sible, but has, never once mentioned his cousin's name. Should Mr. Fazackerley have reached Malta instead of Palmyra-for travellers never do what they intend to do-tell him that I have made this progress, that a certain gentleman has lamented that particular circumstances prevent his having the honour of making my acquaintance, &c. &c. of fine things. Mr. F. will then tell you what this means, and make you laugh; tell him, moreover, I shall not give it up yet, circumstances may change. Once more adieu. Oh, one word more. The month of February is not far off, yet the French may still knock down a theatre before that period, and make an engagement void; if they do not, I must, or I shall be considered a false prophet. Lady Hester Stanhope to Lieut.-General Oakes. My dear General, Terapia, March 9, 1811. Every body in England have so much to think of at this moment that I need not regret not having time to write by this opportunity; but I must acknowledge your kind little note of the 14th of February, for which I return you many thanks. I received one from my disagreeable cousin Wynne (at least every person thinks him so, and it is so long since I have seen him that I almost forget what he is like, only remember he is ugly). W. sends me, as I had reason to believe, a present from the Duchess of Rutland, but alas ! the box was empty; he says he shall be here next month, and then I shall make him account for having lost my trinket. Lord Sligo we expect every day from Smyrna; I fear he has got into a sad scrape about the deserters he took on board his brig; but as he has been involved by the lies of traders, and of Mr. John or James the footman, I trust the naval men will hear reason, as I am sure he intended no disrespect to the service, though he has been very, very imprudent, and it has been difficult to make him attach sufficient importance to the subject, which he began by laughing at, and thinking it fine fun. The servants who went to Athens to fetch his baggage three months ago, chose to hoist English colours on board a Greek ship, and were nearly taken by two French privateers, and were obliged to hide themselves in some little port for a long time. Such a set you never saw. When he wrote, but a fortnight ago, he had not seen them at Smyrna, so perhaps they are taken, for all we know. A French merchant told me of their being pursued. Will you have the goodness to enclose Bruce's letter and the doctor's to some official person, and you will much oblige me. I send you a coin for yourself, which I hope is worth something; but I am no judge of these things. My next letter shall be a long one, and will follow this shortly, I trust, as I find Canning expects to send off another courier soon. I find a great many English are expected here in the spring. The weather within these few days has been quite heavenly, and I propose to myself great pleasure of riding a new horse (now breaking for me) which B. brought from Asia. He desires to be most kindly remembered to you, and would write, but is so busy reading debates, as the papers set off to-morrow to Persia. I cannot tell you all I think and what I feel about what is now passing in England; I am only glad I am out of it, having no power to do good. The Duke of York's speech I think the best which has been made, its sentiments are those of an honest man, delivered with modesty and feeling. How many things I have to say to you of all sorts, my dear General, if I could converse instead of writing to you; but as I cannot, I shall take my leave of you for the present, assuring you of the respect and regard with which I shall ever remain, Most sincerely yours, H. L. STANHope. Lady Hester Stanhope to Lieut.-General Oakes. My dear General, Terapia, April 15, 1811. I have much to say to you, but as you will see Lord Sligo, I do not know the use of putting it upon paper. He will answer you every question you may ask about me, even should they be very curious ones; he has my leave for so doing. He will also tell you that Pozzo di Borgo is here, and what we suppose his plans to be, and likewise the stupid business about the Spanish palace; really to see Canning's agitation must be good, but he has been so much occupied that I have seen nothing of him lately, but he sent me your letter about Lord C., and sorry I am to learn that you have had so much to vex you, but I hope that it will end to your satisfaction. The moment B. and I learned of Mr. Le Marchant's arrival, and found by your letter to Mr. Canning he was a friend of yours, we sent for him to come here: he conformably accepted the invitation, and is gone over to Belgrade to-day with B., and joins Lord Sligo to-morrow at Pera. I inclose you a purse to make my letter look a respectable size; when I hear from you I shall have some new topic to write upon : that pleasure, I trust, will not be long deferred, in the mean time, believe me, dear General, Ever yours, most sincerely, Lady Hester Stanhope to Lieut.