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No. XXXVIII.

FROM SIR ALEXR. DICK.

June, 15.

VERY possible degree of thanks from the hearts of every principal person in this little family, for your most kind, and hearty exclamation, upon receiving the news of our new system, is return'd, from us all: and in particular from me, to the best of friends; to the man of God whose blessings we receive, as beatitudes which we feel.

Now my Dear Sr I dare say you would wonder you had not receiv'd a letter from me sooner as you gave me a warm recommendation in favour of your worthy friend Mr. Ridley; whom, the moment I got your letter of May the third, and read his proposals, I became most ambitious to serve. And it was for these reasons alongst with another, which I believe will.affect you a little, it has not been in my power to write you what I have done in that matter, till this very day, the first of June. My Daughter and I, are sitting in your long room, which I hope you will soon return to; I dictating, and she writing you, this dispatch. You must know that it was only yesterday I left my bed, which I had kept for eight days from a relapse of the Epidemical fever, by going too soon out to a publick meeting on the county Roads; after which it attacked me with triple force in the shape of a pleuretic fever; which requir'd powerfull bleedings, &c. and before I got well, which I thank Almighty God, I now am, reduc'd me to my marrow-bones, and to be ready to give you the oblations of my first fruits, which I date from your chapel here. This I know would affect you, and my daughter is very well pleased that is over, and as she is very much interested in Mr. Ridley, bids me next proceed to that business. In short, I early sent before the general Assembly met, for Mr. Kincaid his Majestys printer at Edinburgh to come and dine with me, as he is the most considerable man of that profession, in the Bookselling way, that I knew; and

who, with the large fortune he has made, has always shown himself the humane good man; as I knew he had sentiments, I let him into the state of Mr. Ridleys numerous family; He said he knew the gentleman's excellent good character ; both as a writer, and a man, and did not doubt the general success of his work; but he mention'd freely that the bulk of the clergy of this country buy few books, except what they have absolute necessity for; however, he said, that was nothing that he should not be discouraged, but would upon every occasion promote the subscription. He said if some more of the proposals were sent down and left at his shop; he would be glad to receive them under his trust; I told him the single one I had, I would only part with to him to show them; but that I wou'd write you what he was pleas'd to tell me in this matter. I desire the favour of you to mark me for this Subscription; and be so good as pay Mr. Ridley the whole of it at once; which I shall pay you back, either to your order, or at meeting in September, as you shall think proper. So far I had proceeded in what I had wrote the first day of June; but thinking it necessary to send likewise to Mr. Hamilton bookseller, whom I knew you had oblig'd when you were here last, and whom I suspected you had not writ to, upon this occasion. I therefore sent for him, while I continued confined to my chamber; and he not coming out till yesterday, you have my Letter of two dates, as this is the sixth of June; (dated from your chapel, which my Daughter calls the chapel of Ease, as I enjoy great tranquillity in it ;) and tho' still in my night gown, am recovering strength daily, and receive company every afternoon at tea. What with good nursing from a most excellent wife, and from my daughters musick, with which she entertains me; and little Annie's prattling, with which she diverts me; and from some works that are going on in the garden, particularly a new, neat little house, in the very spot where you fixd it; and some road work on the north side of the house, to take away all the earth, that lay heavy upon the foundations of the buildings, to fill up other hollows with which I hope you will be pleased, when you come here: I have a considerable

circle of occupation from my windows. Also the preparing considerable quantities of the Byssus (a small specimen of which I inclose) for paper, much whiter than last year's, I have found out a considerable use it will be to surgeons to dress wounds and sores with, instead of sharpe, or scrap'd linen, for which they pay five shillings a pound.

