It will give us the most sincere pleasure to see you here, if it is in your power to reach us. Let us detain you (if you do come) as long as your other avocations will permit.
I am not without hopes of being in town, but do not like leaving the country without collecting the little rents that are due to me; indeed, if I omitted that ceremony before leaving my friends, I most probably should never see them again. Lord Holland has told you the danger I was exposed to, of becoming rector of Covent Garden, of hortescortical notoriety. I think this is placing a clergyman in the van of the battle.
I had a letter yesterday from Philips; he begins to tremble for Manchester. In this part of the country, there is not the slightest degree of distress among the poor. Everybody is employed, and at fair wages; but we are purely agricultural. I was surprised to find Bobus among the anti-alarmists; he does not always keep such good company.
We saw Jeffrey on his way down. I should be glad to know whether he made a good figure in the House of Lords, and produced any effect. I had not seen him for some time, and found him improved in manner; in essentials he cannot improve.
