series which has thus far been offered to the public. They
are also the only letters of Walpole which give an account of
that very curious period when his father, Sir Robert Walpole,
left office. In his letters hitherto published, there is a
great gap at this epoch; probably in consequence of his other
correspondents being at the time either in or near London. A
Single letter to Mr. Conway, dated 'london, 1741,'-one to Mr.
West, dated 'May 4th, 1742,'-(none in 1743,) and one to Mr.
Conway, dated 'Houghton: Oct. 6th, 1744,' are all that appear
till 'may 18th, 1745,' when his letters to George Montagu
recommence, after an interval of eight years. Whereas, in the
correspondence now published, there are no less than one
hundred and seventeen letters during that interval.

The letters of Walpole to Sir Horace Mann have also another
advantage over those of the same author previously published,
namely, that Sir Horace's constant absence from home, and the
distance of his residence from the British Islands, made every
occurrence that happened acceptable to him as news. It)
consequence, his correspondent relates to him every thing that
takes place, both in the court and in society,-whether the
anecdotes are of a public or private nature,-hence the
collection of' letters to him becomes a most exact chronicle
of the events of the day, and elucidates very amusingly both
the manners of the time, and the characters of the persons
then alive. In the sketches, however, of character, which
Walpole has thus left us, we must always remember that, though
a very quick and accurate observer, he was a man of many
prejudices; and that, above all, his hostility was unvarying
and unbounded with regard to any of his contemporaries, who