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your choice, and the mother of your children! Poor children! The loveliness of Maria, and the softness of Louisa, render them almost equally the objects of my tenderest compassion. I do not wish to aggravate your grief, but, in the sincerity of friendship, I cannot hold a different language. I know the impotence of reason, and I much fear that the strength of your character will serve to make a sharper and more lasting impression.

"The only consolation in these melancholy trials, to which human life is exposed; the only one, at least, in which I have any confidence, is the presence of a real friend; and, of that, as far as it depends on myself, you shall not be destitute. I regret the few days that must be lost on some necessary preparations, but I trust that to-morrow seʼennight (May 5th) I shall be able to set forward on my journey to England; and when this letter reaches you, I shall be considerably advanced on my way. As it is yet prudent to keep at a respectful distance from the banks of the French Rhine, I shall incline a little to the right, and proceed by Scaffhausen and Stutgard, to Frankfort and Cologna. The Austrian Netherlands are now open and safe, and I am sure of being able, at least, to pass from Ostend to Dover, whence, without passing through London, I shall pursue the direct road to Sheffield Place."*

We give the arrival of Mr. Gibbon's visit at Sheffield Place, in his Lordship's own words:

"Mr. Gibbon had engaged to pass a year with me in England with an alertness by no means natural to him, he almost immediately took a circuitous journey along the frontiers of an enemy worse than savage, within the sound of their cannon, within the range of the light troops of the dif ferent armies, and through roads ruined by the enormous machines of war.

"The readiness with which he engaged in this kind of office, at a time when a selfish spirit might have pleaded a

Gibbon's Miscellaneous Works, vol. i. p. 398.

thousand reasons for declining so hazardous a journey, conspired, with the peculiar charms of his society, to render his arrival a cordial to my mind. I had the satisfaction of finding that his own delicate and precarious state of health had not suffered in the service of his friend. He arrived in the beginning of June, at my house in Downing-street, in good health; and after passing about a month with me there, we settled at Sheffield Place for the remainder of the summer, where his wit, learning, and cheerful politeness, delighted a great variety of characters." *

Lord Sheffield enjoyed the society of his celebrated friend until October, when he took his departure to visit Mrs. Gibbon, and subsequently Lord Spencer, at Althorpe. Excepting only a visit to Lord Egremont and Mr. Hagley, Lord Sheffield and Mr. Gibbon were never absent from Sheffield Place, until the latter bade farewell to him entirely. The society at his Lordship's seat was entirely of a literary description; Messrs. North, Jekyll, Douglass, and Hagley, were often guests at Sheffield Place, during Mr. Gibbon's stay.

A few months afterwards the historian paid his Lordship a second visit, but the unfortunate state of Mr. Gibbon's health precluded all enjoyment to either party. He returned to London in a few weeks, where he died of the disease under which he had been suffering so acutely during his last visit.

The affectionate attentions which Gibbon received at all times, but more especially during his last illness, from Lord Sheffield and his amiable family, entitle them to the highest commendation. On his death, he constituted Lord Sheffield, in conjunction with John Thomas Butt, Esq. his executors. In the will, his Lordship is distinguished in the most flattering

manner.

"I constitute and appoint John Lord Sheffield, &c. &c. &c. I shall indulge these gentlemen in the pleasure of this last disinterested service, without wronging my feelings, or oppressing my heirs, by too light or too weighty a testimony of

* Gibbon's Miscellaneous Works, vol. i, p. 404.

my gratitude. My obligations to the long and active friendship of Lord Sheffield, I could never sufficiently repay."

On the publication, by Lord Sheffield, of his valuable edition of the miscellaneous writings of Gibbon, he received many highly complimentary letters, and from persons too, whose opinions were really valuable. They were by no means undeserved; for it is seldom we meet with an editor so judicious, tasteful, and unobtrusive, as it respected the interpolation of individual opinion, as Lord Sheffield. He is never pragmatical; on the contrary, he seems ever disposed to let his author speak for himself, where this can be done with propriety.

On December 26th, 1794, Lord Sheffield married Lady Lucy Pelham, daughter of Thomas first Earl of Chichester, who died January 18th, 1797, leaving no family behind her.

In 1800 his Lordship published a work, entitled "Remarks on the Deficiency of Grain, occasioned by the bad Harvest of 1799; on the means of present Relief and future Plenty; with an Appendix, containing accounts of all the Corn imported and exported, with the Prices from 1697 to the 10th October, 1800."