-General Oakes. H. L. S. Terapia, April 23, 1811. My dear General, When at Zante we received the greatest possible kindness from a Mr. Voltero, a friend of Major Oswald's, at whose house he lodged; the General and every one else in the island spoke most highly of this man, and nothing short of real goodness of heart could have made a man so popular, or induced him to show such great hospitality to strangers. He gave us two letters to this place to friends of his, who he thought might be useful to us in their way. Mr. Spiro Chielmi is one of them; he is going to Malta, and has requested to have a letter of recommendation to you: I think I risk nothing in giving him one, for I believe I may justly say that it is very unlikely that Mr. Voltero should have recommended an unworthy person to us. He takes his passage to Malta in the St. Giorgo, commanded by Giorgio Deorize, and he says your protection will be of the greatest advantage to him; and I doubt not that you will grant it him, if he proves as modest in any little request he may have to make as I expect he will be. I cannot say how mortified I am that Bruce and Lord Sligo looked a whole day for that sort of handsome Turkish bridle the shops are sometimes full of, but found none at that moment which was worthy of your acceptance; but another time I hope B. will be more fortunate in his search. Believe me, my dear General, H. L. S. We are going, the day after to-morrow, to Belgrade for a few days, and then to Brusa; but continue, if you please, to direct our letters to Canning, who will forward them. I mention this that you should not be surprised should you receive no letters by the return of the courier. Lady Hester Stanhope to Lieut.-General Oakes. Terapia, May 2, 1811. I am just departing for Brusa in Asia, and luckily was not gone when your packet and letter of the 5th of April arrived here. I thank you a thousand times for your long and kind letter, which I cannot answer now, but only acknowledge. I have scribbled some for England, which I beg you to forward. When I get to Brusa I will write you a volume. Before that you will have seen Lord Sligo, pray, pray, advise and direct this young man. The interest I take in him will be explained when you see him, if you choose to question him about me. Kindly as you have acted towards me I should not wish to be the person to deceive you about any thing, unless it was your own wish. Lord S. can tell you things I cannot write, and then you will not wonder that I should feel an interest about a man whose conduct has been all kindness, honour, and delicacy towards me. He talks of going to Cadiz his object he will also tell you. I often have wished I knew General G. as well as I do you, that I might entreat him to use his influence with my brother to act a sensible part. I think I have now said enough to prove to you I do not wish to keep any secrets from you, and you may lead to these subjects, if you will condescend to feel any interest in a person whose actions may appear strange, but whose motives are as honourable as their feelings are violent. Ever yours, most sincerely, Lady Hester Stanhope to Lieut.-General Oakes. H. L. S. Brusa, June 2, 1811. Private. My dear General, Your kind letter of the 30th of April deserves a long one in return, but I have hardly had time to be recovered from the joy I felt at the good news you sent me. That James is safe I have had the happiness to learn from himself, and also that of his General has had an opportunity (for that only was wanting) of raising himself in the annals of fame. I cannot conceive any action more glorious to the British arms, more brilliant in itself, but I am outrageous against the Spaniards; you know I hate them, and I think I have now good reason, for had they acted as they ought to have done, what might not have been accomplished? Not having seen the accounts of Massena's retreat, which you allude to, I cannot form any just idea upon the share of merit that Lord Wellington has in the business: he may be a good General, but he is a vain man, and seldom states things just as they are; it is also just possible that Massena may wish to deceive him, and that he retreated from design, more than necessity; time, however, will prove that has occasioned this singular and sudden movement. Canning is wild with hope; and if ministers and generals were as much to be depended upon as you are, I should be so too; but as it is, I shall postpone being too much elated. The news you tell me about the dear Duke of York gives me a degree of heartfelt satisfaction I cannot describe, for few persons ever lamented more than I have done, that the army should be deprived of its best friend, or shall rejoice more at his returning to his former situation. Lord William Bentinck I think the most honest one of his family; but there were two opinions about his conduct as a politician in India, and