Mr. Hamilton assur'd me that if you think proper to order any of your booksellers at Durham, who has subscription papers and proposals, to forward them to Mr. Hamilton, he will do his utmost to serve Mr. Ridley, or any other of your friends. I have heard from Dr. Armstrong from Osnaburg, who is very well, but longing for a peace, and to be out of the way of greasy sauces and bad old hock: he promises to bring some of the olive branches with him to decorate my house, and stay two or three months with me, having half a guinea a day during his life; which is more than he ever expected, he says; and more than he needs. David Hume is well, as is Do Robertson; and they will be both glad to see you when you come.-How do you like Fingal, that astonishing fragment? have you look'd into the Criticism by Lord Kaims? his Lordship wrote a great part of it in your chapel, when he was my guest, so that you are so far concern'd; and he and I would be glad of your opinion of these three volumes. If you have not read them you shall read them here and you shall see my Lord, either in your going or coming from Durham: for the new bridge at Coldstream proceeds, to make you nigher us by near thirty miles, and an easy new road.-My Wife, my Daughter, and little one, all in one society wish you well and soon here; my late fever ́ disables me from visiting you this summer, as I intended.— I am with all truth and affection

Dr Sr.

Yours

ALEXR DICK.

P.S. I have sent a sample of the Byssus, crop 1762 wch

will make the paper much whiter than last.

DEAR ST.

Y

No. XXXIX.

FROM SIR ALEXR. DICK.

Prestonfield, Sept. 4, 1762.

OUR letter from Sedgefield came to my hand by last post, the punctuality of your motions towards the North, and the good health, which I presume Heaven blesses you with, to accomplish those excellent ends you always have in view, gives me, and all my little family, infinite satisfaction, especially, as you promise to be our guest by the first of October.

It is pity you had not been here earlier in this good season we have had profusion of perfectly ripe apricots, peaches, plumbs, and figs, more so than in most years; but now I see this day such fine showers falling after so long and immense drowth, that I promise you a hearty welcome, to our genial roof, to your quiet bed-chamber, and your long room, to your little Library which happily has, John Major's history of Britain, the book you want, and I think I may promise you welcome (from these showers) to a profusion of new verdure, which I see rising instantaneously, and I foresee will paint the amenity (which you lik'd so much in my place), with beautifull various tints, among the chequer'd shade of my fields, when the fall of the leaf next October approaches. I expect, after the first Lightening, a deluge of fine mushrooms from my sheep walks and lands; this I have learned from observation, since I saw you; and I happily found it confirmed, when I was reading the fourth Book of Plutarch's Symposiacs, to which I refer you, as a very singular and curious passage in antiquity about Lightening. This wonderful vegetable raised in a night, (I mean those of the best kind), by the power of lightening penetrating into the dry and warm surface of the earth, where pasture is; when a drissling show'r, which we know to be the conductor of this fire, suddenly operates upon the seed or spawn of the mushroom; really prepares for you, every morning a dish of

(pardon me!) Celestial food! ambrosia, or whatever you please to call it.

I am raving about this; for nothing agrees so well with myself (and I can recommend it to all my friends,' who are marching towards, or have past their climacteric), as a small dish of these every morning before tea, prepared by my man James, toasting them well before the fire, and basting them with a little new-churn'd butter, and dashing them with some pepper and salt, very finely pounded. The nerves of the whole man feels the immediate benefit of this ætherial dish, if taken fasting before tea, and greatly improves the relish for fine tea, and wonderfully prevents the effect of shakings and palpitations, which many people find from a large use of that admirable liquid.

Dont mistake me, in thinking that all Funguses are good; many of them proceed from impure fire, and those we must avoid—and indeed they are insipid or of a noisome smell, tho' there are few proofs, if any, of their being poisonous; they commonly arise in the field from the putrefaction or dung of animals, or from rotten roots of old trees, and that impure fire, is contain'd in a phosphorous, which you know makes rotten wood shine in the dark.

I have a thousand new things to tell you. My Nieces the Miss Keiths, are here, and will be of our circle, when you come; we have had every now and then, letters from their papa, the Embassador in Russia; one lately brought me inclos'd a letter from the poor late Emperor's physician, Dr. Mounsey where he said, the Emperor had made choice of a few agreeable friends, and Mr. Keith was one, to pass a fortnight on a party of pleasure, at the charming country palace of Orangebaumb, but alas! in three days all his grandeur and joys were at an end! Heaven send us, as you wish peace, and Dr. Armstrong and I add our friend Keith back to us from that detestable court. Dr. Mounsey is on his way to Edinburgh, after 30 years absence in Russia. He resign'd his office since my letter from him. All blessings to Dr. Lowth and you.

Yours,

ALEXANDER DICK.