HATSELL (John, 1733-1820, Clerk of the House of Commons and Authority on Parliamentary Procedure)

Long Autograph Letter Signed to Mr Eden thanking him for the "agreeable intelligence of the late accession to your Family, & of Mrs Eden's recovery, found Mrs Hatsell & me here yesterday ... Accept our very sincere congratulations upon this event, & take our kindest Compliments to Mrs Eden. We are happy to hear you have been hitherto pleas'd with your residence in Spain, I remember Ld Grantham's account did not speak so favourably of the society he met with there. But I believe that Nation is improving very fast certainly in the Arts & Sciences, & probably the enjoyments of social life advance in proportion. At least, we must hope so, for your sake. Mrs Hatsell & I hae been, as usual, Wanderers since the rising of Parlt. We pass'd a fortnight with Sloane (who is coming in the H of C's in the room of Ld Malmesbury) & from thence coasted along the shores, quite to Plymouth ... Not less amusing is the Quixotic expedition of the two Emperors - which will probably end in their having spent all their money, lost many of their best troops, & not gain'd a foot of additional territory. I own I am not sorry for their disgrace as I hope all such wanton violations of the peace & comfort of their Neighbours will be always mark'd with such a conclusion. There has been much talk this Summer of a dissolution of Parlt. I did not think it improbable - Mr Pitt has two or three unpleasant questions to meet next Campaign, in which the part he must adopt will not render him popular at a General Election. Of which are The Slave Trade, Dissenters & Shop Tax. I suppose the Archbishop has sent you a journal of his Adventures at Sea & how near the Great Statesmen were in making a trip to Norway or Holland ... The D of Carlisle has at last lost their daughter that was so long ill ...", ending with news of an upcoming wedding, 2 sides 4to., Cheltenham, 6th October

The war in 1788 that the two Emperors were engaged is was the Austro-Turkish War between the Hapsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire.

Item Date:  1788

Stock No:  40199      £325

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