my prefence, refting the papers on his left-hand in the Eattern manner, telling me he had long been in the habit of committing to paper the various incidents of his life, as they happened to occur to his memory. and thould one day give his Memoirs to the world. I cannot help obferving, there was a certain air of romance in his converfation, which precluded implicit belief. Though of a lively imagination, he was far from being a man of found judgment; and, while I acknowledge his not being deficient in claf cal learning, I can by no means allow that he could be the author of a very ingenious work he was fo kind to prefent me, as purporting to be written by him, intituled, "Reflections on the Rife and Fall of antient Republicks." It feemed above his capacity, and is indeed generally much admired. I alfo fhrewdly fufpect he was affifted by fome friends in the account he gives of the "Written Mountains," and fome other papers, published in the Tranfactions of the Royal Society-perhaps by none thore than that one fo often coufcited by fome of out florid writers of travels, ycleped Fancy.

Mr. Montagu feemed to have great delight in relating circumftances of his life during the laft twenty years, which he had chiefly paffed at Conftantinople and different parts of Egypt. He had a very comfortable refidence at Rofetta, to which he propofed returning; and affured ine of a welcome in the true ftyle of Eaftern hofpitality, fhould I evet happen to vifit that charming country. I frequently found with him a very handiome Negro youth, about 16 years of age, dreffed very elegantly as a Turk. He faid he was his fon, and he intended making him his heir. When I remarked his romplexion, he added, "he is my fon by adoption, and I thall fpaie no pains and expence in his educas tion." How far this was fulfilled, I cannot take upon me to fay; but

after the death of Mr. Montagu, he was fent to England by our refident at Venice, the late Mr. Strange, configned to the care of the two executors, the late Earl of Sandwich and Mr. Palmer.

Mr. Montagu always evaded any difcriminations relative to the various modes of worthip adpted by mankind. He faid he was an univerfal believer; but had a great partiality to the principles and morality of the Turks, who, he fincerely believed, were the best people upon earth. He added, "I have long relided among them, and had every opportunity of ftudying their mau¬ hers."

The great Perfonage before al luded to having expreifed a with to fee a Turkish entertainment, Mr. Montagu very politely invited 11. R. H. to dinner. No tables oř chairs were feen; an incredible number of dithes were placed in the middle of the room on a rich carpet, filled with a variety of afticles dreiled in the Eastern fathion, fruits, ices, herbet, &c. but no wine. After he had a little enjoyed our embarraifment, by a fignal two folding-doors flew open, and a iplendid table was difcovered, exhi biting every delicacy of the featon in the true English ftyle, where roaft-beef and plum-pudding were not forgotten, with an excellent af fortment of the best wines-and London porter.

In the Spring of the following year, 1776, while at Rome, MF. Strange, our refident at Venice, wrote me an account of Mr. Montagu's death at Padua, on the eve of his fetting out for England. It was occationed by the bone of the wing of a becca-fica, or ortolan, ticking acrofs his throat, which no art could remove; an abfcefs was accordingly formed, and his death quickly followed. He was buried in the principal church in Padua, and a handfome table-monument tected over his grave.

Yours, &c. J. C. PLEYDELL. P. 16, b. 1: 96, for Bunalaan. Blau,

I

AM afrdid your correfpondent Mr. J. H. (vol. LXXIV. pp. 1098, 9) will, in the eftimation of all liberal minds, lofe more than he will gain by his late anecdotes of the Hollis family. Where the intereft of the writer is fo clofely concerned, and his paflions fo warmly engaged, an indifferent reader may not, perhaps, impeach the general veracity of the narrative; but he will certainly fufpect the colouring, and will be flow to admit the inferences of the narrator. And when a gentleman comes forward to denounce one of his collateral anceftors, of whom the publick was content to know little, as having diffipated his fortune by extrava gance," and to charge another, of whom the publick knew nothing but what was generous and noble, with "imperious" behaviour to his brother, and "unmerited" partiality to his (unprovided) nephew; when that gentleman condemns the late Thomas Hollis (whofe "memory he yet very fincerely honours") for not leaving his property to a fecond coufin, the late Timothy Hollis (who had acquired and enjoyed an ample fortune of his own; when that gentleman, to faften on "the good Mr. Hollis' the imputation of conduct altogether unjustifiable," goes back to their grandfathers for a charge of "alienated property;" when that gentleman deals out invective and infinuation against the character of the lately-deceafed Brand Hollis, whom, as his "dear friend and fellow-traveller," Mr. Thomas Hollis had appointed his executor and heir, and whom Mr. Timothy Hollis, from "kindnefs for his old acquaintance," fo handfomely afterwards complimented in his will; and, finally, when that gentleman criminates Mr. Brand Hollis for not reftoring to him the " alienated property," which yet, by his own confeffion, he "never expected he would reftore;" when one fees all this, with she interested principle which creeps

at the bottom, or more truly floats at the top, of the whole that he has written; one cannot but lament that a worthy and refpectable man, like Mr. J. H. of High Wycombe, fhould betray the weakness of his feelings in fo ftrange and unguarded a way, and, in the pique of difappointment, difcredit both his family and himfelf, without any prospect of benefit to the living, or of public inftruction to be derived from the dead.