In this pamphlet there is much able discussion. Householdbread is recommended by his Lordship as the most wholesome and nutritive food, being made from the whole meal, with only the bran taken out; yet, it is admitted this is so subject to adulteration, that a well-informed evidence stated to the Privy Council, that "when the flour is made of the whole meal, it is impossible to tell whether the miller, mealman, or factor have taken any fine flour out of it." Elsewhere, it is remarked by his Lordship, that the attack upon farmers is highly unjust; "for nothing can be more gross than the credulity which supposes a farmer would hoard up any quantity of wheat, when he can get an uncommonly high price for it." He also asserts, after Smith, that "rich farmers are a public benefit; that they improve agriculture, and that they keep magazines or stocks of grain without any expence to the public."

The following minute of a speech delivered by Lord Shef

field in the House of Commons, will give the reader some idea of the manly style in which he was accustomed to express his sentiments. On July 30, 1801, Mr. Addington (now Lord Sidmouth) brought up a report from the committee on bills of inclosure, when Lord Sheffield rose, and said:

"That the country was much indebted to his honorable friend (Mr. A.) for the attention he had paid to the standing orders, and to the act which had just passed relative to inclosures. They may be of some use, (added he,) particularly in saving expence in respect of witnesses; but they are utterly inadequate to the exigency, and the country will be much disappointed; and, in his opinion, had reason to be dissatisfied, if it should be supposed this is all that is intended to be done. He said, the people had suffered exceedingly, particularly during the last two years, from something more serious than mere apprehension of famine. A scarcity of grain had raised the price in this and other countries with which we trade so high, that it would have been prohibitory to the use of it to a great proportion of the community, unless we had yielded to the dangerous policy of feeding the people at the public expence.

"To alleviate the distress, we had enacted in the course of two years that they should eat stale bread, and we have granted protecting duties which may bring here the limited quantity that can be had from other countries; in consequence of this, we have raised the price abroad so high, that the present protecting duties will not indemnify the importer, particularly from America.

"To obviate the recurrence of such distress, the country loudly called for a general inclosure and cultivation of the waste lands as a certain and only sure relief; and, in answer to their prayers, we have just passed an act which it was obvious to every person who understood the subject, could do very little indeed towards the attainment of the object in question.

"He observed, that there was a disposition to do every thing that could be done for the relief of the country, which disposition was checked by an apprehension that certain persons in another place would give obstruction. It was also common to say, that no essential measure must be attempted; that we should endeavour to get a little at a time, and that by trying for more the whole would be lost, &c. He, on the other hand, begged leave to observe, that in the mean time the country might starve and be ruined; that he should ever reprobate such language, and that the members of that House would be unworthy their situations, if they

were to be prevented from bringing forward measures that may save the nation from famine and bankruptcy.

"If we should not succeed, the people would be at least satisfied we had done our duty, and the public dissatisfaction would fall only on those whose ill-founded opinions and views, whatever they may be, counteract the public welfare.

"He then remarked that we must not be deterred from attempting to relieve the country by high-sounding phrases, such as 'that a commutation for tithe in kind would sap the foundation of all property: those to whom that kind of argument is addressed, must be imagined very ignorant and very weak; it seems to suppose that moduses, which are mere commutations for tithe, had not existed for many centuries in this country; it seems to pass over the circumstance that the greater part of the acts of inclosure do the same thing, and allot land for tithes.

"He then added, that the distress of the country had been, and is great he therefore had much pleasure in learning, that several gentlemen had the intention of bringing forward something on the subject; it afforded him great satisfaction, thinking as he did, that it would be otherwise incumbent on him to offer some measure to parliament.

"He flattered himself his Majesty's ministers would introduce some great measure; he knew they had not neglected the subject in question, and that they would fairly consider the dangerous consequence of depending on other countries for subsistence, the uncertainty of it, and the ruinous expence if we could obtain the quantity of grain we wanted. They will find (added his Lordship) that on an average of the last ten years, we had paid 3,300,000l. annually to foreign countries for grain; and in the last year, namely 1800, we had paid upwards of 10,649,000l., which is more than double the heretofore boasted balance of trade in our favour.

"He concluded by saying, that he should not then trouble the House further than by moving: That in all bills for the inclosing or improving any waste or uncultivated lands, there be inserted a clause, empowering and directing the commissioners to mark out or award unto the tithe-owner, an allotment of such waste and uncultivated lands, to be once ring-fenced by the proprietors of the adjoining allotments thereof, in lieu of all tithes to arise from all such waste and uncultivated lands.'

"He observed, that this merely related to land that had never paid any tithe; and that he knew the cultivation of large tracts was prevented in consequence of the difficulties which arose with respect to the tithes."

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