100% found this document useful (4 votes)
95 views56 pages

(Ebook PDF) VBA For Modelers Developing Decision Support Systems 5th Download

The document provides links to various eBooks related to decision support systems, analytics, and VBA programming. It includes a detailed table of contents for a specific eBook titled 'VBA for Modelers Developing Decision Support Systems 5th Edition,' which covers VBA fundamentals, Excel object models, and management science applications. Additionally, it features information about the author, S. Christian Albright, and his background in operations research and teaching.

Uploaded by

rtamiehmida
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
100% found this document useful (4 votes)
95 views56 pages

(Ebook PDF) VBA For Modelers Developing Decision Support Systems 5th Download

The document provides links to various eBooks related to decision support systems, analytics, and VBA programming. It includes a detailed table of contents for a specific eBook titled 'VBA for Modelers Developing Decision Support Systems 5th Edition,' which covers VBA fundamentals, Excel object models, and management science applications. Additionally, it features information about the author, S. Christian Albright, and his background in operations research and teaching.

Uploaded by

rtamiehmida
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 56

(eBook PDF) VBA for Modelers Developing Decision

Support Systems 5th pdf download

https://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-vba-for-modelers-
developing-decision-support-systems-5th/

Download more ebook from https://ebooksecure.com


We believe these products will be a great fit for you. Click
the link to download now, or visit ebooksecure.com
to discover even more!

(eBook PDF) Analytics, Data Science, & Artificial


Intelligence: Systems for Decision Support 11th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-analytics-data-science-
artificial-intelligence-systems-for-decision-support-11th-
edition/

Analytics, data science, & artificial intelligence :


systems for decision support Eleventh Edition Dursun
Delen - eBook PDF

https://ebooksecure.com/download/analytics-data-science-
artificial-intelligence-systems-for-decision-support-ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) Exploring VBA for Microsoft Office 2016


Brief

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-exploring-vba-for-
microsoft-office-2016-brief/

(eBook PDF) Analytics and Decision Support in Health


Care Operations Management 3rd Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-analytics-and-decision-
support-in-health-care-operations-management-3rd-edition/
(Original PDF) Developing Communities for the Future
5th Australia Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/original-pdf-developing-
communities-for-the-future-5th-australia-edition/

(Original PDF) Decision Analysis for Management


Judgment, 5th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/original-pdf-decision-analysis-
for-management-judgment-5th-edition/

(eBook PDF) Developing Management Skills: A


comprehensive guide for leaders, 5th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-developing-management-
skills-a-comprehensive-guide-for-leaders-5th-edition/

(eBook PDF) Managerial Accounting Tools for Business


Decision-Making 5th Canadian Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-managerial-accounting-
tools-for-business-decision-making-5th-canadian-edition/

(eBook PDF) Developing Multicultural Counseling


Competence: A Systems Approach 3rd Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-developing-
multicultural-counseling-competence-a-systems-approach-3rd-
edition/
About the Author

S. Christian Albright
Chris Albright got his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Stanford in 1968 and his
Ph.D. degree in Operations Research from Stanford in 1972. Until his retirement
in 2011, he taught in the Operations & Decision Technologies Department in
the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. His teaching included courses
in management science, computer simulation, and statistics to all levels of busi-
ness students: undergraduates, MBAs, and doctoral students. He has published
over 20 articles in leading operations research journals in the area of applied
probability and he has authored several books, including Practical Management
Science, Data Analysis and Decision Making, Data Analysis for Managers, Spread-
sheet Modeling and Applications, and VBA for Modelers. He jointly developed
StatTools, a statistical add-in for Excel, with the Palisade Corporation. In “retire-
ment,” he continues to revise his books, he works as a consultant for Palisade,
and he has developed a commercial product, Excel Now!, an Excel tutorial.
On the personal side, Chris has been married to his wonderful wife Mary for
43 years. They have a special family in Philadelphia: their son Sam, his wife Lindsay,
and their two sons, Teddy and Archer. Chris has many interests outside the aca-
demic area. They include activities with his family (especially traveling with Mary),
going to cultural events at Indiana University, power walking, and reading. And
although he earns his livelihood from statistics and management science, his real
passion is for playing classical music on the piano.

vi

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Contents

Preface xvi

PART I VBA Fundamentals 1

1 Introduction to VBA Development in Excel 3


1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 VBA in Excel 2007 and Later Versions 4
1.3 Example Applications 5
1.4 Decision Support Systems 7
1.5 Required Background 7
1.6 Visual Basic Versus VBA 8
1.7 Some Basic Terminology 9
1.8 Summary 9

2 The Excel Object Model 10


2.1 Introduction 10
2.2 Objects, Properties, Methods, and Events 10
2.3 Collections as Objects 11
2.4 The Hierarchy of Objects 12
2.5 Object Models in General 13
2.6 Summary 17

3 The Visual Basic Editor 18


3.1 Introduction 18
3.2 Important Features of the VBE 18
3.3 The Object Browser 22
3.4 The Immediate and Watch Windows 23
3.5 A First Program 24
3.6 Intellisense 29
3.7 Color Coding and Case 30
3.8 Finding Subs in the VBE 31
3.9 Summary 33

vii

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
viii Contents

4 Recording Macros 35
4.1 Introduction 35
4.2 How to Record a Macro 35
4.3 Changes from Excel 2007 to Later Versions 37
4.4 Recorded Macro Examples 37
4.5 Summary 47

5 Getting Started with VBA 49


5.1 Introduction 49
5.2 Subroutines 49
5.3 Declaring Variables and Constants 50
5.4 Built-in Constants 58
5.5 Input Boxes and Message Boxes 59
5.6 Message Boxes with Yes and No Buttons 61
5.7 Using Excel Functions in VBA 63
5.8 Comments 64
5.9 Indenting 65
5.10 Strings 66
5.11 Specifying Objects, Properties, and Methods 70
5.12 With Construction 73
5.13 Other Useful VBA Tips 74
5.14 Good Programming Practices 76
5.15 Debugging 78
5.16 Summary 85

6 Working with Ranges 89


6.1 Introduction 89
6.2 Exercise 89
6.3 Important Properties and Methods of Ranges 91
6.4 Referencing Ranges with VBA 94
6.5 Examples of Ranges with VBA 97
6.6 Range Names and Their Scope 111
6.7 Summary 114

7 Control Logic and Loops 117


7.1 Introduction 117
7.2 Exercise 117
7.3 If Constructions 120
7.4 Case Constructions 126
7.5 For Loops 129
7.6 For Each Loops 136
7.7 Do Loops 138
7.8 Summary 143

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Contents ix

8 Working with Other Excel Objects 149


8.1 Introduction 149
8.2 Exercise 149
8.3 Collections and Members of Collections 151
8.4 Examples of Workbooks in VBA 153
8.5 Examples of Worksheets in VBA 157
8.6 Examples of Charts in VBA 163
8.7 Summary 174

9 Arrays 177
9.1 Introduction 177
9.2 Exercise 177
9.3 The Need for Arrays 179
9.4 Rules for Working with Arrays 180
9.5 Examples of Arrays in VBA 183
9.6 Array Functions 199
9.7 Summary 199

10 More on Variables and Subroutines 204


10.1 Introduction 204
10.2 Exercise 204
10.3 Scope of Variables and Subroutines 207
10.4 Modularizing Programs 209
10.5 Passing Arguments 213
10.6 Function Subroutines 219
10.7 The Workbook_Open Event Handler 225
10.8 Summary 226

11 User Forms 231


11.1 Introduction 231
11.2 Exercise 231
11.3 Designing User Forms 234
11.4 Setting Properties of Controls 238
11.5 Creating a User Form Template 242
11.6 Writing Event Handlers 243
11.7 Looping Through the Controls on a User Form 254
11.8 Working with List Boxes 255
11.9 Modal and Modeless Forms 256
11.10 Working with Excel Controls 258
11.11 Summary 262

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
x Contents

12 Error Handling 268


12.1 Introduction 268
12.2 Error Handling with On Error Statement 268
12.3 Handling Inappropriate User Inputs 270
12.4 Summary 272

13 Working with Files and Folders 275


13.1 Introduction 275
13.2 Exercise 275
13.3 Dialog Boxes for File Operations 277
13.4 The FileSystemObject Object 283
13.5 A File Renaming Example 286
13.6 Working with Text Files 289
13.7 Summary 293

14 Importing Data into Excel from a Database 295


14.1 Introduction 295
14.2 Exercise 295
14.3 A Brief Introduction to Relational Databases 297
14.4 A Brief Introduction to SQL 302
14.5 ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 306
14.6 Discussion of the Sales Orders Exercise 311
14.7 Summary 315

15 Working with Pivot Tables and Tables 317


15.1 Introduction 317
15.2 Working with Pivot Tables Manually 317
15.3 Working with Pivot Tables Using VBA 327
15.4 An Example 329
15.5 PowerPivot and the Data Model 335
15.6 Working with Excel Tables Manually 337
15.7 Working with Excel Tables with VBA 340
15.8 Summary 344

16 Working with Ribbons, Toolbars, and Menus 346


16.1 Introduction 346
16.2 Customizing Ribbons 347
16.3 Using RibbonX and XML to Customize Ribbons 348
16.4 Using RibbonX to Customize the QAT 354
16.5 CommandBar and Related Office Objects 356
16.6 A Grading Program Example 357
16.7 Summary 358

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Contents xi

17 Automating Solver and Other Applications 360


17.1 Introduction 360
17.2 Exercise 361
17.3 Automating Solver with VBA 363
17.4 Possible Solver Problems 373
17.5 Programming with Risk Solver Platform 375
17.6 Automating @RISK with VBA 378
17.7 Automating Other Office Applications with VBA 383
17.8 Summary 389

18 User-Defined Types, Enumerations, Collections,


and Classes 393
18.1 Introduction 393
18.2 User-Defined Types 393
18.3 Enumerations 395
18.4 Collections 396
18.5 Classes 399
18.6 Summary 406

PART II VBA Management Science Applications 409

19 Basic Ideas for Application Development with VBA 411


19.1 Introduction 411
19.2 Guidelines for Application Development 411
19.3 A Car Loan Application 416
19.4 Summary 435

20 A Blending Application 437


20.1 Introduction 437
20.2 Functionality of the Application 437
20.3 Running the Application 438
20.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 445
20.5 Getting Started with the VBA 445
20.6 The User Forms 447
20.7 The Module 451
20.8 Summary 452

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xii Contents

21 A Product Mix Application 454


21.1 Introduction 454
21.2 Functionality of the Application 455
21.3 Running the Application 455
21.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 458
21.5 Getting Started with the VBA 458
21.6 The User Form 459
21.7 The Module 461
21.8 Summary 471

22 A Worker Scheduling Application 475


22.1 Introduction 475
22.2 Functionality of the Application 475
22.3 Running the Application 476
22.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 479
22.5 Getting Started with the VBA 480
22.6 The User Form 481
22.7 The Module 484
22.8 Summary 486

23 A Production-Planning Application 488


23.1 Introduction 488
23.2 Functionality of the Application 488
23.3 Running the Application 489
23.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 496
23.5 Getting Started with the VBA 498
23.6 The User Forms 499
23.7 The Module 504
23.8 Summary 511

24 A Transportation Application 513


24.1 Introduction 513
24.2 Functionality of the Application 514
24.3 Running the Application 514
24.4 Setting Up the Access Database 516
24.5 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 519
24.6 Getting Started with the VBA 519
24.7 The User Form 521
24.8 The Module 523
24.9 Summary 531

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Contents xiii

25 A Stock-Trading Simulation Application 534


25.1 Introduction 534
25.2 Functionality of the Application 535
25.3 Running the Application 535
25.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 538
25.5 Getting Started with the VBA 540
25.6 The Module 541
25.7 Summary 546

26 A Capital Budgeting Application 548


26.1 Introduction 548
26.2 Functionality of the Application 549
26.3 Running the Application 549
26.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 551
26.5 Getting Started with the VBA 553
26.6 The User Form 554
26.7 The Module 555
26.8 Summary 560

