
blushing, for it was on their quibbles and evasions he fell most
heavily, at the same time answering a whole session of arguments on the
side of the court. No, it was _unique_; you can neither conceive it, nor
the exclamations it occasioned. Ellis, the Forlorn Hope, Ellis presented
himself in the gap, till the ministers could recover themselves, when on
a sudden Lord George Sackville _led up the Blues_; spoke with as much
warmth as your brother had, and with great force continued the attack
which he had begun. Did not I tell you he would take this part? I was
made privy to it; but this is far from all you are to expect. Lord North
in vain rumbled about his mustard-bowl, and endeavoured alone to outroar
a whole party: him and Forrester, Charles Townshend took up, but less
well than usual. His jealousy of your brother's success, which was very
evident, did not help him to shine. There were several other speeches,
and, upon the whole, it was a capital debate; but Plutus is so much more
persuasive an orator than your brother or Lord George, that we divided
but 122 against 217. Lord Strange, who had agreed to the question, did
not dare to vote for it, and declared off; and George Townshend, who had
actually voted for it on Friday, now voted against us. Well! upon the
whole, I heartily wish this administration may last: both their
characters and abilities are so contemptible, that I am sure we can be
in no danger from prerogative when trusted to such hands!

[Footnote 1: Walpole must have exaggerated the merits of this speech;
for Conway was never remarkable for eloquence. Indeed, Walpole himself,
in his "Memoirs of George II.," quotes Mr. Hutchinson, the Prime
Serjeant in Ireland, contrasting him with Lord G. Sackville, "Lord
George having parts, but no integrity; Conway integrity, but no parts:
and now they were governed by one who had neither." And Walpole's
comment on this comparison is: "There was more wit than truth in this
description. Con