It will hardly be difputed, I think, that, where relationship becomes fo remote as that of fecond coufins, except indeed the loofe cord is drawn tight again by habits of perfonal benevolence and intimacy, and by the frequent exchange of mutual good offices, the mere confideration of defcent from a common great grandfather may well give way to the stronger motives of general utility or private endearinent; and especially when diftant relatives are feparately poffeffed of comfort and competence. If the laws of their country leave the property at their free difpofal; neither will the rules of "equity" interfere with the partialities of friendship, but reciprocal attachment will then take the place of kindred betwixt

rangers in blood; efteem and affection may naturally give rife to more than fraternal tenderness; and expectations knowingly excited on the one hand, and habitually felt on the other, often create an obligation more facred than all the entails in the Peerage. Yours, &c.

I

Mr. URBAN,

EACUS.

Jan. 18. SHALL be much obliged to any correfpondent, who will give information refpecting the arms and defcent of the family of Wynell, formerly of Arfcot Wells, in Dorfetfhire, whofe name is now merged in Mayow of Bafay, co. Cornwall. 1 understand there was an account of the first-mentioned family in the Gentleman's Magazine about 20 or 30 years ago. J. M.

Mr. URBAN, Lichfield, Jan. 1. HE inclofed drawing (Plate 1.)

Tis faithfully copied from an an

tient Portrait in the collection of C. B. Robinfon, efq. of Hill Ridware, near this city; and, if entrusted 10 the burin of Mr. Bafire, may, perhaps, receive some elucidation from yɔur learned correfpondents. H. W.

Mr. URBAN,

TH

HROUGH the kindness of a friend, I am in poffeffion of a packet of letters left by a near relative long fince deceafed. Amongst them are feveral from the late Lord Chatham (then Mr. Pitt), Gray, Mafon, and Count Algarotti, Thofe from Gray were evidently communicated to Mafon, as moft of them appear, with fome trifling variations, in his edition of Gray's Works, printed in 1775. There is the copy (taken by himfelf) of one to Count Algarotti, dated Sept. 9, 1763, and part of another to William Taylor How, efq. dated Nov. 1763, which I am not aware were ever before the publick. The former of these two is accompanied, upon the fame paper, by one from Mafon to the fame perfon, copied in the hand-writing of Gray, which I alfo think was never pub

lifhed.

Thofe from Lord Chatham (or rather Mr. Pitt), with the exception of one to Thomas Hollis, efq, are all addreffed to Mr. How. They are short, and chiefly upon the fubject of, a legacy left by Count Algarotti to Mr. Pitt. This fubject of itfelf will excite very little intereft; but the most unpremeditated trifles of fo vigorous and elegant a mind deferve, and will always infure, attention. The letters of this great character, recently published, afford a proof that, even in this fpecies of writing, an Englishman may with propriety difpute the fuperiority fo generally affumed by foreigners, and fo tamely conceded by ourselves.

I am allowed by my friend to lay them before your readers. Algarotti's are all in Italian, and therefore not proper for your Mifcellany. J. O.

1. SIR, Cambridge, Sept. 9, 1763. I received fome tiine fince the unexpected honour of a letter from you, and the promife of a pleasure which till of late I had not the opportunity of enjoying. Forgive me if I make my acknowledgments in my native tongue, GENT. MAG. January, 1805.

as I fee it is perfectly familiar to you ; and I (though not unacquainted with the writings of Italy) fhould from difufe fpeak its language with an ill grace, and with fill more constraint to one who poffefles it in all its firength and purity.

I fee with great fatisfaction your ef forts to reunite the congenial arts of Poetry, Mulick, and the Dance, which, with the affiflance of Painting and Architecture, regulated by tafte, and fupported by magnificence and power, might form the nobleft fcene, and beflow the fublimeft pleafure, that the imagination can conceive. But who fhall realize thefe delightful vifions? There is, I own, one Prince in Europe that wants neither the will, the fpirit, nor the ability: but can he call up Milton from his grave? Can he re-animate Marcello, or bid the Barberina or the Sallé move again? Can he (as much a King as he is) govern an Italian Virtuofa, deftroy her caprice and impertinence without hurting her talents, or com mand thofe graces and tricks of voice to be filent that have gained her the adoration of her own country?

One caufe that fo long has hindered, and, I fear, will hinder that happy union which you propofe, feems to me to be this, that Poetry (which, as you allow, muft lead the way, and direct the operations of the fubordinate arts,) implies at least a liberal education, a degree of literature, and various knowledge; whereas the others (with a few exceptions) are in the hands of flaves and mercenaries, I mean of people without education, who, though neither deftitute of genius nor infentible to fame, must yet make gain the principal end, and fubject themselves to the prevailing tafte of thofe whofe fortune only diftinguishes them from the multitude."

I cannot help telling you that, eight or ten years ago, I was a witnefs of the power of your comic mufick. There was a little troop of Buffi that exhibited a burletta in London, not in the Opera-houfe, where the audience is chiefly of the better fort, but on one of the common theatres, full of all kinds of people, and, I believe, the fuller from that natural averfion we have to foreigners. Their looks and their noise made it evident they did not come thither to hear; and on fimilar occa fions I have known candles lighted,

broken