3*9 H. M.

F R O M M A N N 24 A U G U S T 1771
3*9
ture, it is supposed that Princess Jablonowsky/ a Polish Jacobite w h o
was two years ago sent into England by the confederates (though
she was refused an audience as their ambassadress), settled all this
matter with h i m last year at Rome. 8 This elopement m a y excite a
curiosity in England, but, I think, cannot give any alarm, as it is not
at all probable that any great power interests itself at present for
him, or would quarrel with England on his account. Neither can one
well suppose that he himself would, at his time of life and almost lethargic by wine, enter on so boisterous a scene as that of disputing the
crown of Poland, at a time, too, that the confederates will in all
probability not be able to hold out long for want of support from
the Turks, w h o are beaten everywhere. W e are expecting the confirmation of the burning anotherfleetin a port of Lemnos 0 by the
Russian Admirals Arff10 and Spiridorf, which is said to have happened on the 4th of July. I dread to ask you if it was our friend, Gray,
whose death11 was mentioned in the last papers! I expect n o news
from you during your stay at Paris. I only wish to hear that you are
well and happy.
Yours ever,
H. M.
blonowsky w h o being related by the family
Lithuania, Great Poland, and of Bar)
of Sobiesky was m u c h taken notice of by
were opposing Stanislas II, and were sethe Pretender and the Cardinal his brothcretly being encouraged (by France) to
er' (Mann to Rochford 3 Sept., S.P. g8/76
declare the Polish throne vacant and to
f. 153). M a n n had been told about her by
expel the Russians. T h e instructions to
Albani 24 Aug. (see n. 6 above). Actually,
the various French emissaries, however,
the Young Pretender's motive was marriage
do not mention the Young Pretender as
a possible king (Recueil des instructions(post 22 Oct. 1771, n. 2).
g. 'Constantinople, le 17 juillet . . .
donnies aux ambassadeurs . . . Pologne,
Aujourd'hui le bruit se repand, que la
ed. Louis Farges, 1888, ii. 271-307).
flotte russe s'est emparee non seulement
7. Probably Maria A n n a Sapieha (b.
des iles de Tenedos et de Lemnos, mais
1728), second wife (1750) of Prince Johann
qu'elle a aussi fait prisonnier le Pacha
Cajetan Jablonowsky, and sister-in-law
Moldavangi, qui etait dans la premiere de
of the Young Pretender's ex-mistress, the
ces iles . . . que 50 vaisseaux croisent a
Princesse de Talmond. M a n n says (see n.
l'embouchure des Dardanelles, etc. O n ne
8 below) that she was related to the
sait, s'il faut ajouter foi a tous ces bruits'
Young Pretender by the Sobieskis; the
(Gazette de Leyde 27 Aug.). H W , post
husband of Maria Anna was grand26 Sept. 1771, says that this was a false
nephew of King John Sobieski's wife. She
report.
is said to have travelled widely in Italy,
10. Johan Gerhard Arf (1723-81), a
France, and England (Wurzbach, Biographisches Lexikon x. 5-6; Genealog. hist.Danish Rear-Admiral in the Russian service 1770-2 (Dansk biografisk leksikon, ed.
Nachrichten 1755-6 2d ser. vi. 832-3; La
C. F. Bricka and Svend Dahl, CopenChenaye-Desbois iii. n g ; Europaisches
Genealogisches Handbuch, ed. C. F. Ja- hagen, 1933-44, i. 511).
11. Thomas Gray had died 30 July at
cobi, Leipzig, 1800, pp. 525-6).
Cambridge. H W heard the news in Paris,
8. 'It is supposed that the affair was
managed last year ... by the Princess Ja- 11 Aug. ('Paris Journals,' D U D E F F A N D V.