27 A Regression Application 562


27.1 Introduction 562
27.2 Functionality of the Application 562
27.3 Running the Application 563
27.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 565
27.5 Getting Started with the VBA 566
27.6 The User Form 567
27.7 The Module 569
27.8 Summary 574

28 An Exponential Utility Application 576


28.1 Introduction 576
28.2 Functionality of the Application 577
28.3 Running the Application 577
28.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 578
28.5 Getting Started with the VBA 582
28.6 The User Form 582
28.7 The Module 585
28.8 Summary 589

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xiv Contents

29 A Queueing Simulation Application 590


29.1 Introduction 590
29.2 Functionality of the Application 591
29.3 Running the Application 591
29.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 593
29.5 Getting Started with the VBA 593
29.6 Structure of a Queueing Simulation 594
29.7 The Module 596
29.8 Summary 606

30 An Option-Pricing Application 608


30.1 Introduction 608
30.2 Functionality of the Application 609
30.3 Running the Application 609
30.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 612
30.5 Getting Started with the VBA 615
30.6 The User Form 616
30.7 The Module 621
30.8 Summary 632

31 An Application for Finding Betas of Stocks 634


31.1 Introduction 634
31.2 Functionality of the Application 634
31.3 Running the Application 635
31.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 638
31.5 Getting Started with the VBA 639
31.6 The User Form 640
31.7 The Module 644
31.8 Summary 651

32 A Portfolio Optimization Application 653


32.1 Introduction 653
32.2 Functionality of the Application 654
32.3 Running the Application 654
32.4 Web Queries in Excel 659
32.5 Setting Up the Excel Sheets 661
32.6 Getting Started with the VBA 662
32.7 The User Forms 663
32.8 The Module 667
32.9 Summary 678

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Contents xv

33 A Data Envelopment Analysis Application 680


33.1 Introduction 680
33.2 Functionality of the Application 680
33.3 Running the Application 681
33.4 Setting Up the Excel Sheets and the Text File 682
33.5 Getting Started with the VBA 684
33.6 Getting Data from a Text File 685
33.7 The Module 686
33.8 Summary 698

34 An AHP Application for Choosing a Job


You can access chapter 34 at our website, www.CengageBrain.com

35 A Poker Simulation Application


You can access chapter 35 at our website, www.CengageBrain.com

Index 700

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface
I wrote VBA for Modelers for students and professionals who want to create deci-
sion support systems (DSSs) using Microsoft Excel–based spreadsheet models. The
book does not assume any prior programming experience. It contains two parts.
Part I covers the essentials of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming,
and Part II provides many applications with their associated programming code.
This part assumes that readers are either familiar with spreadsheet modeling or are
taking a concurrent course in management science or operations research. There
are many excellent books available for VBA programming, many others covering
decision support systems, and still others for spreadsheet modeling. However, I
have not found a book that attempts to unify these subjects in a practical way.
VBA for Modelers is designed for this purpose, and I hope you will find it to be an
important resource and reference in your own work.

Why This Book?


The original impetus for this book began about 20 years ago. Wayne Winston
and I were experimenting with the spreadsheet approach to teaching management
as we were writing the first edition of our Practical Management Science (PMS)
book. Because I have always had an interest in computer programming, I decided
to learn VBA, the relatively new macro language for Excel, and use it to a limited
extent in my undergraduate management science modeling course. My intent was
to teach the students how to wrap a given spreadsheet model, such as a product
mix model, into an application with a “front end” and a “back end” by using
VBA. The front end would enable a user to provide inputs to the model, usually
through one or more dialog boxes, and the back end would present the user with
a nontechnical report of the results. I found it to be an exciting addition to the
usual modeling course, and my students overwhelmingly agreed.
The primary problem with teaching this type of course was the lack of an
appropriate VBA textbook. Although there are many good VBA trade books
available, they usually go into much more technical VBA details than I have time
to cover, and their objective is usually to teach VBA programming as an end in
itself. I expect that many adopters of our Practical Management Science book
will decide to use parts of VBA for Modelers to supplement their management sci-
ence courses, just as I have been doing. For readers who have already taken a
management science course, there is more than enough material in this book to
fill an entire elective course or to be used for self-study.
However, even for readers with no background or interest in management
science, the first part of this book has plenty of value. We are seeing an increasing
xvi

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface xvii

number of our business students and graduates express interest in automating


Excel with macros. In short, they want to become Excel “power users.” After
the first edition of this book appeared, I taught a purely elective MBA course cov-
ering the first part of the book. To my surprise and delight, it regularly attracted
about 40 MBA students per year. Yes, it attracted MBA students, not computer
science majors! (Since I have retired from teaching, the VBA course is still being
taught, and it continues to attract these types of audiences.). The students see real
value in knowing how to program for Excel. And it is amazing and gratifying to
see how far these students can progress in a short 7-week course. Many find pro-
gramming, especially for Excel, to be as addictive as I find it.

Objectives of the Book


VBA for Modelers shows how the power of spreadsheet modeling can be
extended to the masses. Through VBA, complex management science models
can be made accessible to nontechnical users by providing them with simplified
input screens and output reports. The book illustrates, in complete detail, how
such applications can be developed for a wide variety of business problems. In
writing the book, I have always concerned myself with the following questions:
How much will readers be able to do on their own? Is it enough for readers to
see the completed applications, marvel at how powerful they are, and possibly
take a look at the code that runs in the background? Or should they be taken to
the point where they can develop their own applications, code and all? I suspect
this depends on the audience, but I know I can get students to the point where
they can develop modest but useful applications on their own and, importantly,
experience the thrill of programming success.
With these thoughts in mind, I have written this book so that it can be used
at several levels. For readers who want to learn VBA from scratch and then apply
it, I have provided a “VBA primer” in Part I of the book. It is admittedly not as
complete as some of the thick Excel VBA books available, but I believe it covers
the basics of VBA quite adequately. Importantly, it covers coding methods for
working with Excel ranges in Chapter 6 and uses these methods extensively in
later chapters, so that readers will not have to use trial and error or wade through
online help, as I had to do when I was learning VBA. Readers can then proceed to
the applications in Chapters 19 through 35 and apply their skills. In contrast, there
are probably many readers who do not have time to learn all of the details, but they
can still use the applications in Part II of the book for demonstration purposes.
Indeed, the applications have been developed for generality. For example, the
transportation model in Chapter 24 is perfectly general and can be used to solve
any transportation model by supplying the appropriate input data.

Approach
I like to teach (and learn) through examples. I have found that I can learn a pro-
gramming language only if I have a strong motivation to learn it. I suspect that

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xviii Preface

most of you are the same. The applications in the latter chapters are based on
many interesting management science models. They provide the motivation for
you to learn the material. The examples illustrate that this book is not about pro-
gramming for the sake of programming. Instead, it is about developing useful
applications for business. You probably already realize that Excel modeling skills
make you more valuable in the workplace. This book will help you develop VBA
skills that make you much more valuable.

Contents of the Book


The book is written in two parts. Part I, Chapters 1–18, is a VBA primer for read-
ers with little or no programming experience in VBA (or any other language).
Although all of these chapters are geared to VBA, some are more about general
programming concepts, whereas others deal with the unique aspects of program-
ming for Excel. Specifically, Chapters 7, 9, and 10 discuss control logic (If-Then-
Else constructions), loops, arrays, and subroutines, topics that are common to all
programming languages. In contrast, Chapters 6 and 8 explain how to work with
some of the most common Excel objects (ranges, workbooks, worksheets, and
charts) in VBA. In addition, several chapters discuss aspects of VBA that can be
used with Excel and any other applications (Access, Word, PowerPoint, and so
on) that use VBA as their programming language. Specifically, Chapter 3 explains
the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), Chapter 4 illustrates how to record macros,
Chapter 11 explains how to build user forms (dialog boxes), and Chapter 12
discusses the important topic of error handling.
The material in Part I is reasonably complete, but it is available, in greater
detail and with a somewhat different emphasis, in several other books. The
unique aspect of this book is Part II, Chapters 19–35. (Due to length, the
last two chapters, Chapter 34, An AHP Application for Choosing a Job, and
Chapter 35, A Poker Simulation Application, are available online only. You can
find them at www.CengageBrain.com.) Each chapter in this part discusses a specific
application. Most of these are optimization and simulation applications, and many
are quite general. For example, Chapter 21 discusses a general product mix applica-
tion, Chapter 23 discusses a general production scheduling application, Chapter 24
discusses a general transportation application, Chapter 25 discusses a stock-trading
simulation, Chapter 29 discusses a multiple-server queue simulation, Chapter 30
discusses a general application for pricing European and American options, and
Chapter 32 discusses a general portfolio optimization application. (Many of the
underlying models for these applications are discussed in Practical Management
Science, but I have attempted to make these applications stand-alone here.)
The applications can be used as they stand to solve real problems, or they
can be used as examples of VBA application development. All of the steps in
the development of these applications are explained, and all of the VBA source
code is included. Using an analogy to a car, you can simply get in and drive, or
you can open the hood and see how everything works.

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface xix

Chapter 19 gets the process started in a “gentle” way. It provides a general


introduction to application development, with an important list of guidelines. It
then illustrates these guidelines in a car loan application. This application should
be within the grasp of most readers, even if they are not yet great programmers.
By tackling this application first, readers get to develop a simple model, with
dialog boxes, reports, and charts, and then tie everything together. This car loan
application illustrates an important concept that I stress throughout the book.
Specifically, applications that really do something are often long and have a lot of
details. But this does not mean that they are difficult. With perseverance—a word
I use frequently—readers can fill in the details one step at a time and ultimately
experience the thrill of getting a program to work correctly.
Virtually all management science applications require input data. A very
important issue for VBA application development is how to get the required
input data into the spreadsheet model. I illustrate a number of possibilities in
Part II. If only a small amount of data is required, dialog boxes work well. These
are used for data input in many of the applications. However, there are many
times when the data requirements are much too large for dialog boxes. In these
cases, the data are usually stored in some type of database. I illustrate some com-
mon possibilities. In Chapter 21, the input data for a product mix model are
stored in a separate worksheet. In Chapter 31, the stock price data for finding
the betas of stocks are stored in a separate Excel workbook. In Chapter 33, the
data for a DEA model are stored in a text (.txt) file. In Chapter 24, the data for a
transportation model are stored in an Access database (.mdb) file. Finally, in Chap-
ter 32, the stock price data required for a portfolio optimization model are located
on a Web site and are imported into Excel, at runtime. In each case, I explain the
VBA code that is necessary to import the data into the Excel application.

New to the Fifth Edition


The impetus for writing the fifth edition was the release of Excel 2013. In terms
of VBA, there aren’t many changes from Excel 2010 to Excel 2013 (or even from
Excel 2007 to Excel 2013), but I used the opportunity to incorporate changes
that were made in Excel 2013, as well as to modify a lot of the material
throughout the book.
● Programmers can never let well enough alone. We are forever tinkering with
our code, not just to make it work better, but often to make it more elegant
and easier to understand. So users of previous editions will see minor changes
to much of the code throughout the book.
● The biggest change, which has nothing to do with the version of Excel, is the
way information is passed between modules and user forms. In previous edi-
tions, I did this with global variables, a practice frowned upon by many pro-
fessional programmers. In this edition, I pass the required information
through arguments to “ShowDialog” functions in the user forms. This new
method is explained in detail in Chapter 11 and is then used in later chapters
where user forms appear.

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xx Preface

● Chapter 15 contains a brief discussion of the new PowerPivot tool introduced


in Excel 2013. This tool can actually be automated with VBA, but because of
its advanced nature, I don’t discuss the details. Maybe this will appear in the
next edition of the book, by which time Excel’s online help will hopefully be
improved.

