The more I see of the world, and the more numerous my acquaintance becomes, the narrower and more exclusive my affection grows, and the more I cling to my sisters, and to one or two old tried friends of my quiet days.

But why should I go on preaching to you out of Ecclesiastes?
And here comes, fortunately, to break the train of my melancholy reflections, the proof of my East India Speech from Hansard; so I must put my letter aside, and correct the press.

Ever yours T.B.M.
To Hannah M.Macaulay.
London: August 2, 1833.
My dear Sister,--I agree with your judgment on Chesterfield's Letters.
They are for the most part trash; though they contain some clever passages, and the style is not bad.

Their celebrity must be attributed to causes quite distinct from their literary merit, and particularly to the position which the author held in society.

We see in our own time that the books written by public men of note are generally rated at more than their real value: Lord Granville's little compositions, for example; Canning's verses; Fox's history; Brougham's treatises.