visit, indeed took up his abode in my comfortable mansion for some time. Then I proceeded to Acre to pay my respects to the Pacha, and my guest from the Porte accompanied me to Ascalon. Therefore you see, that from last October I have never had a quiet moment I could call my own; and besides, occasions either by sea or land are scarce and unsafe in the winter season, and intending to send a person to England when all my business was over, I have deferred answering most of my letters to send them by this conveyance. I have at last decided upon sending for James to take me away from this country, for I know so little of the state of the continent, and feel in my own mind so doubtful of its remaining quiet, or if it does, that I shall like it as formerly, that before I break up a comfortable establishment to form another at random, I wish to have the opinion of one who knows my taste, and whom I can depend upon. I hope I shall receive volumes from you by the bearer, and that you will find your wine good. They only keep it here from one year to another, and therefore no old wine of this sort can be procured; but what I send is of the best quality, as it was procured by an order from the Emir Bechir (the Prince of the Druses). This I fear B. will turn out idle though it is his ambition to be great, and I lament that his father changes his plans about him every day, and wishing him to be every thing, is the sure means of making him turn out nothing at last. I mention this to you, my dear general, that should B. hereafter have the happiness of living a good deal in your society, you may recommend to him a steady line of conduct, and not to put himself too forward in the world before he is fit for it. was a maxim dear Mr. Pitt always preached to me, and was one of the last instructions he gave me about my brothers, and which I have most strictly adhered to. James has risen gradually, and by his own merits, and is now, thank God, in a situation which it has been the ambition of us both, for many years, that he should some day or other be thought worthy to fill. James loves the duke as I do, and would be ever ready to serve him with his life. The duke is all kindness to him (as he is to every body about him), and when I know James to be perfectly happy, I am so very thankful to Heaven for having heard my prayers respecting him, that I hardly think of myself. What I have suffered is gone by; what I may still have to suffer in this world, God knows best; let it be what it will, may I only be resigned to my fate, and to his pleasure. The Turks give me every day one proof of their superiority over Christians, their submission to the will of Providence. It is with no small pleasure that I congratulate you, my dear general, upon your own situation, which appears to be just calculated for you. It is another proof of the duke's kindness to those he professes a friendship for, as well as a just tribute to merit, which by him is seldom overlooked. I speak what I feel, when I say that, with a crown upon his head, he would be another Henry IV. I hope before you receive this, that I shall hear of you, either from yourself or some one else; I am anxious to know about your health, which I hope now is quite recovered. Whenever Lord S-- returns to England, I hope you will be kind to him. Poor man, he only gets out of one scrape to get into another. The longer I know that man, the higher I think of the qualities of his heart, and the more I regret that those of his head do not equal that feeling which will be his ruin. Yet he does not want sense in many things, far from it; and I still think if he marries some pleasing, sensible girl, he may become a very respectable character. If not, he will be surely duped by some designing woman or other, and his character, as well as his fortune, will be gone in a few years. If Lord Mulgrave ever mentions me, pray remember me kindly to him; for I really believe he had a friendship for Mr. Pitt, though artful Canning formerly used to take great pains to make me believe it was all affected; but since he has turned out himself a perfect political cameleon one may be permitted to mistrust a few of his opinions. How unhappy it makes me to hear that the dear Duke of is over head and ears in debt. With such a fine family just coming into the world, it must hurt him very much, not to be in a situation to give them all those advantages which they are born to. General Maitland is very civil to me in his way, but his way is not yours. I am not now all anxiety to see or hear what every body says who comes from Malta; though I understand you are much regretted. I have not heard for some time from Colonel Missett, who really must have been, when in good health, a very charming man, for he is vastly interesting as he is; so upright, so like a gentleman in thought, word, and deed. Of Anderson, I know nothing; for some months he has not written to me. The Pacha of Acre and all the leading people in this country continue to be vastly kind to me, even more so than before, if possible, and I am upon the whole as comfortable as a hermit can be. Believe me, My dear