BLACKHEATH,July 2,1765
MY DEAR FRIEND:I have this moment received your letter of the 22d past;and I delayed answering your former in daily,or rather hourly expectation of informing you of the birth of a new Ministry;but in vain;for,after a thousand conferences,all things remain still in the state which I described to you in my last.Lord S.has,I believe,given you a pretty true account of the present state of things;but my Lord is much mistaken,I am persuaded,when he says that THE KING HAS THOUGHT PROPERTO RE-ESTABLISH HIS OLD SERVANTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HIS AFFAIRS;for he shows them all the public dislike possible;and,at his levee,hardly speaks to any of them;but speaks by the hour to anybody else.
Conferences,in the meantime,go on,of which it is easy to guess the main subject,but impossible,for me at least,to know the particulars;but this I will venture to prophesy,that the whole will soon centre in Mr.Pitt.
You seem not to know the character of the Queen:here it is.She is a good woman,a good wife,a tender mother;and an unmeddling Queen.The King loves her as a woman;but,I verily believe,has never yet spoke one word to her about business.I have now told you all that I know of these affairs;which,I believe,is as much as anybody else knows,who is not in the secret.In the meantime,you easily guess that surmises,conjectures,and reports are infinite;and if,as they say,truth is but one,one million at least of these reports must be false;for they differ exceedingly.
You have lost an honest servant by the death of poor Louis;I would advise you to take a clever young Saxon in his room,of whose character you may get authentic testimonies,instead of sending for one to France,whose character you can only know from far.
When I hear more,I will write more;till when,God bless you!