I have just received intelligence that two hogsheads of cyder are shipt for me from Exeter, in the Zephyr Cap^t. Duff,

for Liverpool – directed to George Sealy’s

care. Will you take means for requesting him to forward them by the canal to Kendal; directed for me, to the care of M^r Cookson, Kendal.

Your two packets arrived safely. The dirty letter from Porto was worth sending, tho it contains much less than one might reasonably have expected to find in it. I will bring it up with me. As for the other papers, they are deposited in a xxxxx portfolio, full of documents upon that subject, sent me by poor William Burn.

& Sir John Croft

may rely upon being mentioned as honourably as he deserves, & having his merits stated as fully as is compatible with the nature <character> of history. – The books may stay xxxx as the foundation of a corner-pile, which I hope to see of respectable size. Make my acknowledgements for them. I never heard of the work, but no person can do amiss by giving me books, – & I wish that truth were more generally understood, as it deserves to be, when I really want about two hundred pounds worth.

Edith May certainly will not accompany me to London, – a summer at Keswick has too many attractions, for her to sacrifice it. But she will be very glad to go up at the fall of the leaf, & at that time, if no suitable convoy offers for her, why I must even act as escort myself, eat oysters for a week,

& then rumble back again in the mail.

I wonder Trant

has not sent the promised communications to your care.

M^r Littletons appearance & speech at the dinner to the Sp. & P. Ambassadors surprized me; xx in all likelihood he would express the feelings of the Wellesleys upon this subject;

& that they should desire a war, appears altogether unaccountable. I can conceive only three classes of men who wish for war; the holders of Sp. stock; – the agriculturists who want provisions & rents to be raised, – & the Whigs who are for revolution every where, & who if they had lived during the war in Heaven, would have given a dinner in honour of the Devil & his Angels.

Lord W^m Bentinck is offended with the Government, & being not a very wise man has become a factious one.

He spoke either falsely or ignorantly in representing the condition of the Sp. as to means of defence, as being worse than in 1807. Their army no doubt is bad enough, – but must of necessity be much better than it was then, & all the fortresses are in their own hands. This he kept out of sight; – & he kept out of sight also, the real point in which their present weakness lies, – that they are a divided people, governed by a minority. – The expediency of the French interference is a very doubtful question. They may rout the Sp. armies & occupy Madrid, without restoring order in Spain. Our policy is clearly to remain neutral. If they can establish an efficient government which may <put> an end to clubs, mob-law, & such executions as that of Gen. Elio,

such an issue would undoubtedly be good. If on the other hand they involve themselves in a harrassing contest, it will be to our advantage in this respect, that they will fail in obtaining a preponderating influence over the Spanish counsels. For my own part I know not what to look for; but this I am sure, that there is nothing at issue which is worth a wish. Between two evils so great, as the old despotism of Spain, & the Cortes with its present Constitution,

if a feather could turn the beam, I should not know in which scale to place lay it.