we don't want to try experiments in Sicily; it must be saved or lost in the course of another year. I have heard a great deal of General Maitland from a very particular friend of his, and I imagine it likely that he and Lord W. will not set up their horses very well together, unless his lordship is inclined to give way to the General, who has always been described to me as a decided character, possessing considerable talents and great observation. It appears to me that his opinions respecting the part of the world he lived most in argue an enlightened mind; they are the most sensible I have heard upon the subject of our settlements in the West Indies, but too long to relate by letter. As the weather must be now very hot at Malta, allow me to entreat, for the sake of all those who love you, that you will take care of your health. How I wish you were here to enjoy this delicious climate, and the finest country I ever beheld! Italy is nothing to it in point of magnificence. The town of Brusa is situated at the foot of the Mount Olympus'; it is one of the largest towns, and may be considered the capital of Asia Minor: the houses are like all Turkish houses, bad in themselves, but so interspersed with trees and mosques that the whole has a fine effect; the view quite delightful over an immense plain more rich and beautiful than any thing I ever saw, covered with trees, shrubs, and flowers of all descriptions; the rides are charming, and the horses better than any of those I have met with out of England. That goodnatured methodistical minister, Mr. Canning, is, it appears, about to take his departure, he is much delighted at it; as for my part, I have no right to be either glad or sorry. I do not think him very agreeable, but I believe him very honest; but whether a man who is only honest is a fit minister to watch over the intrigues of a very cunning people is the question. Mr. Liston, I have understood, stands high in his profession, and I am prepared to like him. Frere I must hate By this time Lord Sligo will have reached Malta, and I think I can vouch for your liking him. I perhaps may see him with partial eyes, for I never can feel nor express sufficiently my gratitude for his kindness to me, and the interest he has taken in all which most deeply concerns my happiness. I inclose you a letter for him; but should this not leave Pera immediately, he most likely will have left Malta. Upon my account it was his intention to visit Cadiz if he possibly could, and I trust he will have been able to accomplish this plan. Pray, with your usual candour, tell me what took place at Malta among the sea-officers when he arrived there. I am so anxious to know the truth, as I wish him well out of the scrape with all my heart. The rebels here are so strong, that the Captain Pacha who was sent to cut off the head of the chief who resides about two days' journey from this place, was either frighted or bribed, for he returned having done nothing. We shall remain at this place some weeks longer, and then return to Terapia. Bruce desires to be most kindly remembered to you; his father in his last letter speaks with gratitude of the interest you have taken about his son, and likewise mentions your brother. I hope you admire Lord Sligo's Albanians, they are not all such frights as those he has with him; their dress, I think, extraordinary and handsome. If you leave Malta, you must not come here, for you would fall in love if you did. How beautiful are these Asiatic women! they go to the bath from fifty to five hundred together; and when I was bathing the other day, the wife of a deposed Pacha begged I would finish my bathing at a bath half a mile off, that she might have the pleasure of my society, but this I declined; they bathe with all their ornaments on-trinkets I mean-and when finished they bind up their hair with flowers, and eat and talk for hours: then fumble up their faces all but their eyes, and sit under trees till the evening. I am quite ashamed of the scrawl I have written you, and of its length; but even now I have not said half I wanted to say. Tell Mr. Fazackerly that I should have won ten thousand pounds of him if I had laid him a wager: dear Lord Sligo can tell you what that means if he has not already. Adieu, my dear General, And believe me, with every sentiment Of esteem and regard, Yours most sincerely, H. L. S. I am very happy to find that the Prince has called on Lord Hutchinson to be his chief adviser; he is an honourable, upright man, and I will tell him the truth. Lord H. is also friendly to the Duke of York. Lieut.-General Oakes to Lady Hester Stanhope. Lady Hester Stanhope, June 22, 1811. What can I say, my dear Lady Hester, as to the very important and interesting communication which Lord Sligo has made to me respecting yourself, and for which your letter of the 22d ultimo, paved the way. At this distance, and without knowing a great deal more than I do |