Some Account of the remarkable Letter to Arthur Lord Balmerino

N: B: Upon Thursday, DecrDecember 10th,
1747, from the Hand of My Lady
Balmerino I received the Original
Letter, from which I made the pre-
ceeding Transcript, wherein I ^have care-
fully observed the Spelling and
Pointing of the Original, which was
an old coarse Hand. The Bit of
Paper, inclosedenclosed in the Letter, was
the Half of a Square Piece of Paper,
which had been torn [] from one
of the Corners to the opposite One.
Upon asking some Questions about
the Letter, My Lady Balmerino
was pleased to give me the follow-
ing History of it. Her Ladyship
said, that the Letter was deliver-
ed to My Lord upon the Friday
(the Date of the Letter) before my
Lord’s Execution, &and that his Lord-
ship made a Return to it, wherein
he acknowledged the Receipt of
such a Missive. A Gentleman call-
ed for, &and received, the Return at
the Bar of the British Coffee House,
&cetc. — Soon after My Lord’s Death,
a Gentleman called at My Lady
Balmerino’s Lodgings, desiring to know if 564 (564)
if her Ladyship lodged in that House,
and, having received Information that
She lodged there, he said, that was
all he wanted to know, &and went off
directly. After My Lady went to live
in Mr John Walkingshaw’s House, the
same Gentleman (as is supposed) came,
&and enquired, if Lady Balmerino’s lodg-
ed there. Mrs Walkingshaw happen-
ing to be the Person, that answered yethe
Call, took the Gentleman into a sepa-
rate Room, &and told him, that My Lady
Balmerino lodged there, &and that her
Ladyship being then in the House, he
might see Her if he pleased. To qchwhich
the Gentleman answered, that all he
wanted to know, was, if My Lady Bal-
merino lodged in that House, &and then
was making to go off, when Mrs Walk-
ingshaw informed him, that Mr Walk-
ingshaw was at home, &and begged him
to stay a little &and talk with him; but
the Gentleman refused to see Mr Walk-
ingshaw. However, Mrs Walkingshaw
pressed the Gentleman so much, that at
last he agreed to see Mr Walking-
shaw. In the Course of the short con-
versation (for the Gentleman went soon
off) the Letter happened to be talk’dtalked of, &and 565 (565)
&and the Gentleman said, he was not
the Author of the Letter, but that he
was only employed about that Mat-
ter. Mr Walkingshaw then told yethe
Gentleman, how much My Lady Bal-
merino would be indebted to such
private Persons, as would be pleased
to take notice of Her in her present
distressed Condition; for that Her
Ladyship was positively resolved
not to accept of the smallest Assis-
tance or Favour from the Court,
if she should starve for Want of
Bread. To this the Gentleman
made no Reply at all; but im-
mediately took Leave of Mr Walk-
ingshaw. When Mr Walkingshaw
returned to the Room; where he had
left some Company who had been
dining with him, he told My Lady
Balmerino &and others present what
had passed betwixt the Gentleman
&and himself, &and withal remarked, that
the Gentleman looked very like One,
that used to be much about P:Prince
Frederick's Court; but he could not
affirm any Thinganything positively about the Gentleman 566 (566)
Gentleman at all.

Neither My Lady Balmerino, nor any
Person concerned in Her, has ever heard
any more of this Matter. Although
Mr Walkingshaw has been at Pains
to make all the Enquiry he could, it
has never yet been in his Power to
make any farther Discovery about ysthis
affair. — My Lady Balmerino is de-
termined to preserve the Letter &and the
Piece of Paper, that was inclosedenclosed;
and, if any Thinganything casts up relative
to the Contents of the Letter, her
Ladyship has been pleased to promise
to inform me about it.