How to Use the Book


I have already discussed several approaches to using this book, depending on how
much you want to learn and how much time you have. For readers with very little
or no computer programming background who want to learn the fundamentals
of VBA, Chapters 1–12 should be covered first, in approximately that order.
(I should point out that it is practically impossible to avoid “later” programming
concepts while covering “early” ones. For example, I admit to using a few If state-
ments and loops in early chapters, before discussing them formally in Chapter 7.
I don’t believe this should cause problems. I use plenty of comments, and you
can always look ahead if you need to.) After covering VBA fundamentals in the
first 12 chapters, the next six optional chapters can be covered in practically any
order.
Chapter 19 should be covered next. Beyond that, the applications in the
remaining chapters can be covered in practically any order, depending on your
interests. However, some of the details in certain applications will not make much
sense without the appropriate training in the management science models. For
example, Chapter 34 discusses an AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) application
for choosing a job. The VBA code is fairly straightforward, but it will not make
much sense unless you have some knowledge of AHP. I assume that the knowl-
edge of the models comes from a separate source, such as Practical Management
Science; I cover it only briefly here.
Finally, readers can simply use the Excel application files to solve problems.
Indeed, the applications have been written specifically for nontechnical end users,
so that readers at all levels should have no difficulty opening the application files
in Part II of the book and using them appropriately. In short, readers can decide
how much of the material “under the hood” is worth their time.

Premium Web Site Content


The companion Web site for this book can be accessed at www.cengagebrain
.com. There you will have access to all of the Excel (.xlsx and .xlsm) and other
files mentioned in the chapters, including those in the exercises. The Excel files
require Excel 97 or a more recent version, but they are realistically geared to
Excel 2007 and later versions. Many of the files from Chapter 17 and later chapters
“reference” Excel’s Solver. They will not work unless the Solver add-in is installed
and loaded. Chapters 14 and 24 uses Microsoft’s ActiveX Data Object (ADO)

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface xxi

model to import the data from an Access database into Excel. This will work only
in Excel 2000 or a more recent version. Finally, Chapter 13 uses the Office File-
Dialog object. This works only in Excel XP (2002) or a more recent version.
The book is also supported by a Web site at www.kelley.iu.edu/albrightbooks.
The Web site contains errata and other useful information, including information
about my other books.

Acknowledgments
I would like to thank all of my colleagues at Cengage Learning. Foremost among
them are my current editor, Aaron Arnsbarger, and my former editors, Curt
Hinrichs and Charles McCormick. The original idea was to develop a short VBA
manual to accompany our Practical Management Science book, but Curt
persuaded me to write an entire book. Given the success of the first four
editions, I appreciate Curt’s insistence. I am also grateful to many of the profes-
sionals who worked behind the scenes to make this book a success:
● Brad Sullender, Content Developer; Heather Mooney, Marketing Manager;
Kristina Mose-Libon, Art Director; and Sharib Asrar as the Project Manager
at Lumina Datamatics.
Next, I would like to thank the reviewers of past editions of the book.
Thanks go to
● Gerald Aase, Northern Illinois University; Ravi Ahuja, University of Florida;
Grant Costner, University of Oregon; R. Kim Craft, Rollins College; Lynette
Molstad Gorder, Dakota State University; and Jim Hightower, California State
University-Fullerton; Don Byrkett, Miami University; Kostis Christodoulou,
London School of Economics; Charles Franz, University of Missouri; Larry
LeBlanc, Vanderbilt University; Jerry May, University of Pittsburgh; Jim Morris,
University of Wisconsin; and Tom Schriber, University of Michigan.
Finally, I want to thank my wife, Mary. She continues to support my book-
writing activities, even when it requires me to work evenings and weekends
in front of a computer. I also want to thank our Welsh corgi Bryn, who faith-
fully accompanies her daddy when he goes upstairs to do his work. She doesn’t
add much technical assistance, but she definitely adds a lot of motivational
assistance.
S. Christian Albright
(e-mail at [email protected],
Web site at www.kelley.iu.edu/albrightbooks)
Bloomington, Indiana
January 2015

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Part I

VBA Fundamentals
This part of the book is for readers who need an introduction to programming in
general and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for Excel in particular. It dis-
cusses programming topics that are common to practically all programming lan-
guages, including variable types and declarations, control logic, looping, arrays,
subroutines, and error handling. It also discusses many topics that are specific to
VBA and its use with Excel, including the Excel object model; recording macros;
working with ranges, workbooks, worksheets, charts, and other Excel objects;
developing user forms (dialog boxes); and automating other applications, includ-
ing Word, Outlook, Excel’s Solver add-in, and Palisade’s @RISK add-in, with
VBA code.
Many of the chapters in Part I present a business-related exercise immediately
after the introductory section. The objective of each such exercise is to motivate
you to work through the details of the chapter, knowing that many of these
details will be required to solve the exercise. The finished files are included in the
online materials, but I urge you to try the exercises on your own, before looking
at the solutions.
The chapters in this part should be read in approximately the order they are
presented, at least up through Chapter 12. Programming is a skill that builds
upon itself. Although it is not always possible to avoid referring to a concept
from a later chapter in an earlier chapter, I have attempted to refrain from doing
this as much as possible. The one small exception is in Chapters 6 (on ranges)
and 7 (on control logic and loops). It is almost impossible to do any interesting
programming in Excel without knowing about ranges, and it is almost impossible
to do any interesting programming in general without knowing about control
logic and loops. I compromised by putting the chapter on ranges first and using
some simple control logic and loops in it. I don’t believe this should cause any
problems.

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
Middlesex against Wilkes in April, 1769, although the latter polled
1143 votes to Colonel Luttrell's 296. He was made adjutant-
general of the land forces in Ireland; but in 1772, being
discontented with the post, threatened to resign his seat for
Middlesex, and so renew the struggle with Wilkes. The
circumstances in which the appointment was made are noticed by
Junius (August 22, 1770).
[157] Walpole, writing in May, 1770, speaks of "a winter-Ranelagh
erecting in Oxford Road at the expense of sixty thousand
pounds." "Imagine Balbec in all its glory!" he writes, when it was
approaching completion in April, 1771. The Pantheon, built by
Wyatt, was opened on January 27, 1772, "to a crowded company
of between fifteen hundred and two thousand people. In point of
consequence, the company were an olio of all sorts; peers,
peeresses, honourables, and right honourables, jew brokers,
demireps, lottery insurers, and quack doctors" (Annual Register).
It was destroyed by fire on January 16, 1792.
Gentlemen and ladies could only subscribe to the Pantheon on the
recommendation of a peeress, in order to prevent, as the
proprietors announce in the Gazetteer (December 17, 1771),
"such persons only from obtaining subscriptions whose
appearance might not only be improper but subversive of that
elegance and propriety which they wish on every occasion to
preserve." On the other hand, once admitted to be subscribers,
they could introduce friends of any or no character. The struggle
between the two factions was decided by the efforts of a number
of gentlemen, headed by Mr. William Hanger, who, with drawn
swords, succeeded in forcing an entrance for Mrs. Baddeley.
Possibly Gibbon meant, instead of repeating "Gentlemen
Proprietors," to mark the contrast by writing "Gentlemen
Subscribers" in the second sentence. The dispute is alluded to in a
poem published in 1772, called The Pantheon Rupture; or, A
Dispute between Elegance and Reason. In their dialogue Elegance
says—
And hate the very name of a divorce;
Besides the Managers admit none in,
That e'er were known to have committed sin;—
The needy dame, who makes of love a trade,
These Realms of Virtue must not dare invade;
The company's selected from a class
Too chaste to suffer demireps to pass.

Reason.

But, Elegance, before more time you waste,


Inform me, pray, are all those Ladies chaste?

Elegance.

Chaste! surely yes.—The Managers admit


None but chaste Ladies, in their virtuous set;
Besides, if any one a slip hath made,
A Title hides it with oblivion's shade."

[158] Parliament met January 21, 1772. On February 6, Sir W.


