London, March 15, 1709. Dear Brother,
.... I went t'other day to make a visset to Lady Bathurst, where I mett my mother and she desire I wou'd show your Plans. She stood amased at it, and said the least such a building cou'd cost inside and out wou'd be ten thousand pounds. There was Mr. Lang the Parson who is her Oracle said he was sure 'twould come to a great deal more. I confest my ignorance that I cou'd make no compu- tation of the matter, and I had heard of people that thought they had been pritty nice in those affairs found themselves, and have been surprised to find themselves drawn in to double what they first thought of. .... we wish you mony enough to finish such another wing, and long to enjoy it, tho' for some years shou'd it have no more then one, it might overlook little London for it statelyness, and make his Great Honour* burst with envy and his Little Honour pine and die. Serious I think it will make as fine a show as any house in Yorkshire, I won't say as any in the North, for they say Lord Carlile's has already cost him above 40,000.
Now the Duke of Montague is dead there's great con- tending who shall have the keeping of the Duchess of Albermarle, the Dutchess of M. have declared she'll have nothing to do with her. It lyes between my Lord Thanet and the D. of Newcastle, whose wives are the mad Dutchess's sisters. 'Tis supposed the Duke of Newcastle will have her as one of the best interest, tho' 'tis said if she's to be disposed of as the law directs, there's a Lord Pirpoint her uncle has the most right to her.f
• Watson Wentworth, of Wentworth Woodhouse. t A new5 letter in French addressed to Lord Raby at this time gives further details of this curious case, as follows : —
LONDRES, 1 5-26 .^Tarj, 1708-9. On avoit cru que le feu Due de Montague avoit pendant plusieurs ann^es cache la mort de sa Femme autrefois Duchesse d'Albemarle, sous pretexte qu'elle etoit foUe et enferm^e, afin de jouir de son Douaire, qui est de 7,coo/. st. par an, et qui k son Dec^s revient au Comte de Bath. II y avoit eu la dessus un long Procez k la Cour du Banc de la Reine, lequel ayant enfin i^i decide en faveur du feu Due, on avoit obtenu un
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