��London, July 14, 17 13.
Dear Brother,
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There's to be a great masquerade to night at the Duke of Oumond's [Aumont ?] but I believe it won't be so well order'd as yours. I was not at the last but have a ticket to go to this, and then I shall be able to tell you if it answeres to the magnificance of the discriptions of yours. What I hear say by every body is that nobody does his Queen and country more honour in publick entertainments then you do.
The Lords threw out a Bill yesterday that came from the Commons without giving it a second reading, the title of the Bill was for a drawback for some tobaco, but by its several clauses it contain matter for eleven Bills, for none of the clauses had any referance to each other, so that the Lords reckon it in a manner so many tacks. One of the clauses that they most pride themselves for throwing out was that for taking of half duty upon all the French wine Sir John Lambert and Sheppard had imported, tho' the House of
C will do jobs as they call it for Lord T they won't.
Lord Halifax was for demanding a Conference with the Com- mons upon the Bill, but the Duke of Buckingham said it was more becoming the dignity of their house to throw it out with contempt, and if they pleased to demand a conference with them there was reason enough to be given for their so doing. I have sent you an impudent paper they cry publicly about the street, with the sham of it being answer'd. This is all the news I have.
��[Lord Berkeley of Stratton.]
July 21, 1713.
After my return from a little progress I have been making to settle my son at the University, the first thing I doe, is to pay my acknowledgements for two letters I lately receiv'd from
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