Meredith presented a petition from the "Feathers Tavern
Association," signed by two hundred and fifty clergymen, lawyers,
and physicians, praying that their professions might be relieved
from the necessity of subscription to the XXXIX. Articles. The
House decided, by 217 to 71, not to receive the petition.
[159] Afterwards the third Lord Coleraine.
[160] Lord Archibald Hamilton, M.P. for Lancashire, accepted the
stewardship of the Manor of East Hendred, January, 1772. Sir T.
Egerton was elected in his place.
[161] An allusion to the Welsh opinion that Sir Watkin Williams
Wynn was as great a person. On the death of Sir John Astley, M.P.
for Shropshire, Sir Watkin was elected.
[162] Maria Theresa did not die till November, 1780.
[163] i.e. The Princess of Wales.
[164] Her eldest child, Augusta (1737-1813), married, in 1764,
the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
[165] Henrietta Vernon, married to Lord Grosvenor in July, 1764,
was seduced by the Duke of Cumberland. Lord Grosvenor brought
an action against the duke for criminal conversation, July 5, 1770,
and recovered damages in the sum of £10,000. Lady Grosvenor,
who was separated, not divorced, married, in 1802, General
Porter, M.P. for Stockbridge.
[166] Lord Apsley.
[167] Lord Chesterfield died March 24, 1773.
[168] Fox only retired from the Government on the Royal
Marriage question. In January, 1773, he resumed office as one of
the Lords of the Treasury.
[169] Afterwards Lord Sydney. Dr. Nowell's sermon, which, it was
alleged, inculcated passive obedience, was preached January 30,
1772, at St. Margaret's, Westminster. The vote of thanks was
voted January 31, and the sermon printed by desire of the House.
On February 21 it was moved that, for the future, the thanks of
the House should not be voted till the sermon was printed and
delivered. The motion here attributed to Townshend was an
expression of his opinion, given in the course of the debate. Lord
North evaded the motion by moving the order of the day. On
February 25 a motion was proposed and carried to expunge the
entry of the vote of thanks.
[170] Sir R. Worsley succeeded to the baronetcy on the death, in
1768, of Sir Thomas Worsley. He was M.P. for Newport, Isle of
Wight, 1774-84, and for Newtown, Isle of Wight, 1790-1802. He
was sworn a privy councillor, and made Governor of the Island in
January, 1780. He was also Comptroller of the Royal Household.
He published his History of the Isle of Wight in 1781. In 1782, on
the accession to office of the Rockingham administration, he was
deprived of the Governorship of the Island in favour of the Duke
of Bolton. As Diplomatic Resident at Venice, he made the
collections and sketches which are reproduced in the Museum
Worsleyanum (2 vols., 1794-1803). He died in 1805. His only son
predeceased him. His estates passed, through his only sister,
Henrietta Frances (married to John Bridgman-Simpson, Esq.), to
her only child, Henrietta, who married the Earl of Yarborough.
[171] This letter affords a curious, though extreme, instance of
Lord Sheffield's editorial methods. The letter numbered XXXII. in
Lord Sheffield's edition of "Letters to and from Edward Gibbon,
Esq." (1814), is dated October 13, 1772. It begins with the first
four lines of this letter, which was written on April 21, 1772. The
next nine lines are taken from the commencement of the letter
written on October 3, 1772. The five following lines consist of the
letter written on November 3, 1772. The next four lines are taken
from the letter dated October 30, 1772. The two following lines
are from the letter written on October 15, 1772. Thus what
purports to be a real letter in itself, proves to be a patchwork
composed from five letters extending over a period of six months.
[172] May 27, 1772.—"This afternoon three ships belonging to his
Britannic Majesty cast anchor in the road of Elsineur. They are to
convoy her Danish Majesty to Stade in her way to Zell" (Annual
Register).
[173] Probably Mr. Benjamin Way, the brother of Lady Sheffield.
His wife was a daughter of Dr. Cooke, Provost of King's College,
Cambridge.
[174] In Poland, desultory hostilities had been carried on for
several years between the Roman Catholics, favoured by France,
and the Dissidents (i.e. those embracing any other form of
Christian faith), supported by Russia. Taking advantage of the
anarchy which King Stanislaus Poniatowski was powerless to
control, Frederick the Great, the Empress Catherine, and the
Emperor Joseph II. proposed to occupy those provinces which
were respectively most contiguous to their own dominions. The
result was the partition of Poland, August, 1772. Field-Marshal
Laudohn (1716-1790) is said to have been of Scottish origin.
During the Seven Years' War he had proved himself, at the head
of the Austrian forces, a formidable antagonist to Frederick the
Great.
[175] John William Holroyd, at that time the only son of Mr.
Holroyd.
[176] Eldest son of Sir Matthew Featherstonhaugh, and his
successor in the baronetcy.
[177] Sir John Rous, M.P. for Suffolk, died October 31, 1771, and
from his widow Gibbon took 7 Bentinck Street, where he lived till
September, 1783.
[178] William Jolliffe, M.P. for Petersfield, Commissioner of Trade
and Plantations.
[179] Parliament adjourned from December 23, 1772, to January
22, 1773.
[180] An allusion to Lord North's habit of sleeping in the House of
Commons. He slumbered, as Gibbon says in his Autobiography,
between the Attorney-General (Thurlow) and the Solicitor-General
(Wedderburn), who roused him when it was necessary that he
should speak. On one occasion a member of the Opposition
exclaimed, in reproach of his somnolence, "Even now the noble
lord is slumbering over the ruin of his country!" "I wish to
Heaven," muttered Lord North, slowly opening his eyes, "that I
was!"
[181] Her daughter, Sophia Matilda (1773-1844), was born May
29, 1773.
[182] See note to Letter 204.
[183] The duel in question was fought between Lord Bellamont
and Lord Townshend. The cause, according to the London
Evening Post, was the offence taken by Lord Bellamont at the
abrupt refusal of Lord Townshend, then Viceroy of Ireland, to see
him at Dublin. As soon as Lord Townshend arrived in England,
Lord Bellamont sent him a message that he would be glad if the
affair could be "settled à la militaire." The duel took place
February 2nd, in the Mary-le-bone Fields, when Lord Bellamont
received a shot near the groin, and then fired his pistol in the air.
Lord Ligonier was Lord Townshend's second, and Mr. Dillon acted
for Lord Bellamont.
[184] Isaac Holroyd, who, by his wife, Dorothy Baker, was the
father of John Baker Holroyd, lived at Bath, where he died in May,
1778. With him lived his only surviving daughter, Sarah Martha
Holroyd, who died unmarried, some years later, at Bath. She
translated, says Miss Burney, from the French version a German
work, in four thick volumes—Sturm's Religious Meditations and
Observations for every Day in the Year. Both Mr. and Miss Holroyd
are frequently mentioned in the letters.
[185] The charges against Lord Clive, the famine in Bengal
(1770), and the financial embarrassments of the East India
Company, had for many months attracted public attention. In
April, 1772, a Select Committee of the House of Commons was
appointed to investigate the Company's affairs. During the recess
(June 10 to November 26) the directors applied to Lord North for
a loan of £1,500,000. On November 26 Parliament met, being
specially summoned to discuss the state of India, and Lord North
proposed and carried a motion for a Secret Committee of Inquiry.
Four months later (March 9, 1773), Lord North proposed to lend
to the Company £1,400,000, on condition that its dividends were
restricted, and its surplus revenues appropriated to the liquidation
of the debt. On these conditions, the Company was to enjoy
possession of the territorial acquisitions till 1779, when its
exclusive charter expired.
On May 3, the General Court of Proprietors of East India Stock
petitioned Parliament against arbitrary interference with their
territorial rights. The petition was ordered to lie on the table, and
Lord North introduced the outlines of his scheme for the
reconstitution of the Company. The chief changes were the
appointment by the Crown of a governor-general and the
establishment at Calcutta of a Supreme Court of Judicature.
These changes and the provisions for the loans were embodied in
two Bills, which received the royal assent on June 21 and July 1
respectively (13 Geo. III. cc. 63 & 64).
On May 10, whilst Lord North's proposals were under discussion,
General Burgoyne moved three resolutions: (1) That all
acquisitions made by military force or by treaty with foreign
powers do of right belong to the State; (2) that to appropriate
such acquisitions to private use is illegal; (3) that such
acquisitions have been appropriated by private persons.
The first two resolutions, which virtually transferred to the Crown
the territorial acquisitions made by the Company in India, were
carried that night without a division. The third, which was
practically an indictment of Lord Clive, was rejected on May 21.
John Burgoyne (1722-1792) married Lady Charlotte Stanley in
1743, and through Lord Derby's influence was now M.P. for
Preston. He was made a major-general in 1772. His motion on the
East India Company was his chief political achievement, his
surrender at Saratoga (October 17, 1777) the most striking
episode in his military career, and his comedy, The Heiress (1786),
his chief literary success.
[186] Alexander Wedderburn (1733-1805), Solicitor-General
(January 22, 1771), succeeded Edward Thurlow (Lord Chancellor,
1778) as Attorney-General, became Lord Chief Justice of the
common Pleas and Lord Loughborough in June, 1780, was Lord
Chancellor from 1793 to 1801, created Earl of Rosslyn in 1801,
and died in 1805.
[187] The king left Kew on Tuesday, June 22, 1773, and reached
Portsmouth between ten and eleven the same morning, in order
to review the fleet at Spithead, consisting of twenty ships of the
line, two frigates, and three sloops. He returned to Kew on
Saturday, June 26. "A very great number of yachts, and other
sailing vessels and boats, many of them full of nobility and
gentry," followed the royal yacht Augusta, and "an incredible
multitude of people" lined the shores.
[188] On June 11, 1773, the Court of Proprietors of East India
Stock determined to reject the loan and conditions offered by the
Government; but on June 19 the East India Loan Bill was read a
third time in the Lower House. Parliament was prorogued from
July 1, 1773, to January 13, 1774. Sujah Dowlah was the Nawab
of Oude (see note to Letter 192).
[189] Thomas Amory, into whom, says Hazlitt, "the soul of
Rabelais passed," published (1756-66) The Life of John Buncle,
Esq.—a curious book, which is in part autobiographical.
[190] Miss Anne Eliot, sister to Mr. Eliot, of Port Eliot, married
Captain Hugh Bonfoy, R.N. Two portraits of her by Sir Joshua
Reynolds are in existence—one painted in 1746, the other in
1754.
[191] David Hume, who was now living at Edinburgh, was, from
1763 to 1766, Secretary to the Embassy at Paris under the Earl of
Hertford. The description is quoted from Mason's satire (published
in 1773), An Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambers on his Book of
Gardening—
"David, who there supinely deigns to lie,
The fattest hog in Epicurus' sty,
Though drunk with Gallic wine and Gallic praise,
David shall bless Old England's halcyon days."
[192] William Robertson, the historian (1721-1793), whose
History of Scotland (1758) and History of Charles the Fifth (1769)
had already appeared, was now engaged on his History of
America (1777).
[193] After the death of Goldsmith in 1774, Gibbon seems to have
succeeded to his place as Sir Joshua's companion to places of
amusement, masquerades, and ridottos (Life and Times of Sir
Joshua Reynolds, vol. ii. p. 273).
[194] The family of Richard Owen Cambridge.
[195] Samuel Foote's Bankrupt was produced at the Haymarket in
July, 1773, Foote himself taking the part of Sir Robert Riscounter.
The play was published in 1776, with a dedication to the Marquis
of Granby. It contains a vigorous attack on the licence of the
press and of the "impudent, rascally Printer." "The tyranny
exercised by that fellow," says Sir Robert, "is more despotic and
galling than the most absolute monarch's in Asia.... I wonder
every man is not afraid to peep into a paper, as it is more than
probable that he may meet with a paragraph that will make him
unhappy for the rest of his life."
[196] Gibbon quotes incorrectly from Juvenal (Sat. 2, 1. 24)—
"Quis tulerit Gracchos de seditione querentes?"
[197] Gibbon's housekeeper.
[198] Alluding to negotiations between Mr. Eliot and himself for a
seat in Parliament.
[199] Lord Chesterfield's letters to his son, Philip Stanhope, were
sold by that son's widow, Mrs. Eugenia Stanhope, and published
in 1774, "from the originals in her possession." M. Deyverdun was
at this time tutor to the young Lord Chesterfield [1755-1815], a
distant kinsman of the deceased Earl. According to Walpole, an
injunction was applied for to prevent the publication of the letters.
Terms were, however, arranged by which the publication was
permitted, on condition that the family expunged certain
passages, and regained possession of such copies as had been
made of the unpublished Portraits, or Characters (Walpole to
Mason, April 7, 1774).
[200] Probably Sir William Guise.
[201] Shute Barrington, afterwards Bishop of Durham.
[202] A tax had been proposed in the Irish Parliament of two
shillings in the pound on the estates of absentee landlords. The
motion was lost by 122 to 102.
[203] Mrs. Holroyd, through her sister-in-law, Miss Holroyd, who
lived at Bath, had apparently hinted to Mrs. Gibbon at a possible
attachment between Edward Gibbon and Miss Fuller, niece to Mr.
Rose Fuller, of Rosehill, Sussex, M.P. for Rye.
[204] The Cambridges, the "eloquent Nymphs of Twickenham."
[205] Lord George Sackville, son of Lionel, Duke of Dorset,
assumed, in 1770, the name of Germain on succeeding to the
Northamptonshire estates of his aunt, Lady Betty Germain (died
December 16, 1769), second wife of Sir John Germain, Bart.,
whose first wife, Lady Mary Mordaunt, brought him the property.
Lord George was dismissed from the army for his conduct at the
battle of Minden (August 1, 1759). He was at this time M.P. for
East Grinstead. He became Secretary of State for the Colonies in
Lord North's administration, was created Lord Sackville in 1782,
and died in 1785.
[206] The Hon. Stephen Fox, eldest son of Lord Holland,
succeeded his father, July, 1774. He died December 26, 1774.
[207] Miss Fuller.
[208] The School of Wives, a comedy by Hugh Kelly (1739-1777),
was produced at Drury Lane on December 11, 1773. Walpole
speaks of it as "exceedingly applauded," though "Charles Fox
says" it "is execrable."
[209] Thomas, Lord Pelham of Stanmer (afterwards first Earl of
Chichester), was at this time surveyor-general of the Customs of
London. He married Miss Anne Frankland, granddaughter of Sir
Thomas Frankland, Bart.
[210] "The Noblemen and Gentlemen's Catch Club" was founded
in 1761, to encourage the composition and performance of
catches and glees. Members were elected by ballot. It met every
Tuesday from February to June at the Thatched House Tavern.
The club still flourishes. Gibbon speaks as if he were a member;
but his name does not occur in the lists of the club.
[211] By the death of Sir R. Ladbroke a vacancy occurred in the
representation of the City. The candidates were the Lord Mayor
(Bull) and Roberts. The result of the poll, by which the Lord
Mayor was elected, was declared on December 4, 1773. A
scrutiny was demanded on behalf of Roberts, but it was
abandoned.
[212] James Hare, the politician and wit ("the Hare and many
friends"), was M.P. (1772-74) for Stockbridge, and (1781-1804)
for Knaresborough. He married (January 21, 1774) Miss Hannah
Hume, sister of Sir Abraham Hume, Bart., F.R.S., the famous
collector of minerals and pictures, and one of the founders of the
Geological Society.
[213] Godfrey Clarke, M.P. for Derbyshire.
[214] The British Coffee-house, in Cockspur Street, was a
favourite resort of Scotchmen. The Duke of Bedford, soliciting the
votes of the sixteen Scottish peers in 1750, is said to have
enclosed all the letters under one cover, and addressed it to the
British Coffee-house.
[215] Garrick and Colman were managers of the two rival
theatres, Covent Garden and Drury Lane.
[216] George Colman (1732-1794) was at this time a formidable
rival to Garrick. His five-act comedy, The Man of Business, was
produced at Covent Garden in January, 1774. It is, as Gibbon
describes it, made up from Terence and other writers; "so full of
modern lore," writes H. Walpole, "of rencounters, and I know not
what, that I scarce comprehended a syllable."
[217] Goldsmith (1728-1774), whose play, She Stoops to
Conquer, had been produced at Covent Garden under Colman's
management (January, 1773), died April 4, 1774, scarcely more
than two months after this dinner. Gibbon signed the Round
Robin, drawn up at Sir Joshua Reynolds's by Burke, asking Dr.
Johnson to write Goldsmith's epitaph in English instead of Latin.
[218] Probably James Macpherson (1736-1796), whose
Fragments of Ancient Poetry collected in the Highlands were
published in 1760. At this time he was settled in London, where
he was engaged in historical literature, a translation of the Iliad,
and political writing on behalf of the Government.
[219] John Home (1722-1808), the author of Douglas (1756), had
helped to bring Macpherson's Ossianic poems before the public.
His Douglas was played at Covent Garden (1757); his Agis (1758)
and Siege of Aquileia (1760) were given at Drury Lane.
[220] Gibbon refers not to the essay on National Characters, but
to that on Polygamy and Divorces. Hume quotes a story from
Madame d'Aunoy's Mémoires de la Cour d'Espagne. "When the
mother of the late King of Spain was on her road towards Madrid,
she passed through a little town in Spain famous for its
