September 24, 1717

Horace Walpole (September 24,  1717  to March 2, 1797) was an English politician, man of letters, antiquary and example of the best that inherited wealth and position can produce in a sociological sense. He may have written the first gothic novel with the Castle of Otranto (1764) . A shiny objectivity runs through his writing.

He was a close friend of the French hostess, Madame Du Deffand. Her Paris salons were
attended by aristocratic and literary lights of Enlightenment France. Madame Du Deffand, died on September 24, 1780, according to Horace Walpole. (Some sources say she died September 23. ) This lady left Walpole "the whole of her manuscripts, papers, letters, and books, of every description; with a permission to the Prince of Beauvau to take a copy of any of the papers he might desire."

Madame Du Deffand also left Walpole her dog, Tonton. Walpole reported to a friend on the reception of Tonton, one of those small dogs so favored by the aristocracy, at Strawberry Hill, Walpole's famous estate.

Tonton was arrived. I brought him this morning to take possession of his new villa, but his inauguration has not been at all pacific. As he has already found out that he may be as despotic as at Saint Joseph's, he began with exiling my beautiful little cat; ... He then flew at one of my dogs, who returned it by biting his foot till it bled, but was severely beaten for it... I immediately rung for Margaret, [his housekeeper] to dress his foot; but in the midst of my tribulation could not keep my countenance; for she cried, "Poor little thing, he does not understand my language!" I hope she will not recollect too that he is a Papist!

Tonton lived almost nine  more years at Strawberry Hill.