286. To J. B. Holroyd, Esq.

Saturday evening, August, 1776.

We expect you at five o’Clock Tuesday without a sore throat. You have ere this heard of the shocking accident which takes up the attention of the town. Our old acquaintance poor John Damer [334] shot himself, last Wednesday night, at the Bedford arms, his usual place of resort, where he had passed several hours with four Ladies and a blind fidler. By his own indolence rather than extravagance, his circumstances were embarrassed, and he had frequently declared himself tired of life. No public news, nor any material expected till the end of this or beginning of the next month when Howe will probably have collected his whole force. [335] A tough business indeed; you see by their declaration that they have now passed the Rubicon and rendered the work of a treaty infinitely more difficult: You will perhaps say, so much the better; but I do assure you that the thinking friends of government are by no means sanguine. Mrs. G. seems likely to expect your arrival. She has had no answer out of you. I am pretty much a prisoner except about one hour in the evening: but as she dines to-morrow with Mrs. Ashby, I take the opportunity of eating turtle with Garrick at Hampton. Adieu.