manufactory of gloves and stockings. The magistrates of the place
thought they could not better express their joy for the reception
of their new queen, than by presenting her with a sample of
those commodities for which alone their town was remarkable.
The major domo, who conducted the princess, received the
gloves very graciously; but, when the stockings were presented,
he flung them away with great indignation, and severely
reprimanded the magistrates for this egregious piece of
indecency. Know, says he, that a queen of Spain has no legs. The
young queen, who at that time understood the language but
imperfectly, and had often been frightened with stories of Spanish
jealousy, imagined that they were to cut off her legs. Upon which
she fell a-crying, and begged them to conduct her back to
Germany, for that she could never endure the operation; and it
was with some difficulty they could appease her" (Hume's
Philosophical Works, ed. 1854, vol. iii. p. 205).
[221] Probably a reference to Lancelot Brown (1715-1783), the
landscape gardener, known as "Capability Brown."
[222] William Parsons (1746-1817) was appointed Master of the
King's Band of Music in 1786, was knighted in 1795, became
instructor in music to the princesses in 1796, and acted as a
stipendiary police magistrate at Great Marlborough Street.
[223] Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) was organist at Milan
Cathedral, 1754-59. He married an Italian prima donna, and came
to London, where he held the appointment of Director of Public
Concerts.
[224] The Rev. Dr. Dive Downes.
[225] Two recent events had brought American affairs into
prominence. The news of the attack upon the tea-ships in Boston
Harbour (December 16, 1773) had just reached England, and the
Privy Council had voted the Petition of the House of Assembly of
Massachusetts for the recall of Governor Hutchinson and
Lieutenant-Governor Oliver to be "groundless, vexatious, and
scandalous."
[226] The Boston Port Bill was brought in by Lord North on March
14, 1774, and received the royal assent on the 31st. It was
followed on March 28 by the Bill for regulating the government of
Massachusetts Bay. A third Bill was introduced (April 15) for "the
impartial administration of justice;" it provided for the transfer of
persons accused of being concerned in the late riots for trial in
England. All three Bills were passed during the session. Governor
Hutchinson was superseded by General Gage, who was sent out
with four regiments.
[227] Mrs. Horneck, wife of Captain Charles Horneck, Goldsmith's
"Captain-in-Lace" ("Verses in Reply to an Invitation to Dinner at
Dr. Baker's:" Works, ed. Cunningham, vol. i. p. 110), was one of
the most abandoned women of the time. She eloped with her
husband's brother-officer, Captain Scawen, who had in the
previous year fought a celebrated duel with "Fighting Fitzgerald."
[228] In 1773, the East India Company at Madras and the Nabob
of the Carnatic were allies: the Rajah of Tanjore, though
nominally an ally, was known to be in correspondence with Hyder
Ali and the Mahrattas. The Company agreed for a sum of money
to reduce the Rajah and transfer his dominions to the Nabob. The
bargain was fulfilled, and the news, transmitted to the Board of
Directors, reached London, March 26, 1774. In October, 1773,
Sujah Dowlah, Nawab of Oude, offered Warren Hastings a large
sum of money if the Company would conquer and transfer to him
the Rohilla country, north of his dominions and east of the
Ganges. At the same time the provinces of Corah and Allahabad
were sold to Sujah Dowlah by the Company.
[229] Captain David Roche sailed with his wife on board the
Vansittart, East Indiaman, in May, 1773, in order to take up an
appointment in the Company's service at Bombay. On the voyage
he quarrelled with Lieutenant James Ferguson, whom he killed at
the Cape in September, 1773. It was alleged that Roche had
treacherously assassinated his antagonist; but, on his trial at Cape
Town, it was proved that Ferguson was the assailant, and that
Roche had killed him in self-defence. Strong feeling was aroused
about the affair, because Roche was wrongly identified with a
notorious duellist of the day. The governor of the Cape obtained a
passage for Roche in a French frigate to Mauritius, whence he
reached Bombay. On arrival there, he was arrested and sent
home to England. Examined before the Privy Council on July 10,
1775, he was committed to Newgate. A special commission was
issued (August 5) to try him, and at the Old Bailey, on December
11, 1775, he was again acquitted of the charge of murder. (See A
Plain and Circumstantial Account of the Transactions between
Captain Roche and Lieut. Ferguson, etc. London, 1775.)
[230] Lord Midleton was the son of the third Lord Midleton and
his wife, Albinia, eldest daughter of the Hon. Thomas Townshend.
[231] Thomas Townshend (1733-1800), son of the Hon. Thomas
Townshend and grandson of the second Viscount Townshend, was
the "Tommy Townsend" of Goldsmith's Retaliation, in which he
describes Edmund Burke as—
"Though fraught with all learning, yet straining his throat,
To persuade Tommy Townsend to lend him a vote."
He was M.P. for Whitchurch in four successive Parliaments, and
held a series of important or lucrative offices. He was created
Baron Sydney in 1783, and Viscount Sydney in 1789.
[232] This probably refers to an attempt on the part of the
English to collect sugar duties at the island of Toracola (Crabb
Island) near Porto Rico, and the reply of the governor of Porto
Rico that the island belonged to Spain. In the Morning Chronicle
for April 12, 1774, it was reported "that the Spaniards had
bombarded the town of Kingston in Jamaica."
[233] The masquerade was given at the Pantheon, by Boodle's
Club.
[234] Gibbon was always careful, if not elaborate, in his dress.
George Colman the younger, in his Random Records (1830), vol. i.
pp. 121, 122, describes his meeting as a boy with Gibbon and
Johnson:—
"On the day I first sat down with Johnson, in his rusty brown, and
his black worsteads, Gibbon was placed opposite to me in a suit
of flower'd velvet, with a bag and sword." The "costume," he adds
in a note, "was not extraordinary at this time, (a little
overcharged, perhaps, if his person be considered,) when almost
every gentleman came to dinner in full dress." "Each," he
continues, "had his measured phraseology; and Johnson's famous
parallel, between Dryden and Pope, might be loosely parodied, in
reference to himself and Gibbon. Johnson's style was grand, and
Gibbon's elegant; the stateliness of the former was sometimes
pedantick, and the polish of the latter was occasionally finical.
Johnson march'd to kettle-drums and trumpets; Gibbon moved to
flutes and hautboys; Johnson hew'd passages through the Alps,
while Gibbon levell'd walks through parks and gardens. Maul'd as
I had been by Johnson, Gibbon pour'd balm upon my bruises, by
condescending, once or twice, in the course of the evening, to
talk with me; the great historian was light and playful, suiting his
matter to the capacity of the boy;—but it was done more suá
(sic); still his mannerism prevail'd;—still he tapp'd his snuff-box,—
still he smirk'd, and smiled; and rounded his periods with the
same air of good-breeding, as if he were conversing with men.—
His mouth, mellifluous as Plato's, was a round hole, nearly in the
centre of his visage."
[235] Word erased.
[236] Appearances proved deceitful. Amy Lyon, afterwards Emma
Hamilton, became the mistress of Sir H. Featherstonhaugh at Up-
Park in 1780, and was discarded by him just before the birth of
her second child.
[237] The second son of Mr. Eliot, of Port Eliot.
[238] The Weald of Sussex [S.].
[239] Louis XV. died May 10, 1774, of small-pox. "Two of the
King's daughters," writes Walpole (May 15, 1774), "though they
never had the small-pox, attended him." Both the princesses
caught the disease, but recovered. Louis XVI. and his two
brothers were vaccinated, and the successful results did much to
establish the practice on the Continent.
[240] Since the days of the Spectator, the Grecian, Squire's, and
Serle's Coffee-house had been the resort of lawyers.
[241] The fête was given by Lord Stanley at The Oaks, near
Epsom, in Surrey, on June 9, to celebrate his approaching
marriage with Lady Betty Hamilton, June 23, 1774. The fête was
the subject of Burgoyne's Maid of the Oaks, played at Covent
Garden in November, 1774.
[242] In the list of marriages for 1774 appears the following:
—"Dec. 8, 1774. Sir Stanier Porten, Knt., to Miss Mary Wibault of
Titchfield St." (Ann. Register). Sir Stanier Porten, Gibbon's uncle,
was in 1760 made Consul-General at Madrid. In 1772 he was
knighted in order to qualify him to act as proxy to Sir George
(afterwards Lord) Macartney, K.B. In May, 1774, he was an Under
Secretary of State, and was appointed Keeper and Registrar of His
Majesty's papers and records for the business of State at
Whitehall. He became a Commissioner of the Customs, and died
at Kensington Palace, June 7, 1789.
[243] Thomas Cadell was born in 1742, in Wine Street, Bristol. He
was apprentice, partner, and ultimately (1767) successor, to
Andrew Millar, the bookseller and publisher of the Strand, one of
"the Gentlemen Partners" who published Johnson's Dictionary. In
conjunction with Strahan, Cadell brought out the works of
Johnson, Robertson, Blackstone, Henry, and other writers. He was
printer to the Royal Academy from 1778 to 1793. He died in 1802.
[244] The Russian forces under Peter Alexandrovich Romanzow
(1725-1796) drove back the Turks and surrounded their camp at
Shumla, sixty miles south of Silistria, and one of the keys of
Constantinople. Peace was, in consequence of these successes,
signed July 21, 1774, between Russia and Turkey at Kainardji, by
which Azof was ceded to Russia and the freedom of the Black Sea
established.
[245] Mr. Holroyd proposed to stand for the county of Sussex. He
apparently hoped that he might represent the eastern half, and
relied on the influence of the Duke of Dorset at Buckhurst. But
the Richmond influence carried both east and west, and Mr.
Holroyd withdrew his candidature. The members returned were
Sir Thomas S. Wilson and Lord George H. Lennox.
[246] The Duke of Richmond.
[247] Probably Lord Ashburnham, of Ashburnham Place, near
Battle in Sussex.
[248] Probably William Hall, second Viscount Gage, who married
Elizabeth Gideon, sister of Sir Sampson Gideon, afterwards Baron
Eardley of Spalding, and is said to have introduced the greengage
into Sussex. See Letter 210.
[249] Lord George Germain.
[250] John Frederick, third Duke of Dorset, who succeeded his
uncle in 1769, was appointed Ambassador at Paris in 1783. He
died in 1799.
[251] Probably refers to Lord George Germain, who was M.P. for
East Grinstead, and possessed estates in Sussex. See note to
Letter 181.
[252] See note to Letter 209.
[253] The Russian Ambassador in London.
[254] Probably the Cambridges of Twickenham.
[255] ibbon was M.P. for Liskeard.
[256] Parliament was dissolved on September 30, "six months
before its natural death.... The chief motive is supposed to be the
ugly state of North America, and the effects that a cross winter
might have on the next elections" (Walpole to Mann, October 6,
1774). The result of the elections was, on the whole, favourable
to Lord North.
[257] Lord G. Cavendish and Godfrey Bagnal Clarke were elected
members for Derbyshire.
[258] Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, with Lord G. H. Lennox, was
returned for Sussex.
[259] On March 7, 1770, a Bill for regulating the proceedings of
the House of Commons on controverted elections was introduced,
and became law in April, 1770. It was subsequently known as the
Grenville Act, from its chief supporter, George Grenville. The
decision of controverted elections was under the Act transferred
from the committee of the whole House to a select committee
specially chosen for each case. Originally passed for five years, it
was made perpetual in 1774.
[260] John Wilkes was elected Lord Mayor, October 8, 1774.
[261] Sir James Peachy, Bart., was bottom of the poll for Sussex.
[262] I.e. Mr. Isaac Holroyd and Miss Sarah Holroyd.
[263] The new Parliament met November 29, 1774.
[264] Lord Clive died November 22, 1774.
[265] Sir Fletcher Norton was re-elected speaker, November 29,
1774.
[266] James Whitshed, M.P. for Cirencester.
[267] The Address was carried on December 5, 1774. An
amendment, claiming the fullest information on American affairs,
was moved in the Lower House by Lord John Cavendish.
[268] David Hartley, M.P. for Kingston-upon-Hull.
[269] Sir W. Maine, Bart., of Gatton Park, Surrey, M.P. for
Canterbury.
[270] Sir Thomas Miller, Bart., of Chichester, M.P. for Lewes.
[271] Benjamin Lethieullier, at this time M.P. for Andover, whom
Gibbon met at Up Park in 1762, was brother to Lady
Featherstonhaugh, and a relation of Smart Lethieullier, the
antiquary.
[272] Israel Mauduit, pamphleteer and woollen-draper, best
known for his Considerations on the Present German War (1760),
was agent for Massachusetts Bay. It was on his application that
Wedderburn was heard before the Privy Council, in answer to the
petition for the recall of Hutchinson and Oliver.
[273] "Lawyer Batt," whose name often occurs in these letters,
was John Thomas Batt, of Newhall near Salisbury, successively a
Master in Chancery, and a Commissioner for the auditing of the
Public Accounts. He was a "prime favourite" of Miss Burney, and a
friend of Walpole, Lord Malmsbury, and Sir J. Reynolds.
[274] Delegates from eleven Colonies met at Philadelphia,
September 5, 1774, and constituted themselves a Congress. A
Declaration of Rights was drawn up, in which it was shown that
recent Acts of Parliament had infringed those rights. Resolutions
were passed to suspend all imports from, or exports to, Great
Britain and Ireland and their dependencies, till American
grievances were redressed. An association was formed to carry
out these resolutions and on October 26 Congress dissolved.
[275] Thomas Hutchinson, Governor of Massachusetts, and
Andrew Oliver, Lieutenant-Governor, had corresponded with a
private friend in England, Thomas Whately, formerly secretary to
George Grenville. Their letters were purloined and placed in the
hands of Franklin, who sent copies to the House of Assembly of
Massachusetts. The House petitioned for their recall in
consequence of the language they had used in these letters. The
petition was dismissed by the Privy Council. Hutchinson, however,
returned home early in 1774. He had already published (1764-68)
two volumes of his History of the Colony of Massachusetts. He
died in 1789, at the age of seventy-eight. The third volume of his
history was published from his manuscripts in 1828.
[276] The work in question is La verdadera Hystoria del rey Don
Rodrigo: compuesta por Abulcacim Tarif Abentarique.
Nuevamente traduzida de la lengua Arabiga por M. de L[una]. In
two parts. Granada, 1592-1600, 8vo. It was really written by
Miguel de Luna, and, as Gibbon points out, the Arabic MS. is
imaginary. The book was translated into English as The Life of
Almanzor, translated into Spanish by M. de Luna. London, 1693.
8vo.
[277] Probably a nephew of Mr. Benjamin Way, of Denham, Mrs.
Holroyd's brother, who married Miss Elizabeth Cooke.
[278] Parliament met January 19, 1775.
[279] Sir M. Featherstonhaugh married, in 1746, Sarah
Lethieullier, who died in 1788. One of her brothers was Benjamin
Lethieullier, M.P. for Andover. See note to Letter 230.
[280] Lord Beauchamp, at this time a widower, married, in May
22, 1776, as his second wife, Lady Isabella Shepheard, eldest
daughter of the last Lord Irvine.
[281] Lady Mary Fitzpatrick, daughter of the first Earl of Upper
Ossory, married, in 1766, Stephen Fox, second Lord Holland. She
died October 6, 1778, without marrying a second time.
[282] Lord North proposed (February 10) a Bill restricting the
trade of America with Great Britain, Ireland, and the West Indies,
and excluding the colonists from the Newfoundland fisheries.
[283] The two members returned for Downton, Thomas Dummer
and Thomas Duncombe, were declared not duly elected, and Sir
Philip Hales and John Cooper declared duly elected.
[284] Sir Harbord Harbord, afterwards Lord Suffield, M.P. for
Norwich.
[285] Efforts were made by Lord North to secure the loyalty of
the province of New York, which at first repudiated the non-
importation agreement of Congress, refused to print letters of the
committee of correspondence appointed to carry out that policy,
and declined to choose delegates to the second Congress which
was to be held in May, 1775. Patriotic feeling, however, prevailed,
and New York decided in April, 1775, to fall into line with the
other colonies.
[286] On February 1, 1775, Lord Chatham, in the House of Lords,
brought in a Bill for settling the troubles in America, by which it
was enacted, inter alia, that no tax should be imposed on the
colonists by the British Parliament without the consent of their
own representative assembly. The Bill was rejected; but it
probably influenced Lord North, who, on February 20, brought
forward, in the Lower House, his conciliatory scheme. This was a
resolution proposing that, if the colonists should make a
satisfactory provision for the defence and government of the
province, the right of taxing them should be suspended. Sir G.
Elliot represented the Bedford party in the House of Commons.
[287] On February 22 Wilkes proposed a motion rescinding every
step which the late Parliament had taken with reference to the
Middlesex election. Gibbon voted for the motion against the
Government. The motion was lost by 239 to 171.
[288] Wilkes.
[289] Robert Jephson's successful tragedy Braganza was played
at Drury Lane in February, 1775, Mrs. Yates taking the part of
Louisa, Duchess of Braganza. Gibbon is probably referring to this
play in comparing Mrs. Holroyd to the spirited Duchess. The
answer of "My Lady" is in keeping with the character of the
Duchess as depicted in the play—
"I have a woman's form, a woman's fears,
I shrink from pain and start at dissolution.

