afraid the native English would appear much
fewer than they imagine. On the other hand,
Scotland must appear to be more populous
for its extent and produce; first, by its bearing
as many evacuations in proportion, both
to the plantations, the fleet, and army,
besides the numbers who go to England, and,
indeed, breeding inhabitants to every country
under the sun; and if, instead of following
the wrong policy of supplying their deficiency
of grain by importing it, they would cultivate
their waste lands, it would do more than
maintain all its inhabitants in plenty." The
lady presently becomes severe:  "I do not
think the soil near London is naturally rich,
and neither the corns nor grass are
extraordinary. I thought their crops of hay all
very light, and but of an indifferent quality;
they call it meadow hay, but we could call it
tending pretty nearly to bog hay."

Her admiration of things English seems
indeed to have been confined pretty closely to
its immense number of fine horses. "As for
London, the first sight of it did not strike me
with anything grand or magnificent.......
Many authors and correspondents take up
much time and pains to little purpose on
descriptions. I never could understand
anybody's descriptions, and I suppose nobody
will understand mine; so will only say London
is a very large and extensive city. But
I had time to see very little of it, and every
street is so like another that, seeing part, you
may easily suppose the whole."

Then for the heads of London, your ill-
meaning, politician lords, the lady Samson
pulls their temple down over their heads.
"You will think it very odd that I was a
fortnight in London, and saw none of the
royal family; but I got no clothes made till
the day before I left, though I gave them to
the making the day after I came. I cannot
say my curiosity was great. I found, as I
approached the court and the grandees, they
sunk so miserably, and came so far short of
the ideas I had conceived, that I was loth to
lose the grand ideas I had of kings, princes,
ministers of state, senators, &c., which, I
suppose, I had gathered from romance in my
youth. We used to laugh at the English for
being so soon afraid when there was any
danger in state affairs; but now I do excuse
them. For we, at a distance, think the
wisdom of our governors will prevent all
those things; but those who know and see
our ministers every day, see there is no
wisdom in them, and that they are a parcel
of old, ignorant, senseless bodies, who mind
nothing but eating and drinking, and rolling
about in their carriages in Hyde Park, and
know no more of the country, or the situation
of it, nor of the numbers, strength, and
circumstances of it, than they never had
been in it.  And how should they, when
London and twenty miles round it is the
extent ever they saw of it?"

There were here some remarks not very
inappropriate, considering that they were
written when the Duke of Newcastle was
fighting on his stumps, and the ferment
concerning Admiral Byng was at its height.

There seems to have been some connection
between the Calderwoods and Mr. George
Stone Scott, sub-preceptor to the Prince of
Wales, afterwards George the Third. Mrs.
Calderwood says—"I had frequent opportunities
of seeing George Scott, and asked him
many questions about the Prince of Wales.
He says he is a lad of very good principles,
good-natured, extremely honest, has no heroic
strain, but loves peace, and has no turn for
extravagance; modest, and has no tendency
to vice, and has as yet very virtuous
principles; has the greatest temptations to
gallant with the ladies, who lay themselves out
in the most shameful manner to draw him
in, but to no purpose. He says, if he were
not what he is they would not mind him.
Prince Edward is of a more amorous
complexion; but no court is paid to him, because
he has so little chance to be king." Mrs. C.!
Mrs. C.! how sweet a dish of scandal! We
will next meet with her setting out in gracious
humour, and will not be startled should
a ripple come over the current of her
thoughts.

"Any of the English folks I got acquainted
with I liked very well. They seemed to be
good-natured and humane; but still there is
a sort of ignorance about them with regard
to the rest of the world, and their conversation
runs in a very narrow channel. They
speak with a great relish of their public
places, and say, with a sort of flutter, that
they shall go to Vauxhall and Ranelagh, but
do not seem to enjoy it when there. As for
Vauxhall and Ranelagh, I wrote my opinion
of them before. The first I think but a
vulgar sort of entertainment, and could not
think myself in genteel company whiles I
heard a man calling 'Take care of your
watches and pockets!' I saw the Countess
of Coventry at Ranelagh. I think she is a
pert, stinking-like hussy, going about with
her face up to the sky, that she might see
from under her hat, which she had pulled
quite over nose, that nobody might see her
face. She was in deshabille, and very shabby
drest, but was painted over her very
jawbones. I saw only three English peers, and
I think you could not make a tolerable one
out of them.... I saw very few, either men
or women, tolerably handsome."

But her woman's heart could not resist the
men in regimentals; she was determined, too,
to have a good look at them, as her journal
tells.

"I went one morning to the park, in hopes
to see the Duke review a troop of the Horse
Guards, but he was not there; but the Guards
were very pretty. Sall Blackwood and Miss
Buller were with me; they were afraid to
push near for the crowd, but I was resolved
to get forward, so pushed in. They were