and July 1714, of the various advances are given, but not in chronological order, with the amount of each advance and the name of the person to whom it was paid. In two cases, however, some disguise is meant, for two sums of £100 and £200 respectively are entered as paid in March 1714 to "Kuthbert," written in Greek characters, and £100 is paid to "L. Orde," written in like characters, in April of that year.

Altogether Lord Oxford puts down a total of £4700 due to him; he adds, "But it is much more, as will appear by my memdms.; this is only what occurs (to me?)."

A third paper, evidently written many years after by the second Earl of Oxford, runs thus: "Tuesday, 27th July 1714.-R., Earl of Oxford, delivered up the Treasurer's staff to the Queen in her closet. Her Majesty was pleased to talk with him after his delivery of the staff above two hours, and among other matters told him she knew he had laid out several sums of money for her service and by her direction, that she expected he should come to her again, that she would not then give directions for the payment of the money, the doing of which she reserved till his next coming to her.

"The Queen fell ill the next day and died the Sunday following, so Lord Oxford had no opportunity of waiting again upon Her Majesty. Lord Oxford, in his lifetime, mentioned often to his brother and son that a considerable sum of money was due to him from the late Queen, but by reason of his troubles and his retirement in the country he did not make application for it. His son, the present Earl of Oxford, has found, among his father's papers, memoranda in the late Earl's own hand which specify that the late Queen owed him above £4700.

"It is, therefore, humbly hoped that out of the money applicable to the Queen's debts this sum may be paid.” -Harley Papers, iii. 481.

APPENDIX III

NOTE ON THE MANUSCRIPTS AND LETTERS OF AND RELATING TO ROBERT HARLEY, EARL OF OXFORD

As is well known, and as has been already stated (p. 216), the bulk of the MSS. collected by Robert Harley and of his official papers were purchased by the Trustees of the British Museum. But a mass of papers of an official character were not disposed of by his daughter-in-law the Countess of Oxford, and these remain at Welbeck Abbey. Of the MSS. containing more especially correspondence— letters written to or by Robert Harley-there are now three main collections: (1) That of the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey. Much of this has recently been published, and is contained in the Harley Papers; vol. i. with this sub-title is the same as vol. iii. of the Manuscripts of the Duke of Portland preserved at Welbeck Abbey (Historical Manuscripts Commission, 14th Report, Appendix, part ii.); the Harley Papers, vol. ii. Portland MSS., vol. iv. (Hist. MSS. Com., 15th Rep. App. part iv.), the Harley Papers, vol. iii. Portland MSS., vol. v. 1899 (the former official enumeration not being continued), and the Harley Papers, vol. iv. Portland MSS., vol. vi. 1901. All these papers came into the possession of the Duke of Portland when Edward Harley, second Earl of Oxford, married Henrietta Cavendish, only daughter and heiress of John, first Duke of Newcastle, the owner of Welbeck Abbey. Their only daughter, Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley-the “noble, lovely little Peggy" of Prior's charming lines-married in 1734 William, second Duke of Portland, to whom she conveyed the estate of Welbeck, and the Harley correspondence passed also to her husband. (2) The collection

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of Mr. R. W. D. Harley of Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire. Edward, third Earl of Oxford, who succeeded to the title and estates in 1741, was Robert Harley's nephew, being the son of Edward Harley, Auditor of the Exchequer, of Eyewood, Herefordshire. This collection consists chiefly of family letters written by Robert Harley to his relatives. (3) The collection of the Marquis of Bath at Longleat, Wilts. Thomas, first Marquis of Bath, married in 1759 Lady Elizabeth Cavendish Bentinck, eldest daughter of William, second Duke of Portland; and by some means a box of Harley's papers came after this marriage into the possession of the Marquis of Bath. Interesting extracts from these papers have been published in Aitken's Life of Arbuthnot, but a selection from the correspondence will shortly be published by the Historical Manuscripts Commission. Isolated letters written by or relating to Harley, as well as statements in regard to him, are also to be found among the MSS. in the British Museum, in various collections which it is unnecessary to enumerate, in the Reports of the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and in published diaries and other works well known to the student of the age of Anne.

INDEX