I did indeed wonder what was become of you, & you would long ago have received some enquiries upon the subject, if at this season of the year I had had leisure for any employment which might be dispensed with. What a shock have you escaped in not having been with poor Bourke

at the time of his seizure!

My dear Grosvenor why will you not lay in your stock of good air here rather than at the sea. Come early in October, the sooner the better. At the end of that month, or a little later (if the weather be fine enough to delay us here) my daughter & I set off on our southern travels. Our plan is to take some Ladies from the Island

under convoy, & fill two chaises – they are the two sisters of the first M^rs Peachy,

– their Uncles widow Lady Malet,

& Miss Malet,

Sir Charless daughter by an Indian woman. Why cannot you & Henry & Miss Page come here for three or four weeks & travel back in this caravan, which purposes to see the Yorkshire Caves & the Peak on its way?

I received two or three weeks ago a begging letter from one J.W. Page,

who must have been at Westminster (by his age) in our time, but I have no recollection of him. His credentials are good, & the story sad enough – When you pass by Hatchards,

if you will give twenty shillings in my name to his account, – you will make me feel more at ease upon this score, than I have done in letting his application lie unnoticed

I heard of Lord G. at Keswick after he had been here, – but of course had I known of his presence, I should not have presented myself. I was twice invited to meet Canning at M^r Boltons, –

the expence of time & of conveyance was more than the object would have been worth, & therefore I xx excused myself; as I have done likewise from a very obliging invitation to the Music at York, from a M^r York, who married Lord Harewood’s sister.

You will be pleased to hear that we have a most worthy cat, of the more worthy gender, & moreover an entire cat, (for Cats never go into the boot here xx)

– whose name is Earl Rumpelstilschen, Baron Macbum: Macbum being patronymical, he having been born in the house of a Bailiff.

I hope you admire the name, & I am sure you would admire the fine condition, the perfect good humour, & the excellent laziness of this noble cat, who is moreover brave as he is gentle having done good-service against the rats, & being often engaged in furious combat with a rival named Hurliburlibuss, who prowls round about the house.