General, Yours sincerely and affectionately, H. L. S. This Enclosure was found in Letter of April 25, 1815. (COPY.) April 25, 1815. A curious document, once in the hands of the church, fell by accident into mine. It was an indication to considerable treasures in Palestine. Having made this known to the Porte, a confidential person belonging to the Sultan's household, was sent from Constantinople to investigate this business. I proceeded with him to Ascalon; and the mosque in which the treasure was said to be hid, was no longer standing. One wall only remained of the magnificent structure which had been mosque, church, and temple, at different periods. After having traced out the south, west, and north foundation walls, and dug for several days within them, we came to the underground fabric we were looking for. But alas! it had been rifled! It was, as nearly as one could calculate, capable of containing three millions of pieces of gold, the sum mentioned in the document. When excavating this once magnificent building (for such it must have been by the number of fine columns and fine pavement we found underground), we disco vered a superb colossal statue without a head, which must have belonged to the heathens. It was eighteen feet underground. Knowing how much it would be prized by English travellers, I ordered it to be broken in a thousand pieces; that malicious people might not say I came to look for statues for my countrymen, and not for treasures for the Porte. The business has taken up a good deal of my time for these three weeks past. I have had a thousand honours paid me, which it is not worth while to enter upon. The authenticity of the paper I do not doubt. But so many centuries have elapsed since the Christians hid treasures there, that it is not very surprising that it should have been removed. But had it escaped observation in the same way that the statue did the eyes of the Turk, when the spot was converted into a mosque, it would have been a fine thing for the Turkish government. As I shall be tired of writing over the same story to every one I correspond with, I have desired one of my people to copy this short account to enclose in my letters. April, 1815. HESTER LUCY STANHOPE. Lady Hester Stanhope to Lieut.-General Oakes. My dear General, Convent of Mar Elias, Mount Lebanon, June 25th, 1815. I am very happy to be able to add a little P.S. to my long letter, to tell you that I have received your little volume finished at Bath. How kind it is of you to devote so much of your time to me when so hurried! It gives me great pleasure to find that your health has been able, at any rate, to withstand the great fatigue and worry of those extravagant gaieties, of which we Turks have no idea. Finding yourself so much better when travelling, should induce you, I think, to make a tour in the spring and summer, and to get out of the way of great dinners. To live like a Turk for a time, and to take plenty of exercise without heating yourself, and to live a great deal in the open air, would, I think, do you more good than medicine-at least it would but be fair to give it a trial. I send you by Georgio, a Greek in my service, some tigers' skins; for I think I recollect that you liked them. Here the covering of a horse reaches to his tail, and the tigers' skins look very well when made up with crimson; but silver and gold quite spoils their effect, I think. Georgio will explain (should you like it) the fashion of Syria, for you to improve upon it. You will find the boy not stupid, but he is not all he ought to be, though honest in money matters. Don't spoil him, pray, or take his humble manner for humility; for he is at bottom conceit itself; but he may amuse you, and I should like to hear an account of your looks from some one who had seen you lately. Georgio is to be found at a Mr. Rice's (a searcher in the customs), who lives in Surrey-square, Kent-road; or if James is in town, he would send Georgio to you, if you should wish to see him. Your wine goes with him to Malta; from thence it must be sent as it can. All I have sent to England is consigned to this Mr. Rice, as I know he will see no tricks are played with it. There are of two sorts for you, one sweet, the other less so. This is more Bruce's present than mine; for he was so anxious to procure you some, and did give a large order for wine, which was put by, but sold because not transported directly, which the plague would not allow of. My wine has, alas! been sold twice, though I paid half its value before the grapes were ripe. You cannot, in any possible way, procure any above a year old, for the peasants want their jars, and still more the settling of the wine to make a sort of bad wine of, with commoner grapes, which they quash up together, and sell to the mountaineers for their own use. I send you also a box of soap like what is used by the sultan's women. Believe me, dear General, Yours, most sincerely and affectionately, If ever you see Sir David Dundas, pray remember me kindly to him. Tell him I am the Sir Pivot of the east. I never forget, however, that I owe not a little of my military fame to having borne the name of his aide-de-camp when he commanded in Kent. Many people do not like him because he did not make a good commander-in-chief. I like him the better for it. There is but one sun, one moon, and one commander-in-chief; we want no more! Should you ever want a good housekeeper and excellent cook keep your eye upon a woman of the name of Norman, who once lived with me, and now lives with Lady Augusta Leith. She is every thing you could possibly wish, but a little cross now and then with servants. Perhaps Mrs. Norman is as good a cook as Mr. Greenwood. She was an élève of the Grand Simvad, the late Duke of Portland's famous cook. Lady Hester Stanhope to Lieut.