. . . . . . . . .

Yet summoned as we are, your honour pledged,


Your own just rights engaged, your country's fate,
. . . . . Still would I on,
Still urge, exhort, confirm thy constancy,
And, though we perished in the bold attempt,
With my last breath I'd bless the glorious cause,
And think it happiness to die so nobly."

[290] Mrs. Gibbon's residence at Bath.


[291] See note to Letter 184.
[292] May 15, 1775.
[293] May 18, 1775. This Act, passed in the spring of 1774,
sanctioned the free exercise of the Roman Catholic religion in
Canada.
[294] On April 18, 1775, General Gage despatched several
hundred British troops from Boston to destroy some military
stores collected at Concord. On the 19th they reached Concord;
but, on the return, they were attacked by the Colonial Minute-
men, and were only saved from annihilation by the detachment
which Gage had sent to their support at Lexington. The battle was
immediately followed by the investment of Boston by the
American militia.
[295] I.e. Hutchinson.
[296] The sloop sent by General Gage from Boston.
[297] A new edition of Madame de Sévigné's letters appeared at
Paris in 1775—Recueil des lettres de Madame la Marquise de
Sévigné à Madame la Marquise de Grignan sa fille.
[298] Sir R. Worsley married, September 20, 1775, Miss Seymour
Dorothy Fleming, daughter and coheiress of Sir John Fleming,
Bart., of Rydal, Westmoreland, and Brompton Park, Middlesex.
[299] William Strahan (1715-1785), Printer to His Majesty, was at
this time M.P. for Malmesbury. At the election of 1780 he was
returned for Wootton Bassett; but did not seek re-election after
the dissolution in 1784. He purchased in 1770 from Mr. Eyre a
share in the King's Patent as a printer. His character is sketched in
Nichols' Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century, vol. iii. pp.
390-397.
[300] General Fraser (1726-1782), the eldest son of the Simon,
Lord Lovat, who was executed in 1747, was himself included in
the Act of Attainder for his share in the '45. Pardoned in 1750, he
raised a regiment of Highlanders (afterwards the 78th), and
commanded it in Canada during the Seven Years' War. He became
a major-general in 1771. Three years later, the estates which his
father's treason had forfeited were restored to him, in
consideration of his services in the late war. He was M.P. for
Inverness from 1761 to 1782. He married Miss Catherine Bristow,
who survived him many years.
[301] Charles James Fox was Clerk of the Pells in Ireland. The
place was purchased from him by the Government, who conferred
it upon Charles Jenkinson in order that the latter might vacate his
office of Vice-Treasurer of Ireland in favour of Henry Flood.
[302] Lord Ely married, on September 18, 1775, the daughter of
the late Captain Hugh Bonfoy, R.N., and Mrs. Bonfoy (née Anne
Eliot).
[303] A great expedition against the Barbary States was
organized by the Spaniards, and on July 2, 1775, a powerful fleet
landed their army at Algiers. After a fight of thirteen hours the
Spaniards were obliged to retreat.
[304] The famous Duchess of Kingston, formerly Miss Chudleigh,
married the Duke of Kingston, while her first husband, Augustus
Hervey, then a lieutenant in the navy, afterwards (1775) Earl of
Bristol, was living. She was tried for bigamy and convicted in
1776. Foote proposed to tell her story in a play called A Trip to
Calais, and to introduce her under the name of "Kitty Crocodile."
Lord Hertford, as Chamberlain, interdicted the piece, which Foote
brought out in 1777 as The Capuchin.
[305] After the battle of Bunker's Hill (June 17, 1775) General
Gage was recalled, and General Howe appointed to the chief
command in America.
[306] Gibbon speaks of Miss Bonfoy, the future Lady Ely.
[307] Doubtless a reference to Mr. Holroyd's character of Lord Ely.
[308] George III. negotiated ineffectually with the Empress
Catharine for the hire of twenty thousand Russian mercenaries for
service in America. Sir Robert Gunning (1731-1816), the British
envoy at St. Petersburg, was at first led to believe by both Panin,
the Russian Foreign Minister, and the empress herself, that the
troops would be provided. The negotiations were broken off on
the ground that the Russian officers could not take the required
oath of allegiance to George III.
[309] In May, 1775, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold surprised
the Forts of Ticonderoga on Lake George and Crown Point on
Lake Champlain. General Carleton, the Governor of Canada, was
in command of very inadequate forces, and it was feared that the
province would join the Colonists against the British.
[310] Addresses from the principal trading towns of England
poured in, asking the king to prosecute the war with vigour.
Walpole (Journal of the Reign of George III., 1771-83, vol. i. pp.
501, 502, Dr. Doran's edition) says that the addresses were
bought.
[311] The Government endeavoured to raise a regiment of Irish
Catholics; but these, says Walpole, "would not list, nor could they
in the whole summer get above 400 recruits in England" (Journal
of the Reign of George III., vol. i. p. 500).
[312] Dr. Wesley, on the other hand, published, in 1775, his Calm
Address to our American Colonies, in which he urged arguments
similar to those of Dr. Johnson in his Taxation no Tyranny.
[313] Mr. Stephen Sayer, a London banker, and one of the sheriffs
of the City, was accused by one Richardson, a young American
officer in the Guards, of a plot to seize the Tower, and attack the
king as he went to open Parliament. The guards were trebled,
and Sayer, brought before Lord Rochford, Secretary of State for
the Southern Department, was committed to the Tower. Another
"mad enthusiast for liberty" and "one or two dissenting Divines"
were also apprehended. The meeting of Parliament, however,
passed off quietly, and the temporary panic subsided. On October
28, 1775, Sayer was brought before Lord Mansfield on a Habeas
Corpus, and admitted to bail. On December 13 he was discharged
from his recognizances.
[314] The negotiations with Russia failed. But the Landgrave of
Hesse, the Duke of Brunswick, and other petty German
potentates supplied seventeen thousand mercenaries.
[315] The address was moved on October 26, 1775, by Mr. Acland
(eldest son of Sir Thomas Acland), and seconded by the Hon.
William Lyttleton. M.P. for Bewdley, formerly Governor of Jamaica,
and minister at Lisbon, An amendment proposed by Lord John
Cavendish, demanding the fullest information on the subject of
America, was rejected by 278 to 108.
[316] Mr. Eliot, on the death of Sir J. Molesworth, was elected
M.P. for Cornwall. Miss Burney, in 1781, speaks of meeting "Mr.
Eliot, knight of the shire of Cornwall, a most agreeable, lively, and
very clever man." He was one of the pall-bearers at the funeral of
Sir Joshua Reynolds. He was also a friend of Johnson, to whom
he lent Defoe's Memoirs of Captain Carleton, a book which the
Doctor had never seen (Boswell's Life of Johnson, ed. G. B. Hill,
1887, vol. iv. pp. 334-344).
[317] Colonel Gould.
[318] On November 14, 1775, Benedict Arnold made an
unsuccessful attempt to capture Quebec by surprise. Reinforced
by a considerable body of troops under General Montgomery, he
renewed his attack on December 31. Montgomery was killed,
Arnold wounded, and the assault repulsed. The siege was,
however, continued, and it was not till May, 1776, that General
Carleton was able to assume the offensive and drive the
Americans out of Canada.
[319] Gibbon alludes to the story, that the Countess of
Nottingham kept back a ring which Essex, before his execution,
sent by her hand to Elizabeth. The ring, which had formerly been
worn by the queen, is probably now in the possession of Mr.
Francis Thynne, to whom it descended through Lady Mary
Devereux. It is a cameo head of Elizabeth, cut in a sardonyx, and
set in a gold ring, enamelled at the back. It has been enlarged
with soft solder, as though Essex had only trusted it to a jeweller
working in his presence. Walpole makes no allusion to the alleged
discovery.
[320] The Duke of Grafton resigned the Privy Seal November 9,
1775. Lord Dartmouth succeeded him, and Lord George Germain
took Lord Dartmouth's place as Secretary of State for the
Colonies.
[321] Horace Walpole, writing November 23, 1775, says, "A
Monsieur Tessier, of whom I have heard much in France, acted an
entire play of ten characters, and varied his voice, and
countenance, and manner, for each so perfectly, that he did not
name the persons that spoke, nor was it necessary. I cannot
decide to which part he did most justice, but I would go to the
play every night if I could see it so acted."
[322] Topham Beauclerk and Lady Diana Beauclerk (see note to
Letter 47).
[323] The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by
Edward Gibbon, Esq. Vol. i., London, 1776, 4to, was published by
W. Strahan and T. Cadell in February.
[324] Madame Necker, formerly Suzanne Curchod (see note to
Letter 26), and her husband were at this time in London. "M. et
Madame Necker se préparent à un voyage en Angleterre; ils
partiront le semaine de Pâques, et ils m'assurent qu'ils seront ici
de retour à la fin de mai" (Madame du Deffand to Walpole, March
17, 1776).
[325] The Duchess of Kingston was Countess of Bristol, her
previous marriage with Augustus Hervey (afterwards Earl of
Bristol) having been declared legal. See note to Letter 259.
[326] Sir John Russell, Bart., of Chequers, Bucks., married on
October 25, 1774, Miss Carey, daughter of General Carey, and
granddaughter of Lord Falkland.
[327] Two commissioners, Admiral Lord Howe and his brother,
General Howe, were empowered, in May, 1776, to treat with the
colonists, receive submissions, grant pardons, and inquire into
grievances. Lord Howe reached Sandy Hook on July 12th. On July
4 the Declaration of Independence had been adopted by
Congress, and the mission was too late.
[328] Lord Palmerston was elected a member of the Catch Club in
1771.
[329] Almack's Club, in Pall Mall, surpassed White's in the
extravagance of its gambling. Brooks, a money-lender and wine-
merchant, took up the management of the club, which was
dispersed when he opened the new premises of Brooks' Club, in
St. James's Street, in 1778.
[330] Mr. Child (The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, part iii.
p. 199, Boston, 1885) says that Mallet passed off as his own, with
very slight changes, a ballad called William and Margaret, a copy
of which, dated 1711, has been discovered. But the resemblances
between the two poems scarcely seem to justify Mr. Child's
criticism, though Gibbon's statement confirms it. The writer of the
article on Mallet, in the Dictionary of National Biography, throws
no doubts upon Mallet being the author of William and Margaret,
nor does the writer on Marvell, in the same series, lay any claim
for Marvell to its authorship. Thomas, better known as "Hesiod,"
Cooke, who published his Life and Writings of Andrew Marvell in
1726, and who not only disliked Mallet, but characterised his
William and Margaret as "trash," nowhere suggests that Mallet
was not the author. The first stanza is taken from Beaumont and
Fletcher's comedy of The Knight of the Burning Pestle, where old
Merrythought sings—
"When it was grown to dark midnight,
And all were fast asleep,
In came Margaret's grimly ghost,
And stood at William's feet."
In Percy's Reliques, vol. iii. p. 331 (ed. Dodsley, 1759), Mallet's
poem is printed with the following note: "This Ballad, which
appeared in some of the public Newspapers in or before the year
1724, came from the pen of David Mallet, Esq.; who in the edition
of his poems, 3 vols., 1759, informs us that the plan was
suggested by the four verses quoted above ***, which he
supposed to be the beginning of some ballad now lost."
[331] The report of General Lee's capture was false. He was taken
prisoner December 13, 1776.
[332] Beilby Porteus, Bishop of Chester, afterwards Bishop of
London, had been chaplain to Archbishop Secker, whose Charges
he published in 1769. He did not publish any reply to Gibbon's
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
[333] Sir Guy Carleton was gazetted K.B., July 6, 1776.
[334] The Hon. John Damer, son of Lord Milton, shot himself,
August 15, 1776. To his widow, the daughter of General Conway,
Horace Walpole left Strawberry Hill for her life.
[335] On August 27, 1776, General Howe defeated the Americans
at the battle of Brooklyn or Long Island.
[336] Louisa, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Holroyd.
[337] An Apology for Christianity, in a Series of Letters to Edward
Gibbon, Esq., by Richard Watson, D.D. (afterwards Bishop of
Llandaff). Gibbon had a great respect for Dr. Watson, at this time
Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, as "a prelate of a large mind
and liberal spirit." He writes (November 2, 1776) to "express his
sense of the liberal treatment which he has received from so
candid an adversary."
[338] On September 15 General Howe occupied New York, which
had been evacuated by the American troops; a few days later a
great part of the city was destroyed by incendiaries.
[339] Lord Chatham boasted that he had conquered America in
Germany. Wilkes, in March, 1776, had said, alluding to Lord G.
Germain's misconduct at Minden and Chatham's boast, that Lord
George might conquer America, though, he believed, it would not
be in Germany. Gibbon apparently refers to this remark, and to
Lord George's hope that he might recover his lost reputation by
the reconquest of America.
[340] Parliament met October 31, 1776. An amendment to the
address, expressing pacific sentiments, was negatived by 242 to
87, and the address carried by 232 to 83.
[341] The proclamation, issued September 19, 1776, was
addressed to the people of America, promised a revision of recent
legislation, and was designed to induce separate colonies to
negotiate with the commissioners independently of Congress. It
was not published in the official Gazettes, which had appeared on
November 4 and 5, 1776.
[342] J. B. Antoine Suard (1733-1817), whose acquaintance
Gibbon made at Paris in 1763, had translated Robertson's History
