[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sfit,—Before bidding farewell to Lady Aldborough I am tempted to give an extract from the late Lord StanhOpe's Conversations with the Duke of Wellington." The Dtzke said that-
" She was an extraordinary old woman. His aides-de-camp in France had more than once ventured on an April fool's prank—a poisson d'avril—with her Of this he gave several instances. Her exact age is a problem. Once, years ago, the Duchess- Countess of Sutherland was told of Babbage's machine to calcu- ate, as was declared, even the most impossible things. Then,' he said, '1 wish he would calculate two things for me : first, Lady Aldborough's age, and, secondly, whether by any chance he Tories will ever come back to power.'" A clergyman Ain living once told me that he had formerly known an old gentleman who remetbered Archdeacon Paley. His old friend informed him that Paley, hearing of a married couple who had never quarrelled, exclaimed in a strong North. Country accent to which he was hardly entitled, " Varry dooll ! " During the last few days I have been bothering my friends by asking them if they can tell me of any "links with the past." An old gentleman, to whom I had tried to make my meaning clear, looked bewildered, and then answered quite seriously : "I don't understand you. What are links with the past ? Golf links I suppose you mean." This is almost as good as Miss Ferrier's story of the Bath Bluestocking who asked her country visitor if she lied seen Crabbe's "Tales." "Crabs' tails !" was the puzzled reply; "I didn't remember that they had tails."—I am, Sir,
H6tel d'Angleterre, Biarritz. LIONEL A. TOLLEMACHE.
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