-General Oakes. My dearest General, Mount Lebanon, January 5th, 1817. I was so happy at receiving your letter by Georgio, for it was so long since I had heard from you, and never ceased to feel anxious about your health, as well as about all which interests you. This letter will be given you by Doctor Meryon. He will have so much to tell you about me, and his travels in these parts, that I shall not allude to either one or the other subject. As for that levity and inconsequence with which you reproach some of our young men, it is much to be lamented. Real wildness can scarcely be deemed a fault in youth, and most particularly in those who have no sort of restraint put upon their actions; but neglect, trifling conduct, saying more than a person means, is quite another thing, and very contemptible in my opinion, which may be a severe one; but if all these things are looked over and tolerated in young men who ought to set an example in society, what will the world come to at last! Aware of the high estimation in which one ought to hold those men, who like yourself unite the polish of le beau monde with all the frankness and firmness of character which belongs to a true soldier, you must forgive me if I lecture you a little about your health, and entreat you not to attend to business when unwell, as fatigue at that time may be of serious consequence. I have a friend in this country, a great Turk, whose disposition and habits of life are not altogether unlike yours, as well as his constitution. He is many years older, but yet very strong, and is never ill except when affected by the same sort of giddiness in his head you complain of, for which he has taken various remedies without success. Last year I told the doctor that I had some suspicions that flying gout might occasion this affection in his head, as I once recollect his having complained of a slight pain in his great toe; but as the gout is almost unknown in the East it is never thought about. The doctor ordered him to be bled, and to have a blister between his shoulders, which completely relieved his head, after his digestion was set right with a few calomel pills. Since that time he has had no return of his disorder. He gave this year twenty-nine horses to the new Pacha of Damascus, my friend at Constantinople, when he went out to meet him upon his road to that town. I should by no means wish you to put yourself into Dr. M.'s hands without other medical advice; but yet he might be in some little degree useful to you perhaps, in stating how many strong men in this country live upon very little meat, how well they are, what exercise they take, and how much their appearance is that of health. I wish you could constantly drink the pure wine of all sorts to be found here; that which I sent to England for my friends (eleven casks) was spoilt for the want of good barrels. The vino d'Oro has often been sent to Paris, and has arrived in a perfect state, but it travelled in damazans, packed in cases. The glass of those now sent to this market is so thin that they break with the least jar; therefore it is in vain to attempt to send more wine to England. Georgio was to bring me English porter casks, but he very stupidly has brought such very large ones that no mule can carry them when full, or camel carry two, which is necessary for a charge. I am happy to hear that my old friend, Sir David, is well; pray always mention me to him when you have an opportunity, for I have a great respect for him, and am convinced that his unpopularity and singular conduct at one moment, was a finesse, for which we ought all to thank him. Adieu, my dear general; pray let me have the pleasure of hearing from you when you have nothing better to do, and believe me most sincerely yours, H. L. S. P.S.-I was just going to forget what is of some importance to a very worthy family, and knowing your kind heart, I take the liberty of charging you to say a good word to Graham Moore for an old purser of Sir A. Hood's, who was once extremely well off, and married a sister of Mr. John Barker's, our consul at Aleppo, and brought up, think, five brothers of his. Mr. R▬▬▬ was ruined about two years ago, and has retired into Wales with his wife, and is now living upon scarcely any thing. Should any thing occur which might enable G. Moore to serve him in a dock-yard, or something of the kind, it would be doing a very good action, and besides a proper one in every respect, |