of Charles V. in 1771, and was now at work on a translation of his
History of America, which was published in 1778.
[343] In a letter, dated "Ferney, July 19, 1776," and addressed to
M. d'Argenteuil, Voltaire wrote strongly against a projected
translation of Shakespeare. He claims that he himself had first
pointed out to the French some pearls which he found on
Shakespeare's "enormous dung-heap." "I little thought," he
continues, "that I should help to tread under foot the crowns of
Racine and Corneille, in order to adorn the head of a barbarian
and a buffoon." The letter was read aloud before the
Academicians. Mrs. Montague, who was present, when she heard
the words "énorme fumier," exclaimed, "C'est un fumier qui a
fertilisé une terre bien ingrate."
[344] On November 22, letters arrived from Sir Guy Carleton
giving an account of the destruction of the American fleet on Lake
Champlain, October 11-13, 1776. Arnold, after destroying Crown
Point, retired to Ticonderoga. General Burgoyne returned to
England on December 9, 1776.
[345] Remarks on the Two Last Chapters of Mr. Gibbon's History
of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by James Chelsum,
D.D. London, 1776. 8vo.
[346] With Lord and Lady Ossory.
[347] The translation, commenced by M. Le Clerc de Septchênes,
and completed by other hands, passed through numerous editions
in France. It was the foundation of an Italian version published at
Pisa in 1779-86.
[348] After the battle of Brooklyn, Washington withdrew his
troops to the heights of Haarlem. General Howe, towards the end
of October, engaged in several skirmishes with the Americans, but
made no effort to bring them to a decisive engagement. On
November 16, 1776, Fort Washington was taken by the British,
and 2600 of the American troops, exclusive of officers,
surrendered as prisoners of war. Following up his advantage,
Howe advanced into New Jersey, Washington retreating beyond
the Delaware.
[349] General Fraser lived in Downing Street, and died there,
February 8, 1782.
[350] Mrs. Fraser.
[351] General Fraser.
[352] On December 7, 1776, a fire broke out in Portsmouth
Dockyard, and in the hemp warehouse a quantity of combustibles
were found; at Plymouth an attempt to set the dockyard on fire
was discovered; at Bristol several houses close to the quay were
set on fire. The incendiary was "John the Painter," whose real
name was Aitken. He confessed his guilt, and asserted the
complicity of Silas Deane, the American agent at Paris. He was
tried at Winchester Assizes, convicted, and hanged at Portsmouth.
[353] I.e. probably the Abigail of Mrs. Abigail Holroyd.
[354] John Hunter (1728-1793) began his Anatomy Lectures in
1773. Originally delivered to his pupils, they were afterwards
thrown open to the public on payment of a fee of four guineas.
They were delivered annually from October to April, on alternate
evenings at 7 to 8 p.m.
[355] Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas Day, 1776,
surprised two regiments of Hessians at Trenton, and in the
following January again reduced the Jerseys, while Howe
remained inactive at New York.
[356] In June, 1776, after the fall of Turgot, Necker was
associated with Taboureau des Réaux, the Controller-General, in
the management of the finances of France, and given the title of
Directeur du trésor. In June, 1777, he succeeded Taboureau des
Réaux, but, because of his religion, only received the title of
Directeur Général.
[357] The Marquis de la Fayette, born 1757, married the second
daughter of the Duc d'Ayen, eldest son of the Maréchal de
Noailles, and brother of the Marquis de Noailles, the French
ambassador. La Fayette came to London on a visit to his wife's
uncle early in 1777, and was presented to George III. A few days
later he returned to Paris, sailed from Passages with several
young Frenchmen for America, landed in June, and immediately
received the rank of major-general in the American army. A lettre
de cachet was sent after him to Bordeaux; but he avoided it by
crossing into Spain.
[358] On April 9, 1777, a message from the king was delivered to
both Houses, asking for the payment of his debts, which
amounted to £600,000. At the same time a Bill "for the better
support of the Royal Household" was introduced, to increase his
revenue by £100,000 a year. A motion for a committee to inquire
into the accounts was rejected; the king's debts were discharged,
and the Government Bill carried.
[359] Lord Pigot, Governor of Madras, was arrested in April, 1776,
by the Madras Council for his support of the Rajah of Tanjore
against the Nabob of the Carnatic, and his opposition to an
iniquitous claim upon the Rajah's revenue made by Paul Benfield.
He died while still under arrest, in May, 1777. The Court of
Proprietors voted by a large majority for his release and
restoration to his governorship. The Directors were almost equally
divided upon the question. Meanwhile the Government exercised
all its influence to carry through the Court of Proprietors three
resolutions—one recalling Lord Pigot, a second ordering home his
friends in the council, a third ordering home his enemies. These
resolutions were carried. Lord Pigot's case was then taken up in
Parliament, and on May 22, 1777, Governor Johnston moved
several resolutions approving Lord Pigot's action, and condemning
the Madras Council. The resolutions were rejected by 90 to 67.
See note to Letter 371.
[360] The Prince of Orange, packet from Harwich to Helvetsluys,
was captured by the Surprise, an American privateer commanded
by Captain Cunningham, carrying four guns and ten swivels.
[361] This letter was begun one Sunday and finished the next.
[362] Marie de Vichy-Chamrond (1697-1781) married, in 1718,
Jean Baptiste Jacques de la Lande, Marquis du Deffand.
Separated from her husband in 1722 for her relations with the
Regent duc d'Orléans, the President Hénault, and others, she
lived chiefly at Sceaux till the death of her husband in 1750. In
1753 she opened her salon at the Convent of St. Joseph. A year
later she became totally blind. She had stayed at La Source with
Lord Bolingbroke in 1721, and since then had known some of the
most distinguished men and women in France and England. But
the following extracts from her correspondence with Walpole, who
had introduced Gibbon to her, show her appreciation of the
historian as a member of society:—"Je suis fort contente de M.
Gibbon; depuis huit jours qu'il est arrivé, je l'ai vu presque tous
les jours; il a la conversation facile, parle très-bien français;
j'espère qu'il me sera de grande ressource" (May 18, 1777). "Je
lui crois beaucoup d'esprit, sa conversation est facile, et forte de
choses, comme disait Fontenelle; il me plaît beaucoup, d'autant
plus qu'il ne m'embarrasse pas" (May 27). "Je m'accommode de
plus en plus de M. Gibbon; c'est véritablement un homme
d'esprit; tous les tons lui sont faciles, il est aussi Français ici que
MM. de Choiseul, de Beauvau, etc. Je me flatte qu'il est content
de moi; nous soupons presque tous les jours ensemble, le plus
souvent chez moi; ce soir ce sera chez Madame de Mirepoix"
(June 8). "M. Gibbon me convient parfaitement; je voudrais bien
qu'il restât toujours ici; je le vois presque tous les jours; sa
conversation est très facile, on est à son aise avec lui" (June 22).
"M. Gibbon a ici le plus grand succès, on se l'arrache; Je ne sais
pas si tous les jugements qu'il porte sont bien justes, mais il se
comporte avec tout le monde d'une manière qui ne donne point
de prise aux ridicules; ce qui est fort difficile à éviter dans les
sociétés qu'il fréquente" (September 21).
[363] Gabrielle Charlotte Françoise d'Alsace-Hénin-Liétard
married, in November, 1755, Jacques François, Vicomte de
Cambis. She was the sister of the Prince de Chimay, and niece of
the Marquise de Boufflers. She knew English well, and translated
into French several of the Portraits of Lord Chesterfield. Her
conquest of the Duke of Richmond was well known in Paris.
Gibbon himself was her victim. "Le Gibbon," writes Madame du
Deffand to Walpole, April 20, 1780, "était aussi un peu épris; elle
fait plus de conquêtes à présent qu'elle n'en a fait dans sa
première jeunesse; sa coquetterie est sèche, froide et piquante;
c'est un nouveau genre qu'a sa séduction." The Vicomtesse de
Cambis died at Richmond in 1808. Madame de Genlis, who
disliked her, says (Mémoires, vol. ii. pp. 30, 31) that she was
deeply pitted with the small-pox, and that "elle avoit l'air le plus
dédaigneux et le plus impertinent qu'on ait jamais osé porter dans
le monde."
[364] The Duc de Choiseul (1719-1785) was Minister of Foreign
Affairs, and afterwards War Minister and Naval Minister, to Louis
XV. during the ascendency of Madame de Pompadour. He was
disgraced in 1770, when Madame du Barri became the royal
favourite.
[365] Madame du Deffand describes a small party at the Neckers',
where she met the Emperor Joseph II. and Gibbon.
[366] Louis Jules Mancini, Duc de Nivernois (1716-1798), was
ambassador in England from 1762 to 1763. In that capacity he
had given Gibbon introductions to leaders of Parisian society
during his first visit to the capital.
[367] Marie Sylvie de Rohan-Chabot married, as her first
husband, the Marquis de Chermont d'Amboise. Left a widow in
1761, she married in 1764, as his second wife, the Maréchal de
Beauvau, fourth son of the Prince de Craon (died 1793), and was,
therefore, stepmother of his daughter the Princesse de Poix. She
and her husband belonged to the Liberal party, who supported
the Duc de Choiseul and opposed the ascendency of Madame du
Barri. For this reason she was nicknamed "la mère des
Machabées." The Princesse de Beauvau, one of the most
charming women of her time, wrote an Eloge of her husband. She
died in 1807. Her own character is sketched in the Hommage à la
mémoire de Madame la princesse de Beauvau of Madame de
Luynes. "Elle étoit, a mon avis, la femme la plus distinguée de la
société, par l'esprit, le ton, les manières, et l'air franc et ouvert
qui lui étoit particulier" (Madame de Genlis, Mémoires, vol. i. p.
357).
[368] Count de Viry, the Sardinian ambassador, as Baron de la
Perrière, was formerly Sardinian ambassador in England. There he
married Miss Harriet Speed, a niece of Lady Cobham, and one of
the heroines of Gray's Long Story who were sent from Lady
Cobham's house to rid the country of the "wicked imp they call a
poet." "My old friend Miss Speed," writes Gray to Wharton in
1761, "has done a very foolish thing; she has married the Baron
de la Perrière, son to the Sardinian Minister, the Count de Viry. He
is about twenty-eight years old (ten years younger than herself),
but looks nearer forty." In September, 1777, Viry was recalled
from Paris, and disgraced, because, as was alleged, his wife had
been bribed by Lord Stormont to betray the diplomatic secrets of
the court of Turin. Another account is given in Lescure's
Correspondence Secrète sur Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, etc.:
"M. le Comte de Viry, ambassadeur de Sardaigne, est rappelé à
Turin. On croit qu'il y a de la disgrace" (vol. i. p. 74). A secret
treaty was signed early in 1777 between Austria, France, Spain,
and Sardinia against England, and the secretary of the Comte de
Viry "a vendu une copie du traité à milord Stormont" (ibid., vol. i.
p. 82). See also, for a third account, Dutensiana (Londres, 1806),
pp. 216-219.
[369] "American privateers," writes Walpole, July 17, 1777, "infest
our coasts; they keep Scotland in alarms, and even the harbour of
Dublin has been newly strengthened with cannon." On August 7
the crew of a privateer landed at Penzance and plundered several
farmers of their live stock. It was in the following year, April,
1778, that Paul Jones first harried the English and Scottish coasts.
[370] In The Private Correspondence of David Garrick (vol. ii. pp.
255, 256) is printed a letter from Gibbon to Garrick, written from
the "Hôtel de Modène, rue Jacob, Fauxbourg St. Germain," at
Paris, and dated August 14th, 1777. Gibbon begins by thanking
Garrick for a kindly mention of his name. "It is pleasant to find
one's-self mentioned with friendship by those whom posterity will
mention with admiration. Foreign nations are a kind of posterity,
and among them you already reap the full reward of your fame."
"You have reason," he continues, "to envy me, for I can truly
declare that I reckon the three months which I have now passed
in Paris among the most agreeable of my life. My connection with
a house, before which the proudest of the Gallic nobles bow the
knee, my familiar acquaintance with the language, and a natural
propensity to be pleased with the people and their manners, have
introduced me into very good company; and, different in that
respect from the traveller Twiss, I have sometimes been invited to
the same houses a second time. If besides these advantages your
partiality should ascribe any others to your friend, I am not proud
enough entirely to disclaim them. I propose to stay at Paris about
two months longer, to hook in (if possible) a little of the
Fontainebleau voyage, and to return to England a few days before
the meeting of Parliament, where I suppose we shall have some
warm scenes. You cannot surely be satisfied with the beginning,
or rather no beginning, of the American campaign, which seems
to elevate the enemies as much as it must humble the friends of
Great Britain.
"At this time of year, the society of the Turk's-head" (in Gerrard
Street, where the Literary Club met) "can no longer be addressed
as a corporate body, and most of the individual members are
probably dispersed; Adam Smith in Scotland; Burke in the shades
of Beaconsfield; Fox, the Lord or the devil knows where, &c., &c.
Be so good as to salute in my name those friends who may fall in
your way. Assure Sir Joshua, in particular, that I have not lost my
relish for manly conversation and the society of the brown table. I
hope Colman has made a successful campaign. May I beg to be
remembered to Mrs. Garrick? By this time she has probably
discovered the philosopher's stone; she has long possessed a
much more valuable secret,—that of gaining the hearts of all who
have the happiness of knowing her.

"I am, dear Sir, most affectionately yours,

"E. Gibbon."
[371] Françoise Lambertine, daughter of Baron Kolbel, married,
September 1, 1767, "a rich West Indian," Ralph Payne (knighted
in 1771), a son of the Governor of St. Christopher's, and himself
Governor of the Leeward Islands (1771-75). Sir Ralph represented
various constituencies in Parliament from 1768 to 1799, and, with
his wife, was prominent in London society. He was created
Viscount Lavington. Lady Lavington survived her husband, who
died in 1807, as Governor of Antigua and a bankrupt.
[372] The Hon. Fred. Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury.
[373] Lord Mansfield, Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench.
[374] General (afterwards Sir William) Howe defeated Washington
at Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and took possession of
Philadelphia on the 27th.
[375] The Parliamentary session opened on November 18.
[376] Lord Chatham, in the House of Lords, moved an
amendment to the address, that the army should be recalled, the
late Acts rescinded, and every effort used to reunite with America.
The same motion was made in the Lower House. But the
amendments were rejected by large majorities in both Houses. On
December 2, Fox moved for a committee of the whole House to
inquire into the state of the nation, including the expenses and
resources of the nation, the loss of men, the state of trade, the
present situation of the war, our foreign relations, and the
progress made by the Commissioners in bringing about peace.
Lord North accepted the motion, and the committee sat for the
first time on February 2, 1778. Parliament was adjourned from
December 11, 1777, to January 20, 1778.
[377] General Burgoyne, after capturing Ticonderoga, pushed
forwards towards the Hudson River, intending to invade the
United States from the side of Canada. His supplies began to fail.
The American forces gathered at Saratoga, and after several days'
fighting, surrounded the British troops, whose strength was
Welcome to Our Bookstore - The Ultimate Destination for Book Lovers
Are you passionate about testbank and eager to explore new worlds of
knowledge? At our website, we offer a vast collection of books that
cater to every interest and age group. From classic literature to
specialized publications, self-help books, and children’s stories, we
have it all! Each book is a gateway to new adventures, helping you
expand your knowledge and nourish your soul
Experience Convenient and Enjoyable Book Shopping Our website is more
than just an online bookstore—it’s a bridge connecting readers to the
timeless values of culture and wisdom. With a sleek and user-friendly
interface and a smart search system, you can find your favorite books
quickly and easily. Enjoy special promotions, fast home delivery, and
a seamless shopping experience that saves you time and enhances your
love for reading.
Let us accompany you on the journey of exploring knowledge and
personal growth!

ebooksecure.com

You might also like