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Yet

Abyssinia, must be rather a distant event. my solicitude as to the opinion of those who are judges of the subject respecting the site of the Temple, will not be remitted. I desire the severest sentence that yourself and those to whom you may think proper to communicate the matter, can deliver.

The means of gratifying my wishes will be by forwarding a letter to Smyrna in the space of about a year. The direction will be to Messrs. Lee, merchants at that place; and you must not forget to give me a full account of yourself: nothing will render me more happy than to find it a favorable one.

THE BISHOP OF DROMORE TO MR.
PINKERTON.

London, July 28th, 1792.

It is so difficult, not to say impossible, for one person to decide for another without hearing his reasons, that I submit without reply to what you say in your letter respecting your own sense of the measure once intended, and to the fate of the paper, which yet, for its own intrinsic merit, I cannot but regret. But for the same reason you must excuse me, if I entertain a different opinion of what is proper or necessary for myself; and against the expedient you suggest I have my particular reasons; one of which is, that I am now convinced, that this was the very end to

which Mr. Ritson has been driving, (whom wanton outrage and unprovoked insult cost nothing,) viz. to compel me to lay my manuscript in some place for public inspection, where he might examine and collate it possibly extract some of the smaller articles) without being at all obliged to me; or, by his subsequent inquisitorial search, find pretences to justify his antecedent injurious charges and insinuations. I could point out one particular word in my old manuscript, to obtain a sight of which he would not scruple to violate every feeling of humanity and decency. But he shall be disappointed: the manuscript shall never be exposed to his sight in my life-time; and, as I have no other resource, I hope yet to procure some respectable friendly name, that may be generously interposed as a shield, before one whom the assailant knows to be incapable, from the peculiarities of his situation, of self-defence. Though I despair of getting any name subscribed to a paper so spirited, and in all respects so happy, as what you had sketched out. Yet there was one word in it, which Mr. Ritson would have made foundation of a new injurious charge, and that occasioned me to trouble you the last time.

*

* Mr. Pinkerton has not preserved among his correspondence any copy of the paper here alluded to; and I regret to say that I have failed in my endeavor to obtain it from the possessor of Dr. Percy's Mss. The bishop, at the time when he wrote this letter, was smarting under the severe attack of Mr. Ritson, in his Observations on the Ancient English Minstrels, p. xix, &c. prefixed to his Ancient Songs from the Time of King Henry III. to the Revolution, then just published.

The very great pleasure I ever felt in complying with any request of yours, is the only excuse I can offer for the intrusions of which I have lately been guilty, and which I hope you will pardon.

THE EARL OF ORFORD TO MR. PINKERTON.

Strawberry Hill, Aug. 27th, 1792.

I am exceedingly flattered by your kind attention to Miss Berry; and I assure you she is so too, though she will not allow that she has any title to such a distinction, and to so valuable a present. The acquaintance, I hope, will increase; and I have full confidence that both will mutually be convinced that I have not exaggerated a tittle in what I have respectively said to you of each other; and it shall not be my fault if you have not frequent opportunities of putting my assertions to the test. I shall be too great a gainer myself by making the experiment; as I trust it will be executed here, and that you will give me leave to summon you as soon as I have received one or two companies that I have engaged to come to me for a few days.

Do not trouble

Many thanks for the medal. yourself about the other: I have got one which has been sent to me by a person of whom Kirgate had inquired where it was to be had.

MR. PINKERTON TO THE EARL OF BUCHAN.

Jan. 29th, 1793.

I have been so exceedingly occupied with domestic and literary affairs for these some months past, that I have almost omitted all epistolary correspondence. But I must no longer delay to inform your lordship, of whose favors I shall ever retain a grateful remembrance, that my three volumes of Scotish Poetry, dedicated to your lordship, were published last month. I am at a loss how to forward a copy: else I would have sent one long ago; and I await your directions in this.

Amid the distractions of modern politics I hope your lordship continues your literary pursuits. Your lives of Fletcher and Thomson I have read with great pleasure and instruction. If you can spare a leisure hour, I should be very happy to have a few lines on the present state of literature and politics in Scotland.

I know not if Mr. de Cardonnel be in Scotland I called repeatedly at the Heralds' office. about a business he recommended to me, but never found the person he mentioned. I did not write to Mr. de Cardonnel; because I had done nothing, and he had given me to understand that he was about to leave Scotland for a season. This I mention, that, if he be offended, your lordship may have the goodness to intercede for me, as I

have been obliged to him and should be sorry to appear ungrateful.

I am in London for a month or two; and my address is No. 120, Tottenham Court Road.

I have spoken to Mr. Nichols, who seems cold in the business of Scotish portraits, as he has many schemes on hand, to return the drawing of Alexander III.

MR. DAVIDSON TO MR. PINKERTON.

Feb. 13th, 1793.

I had your favor of the 29th ult. and am in daily expectation of getting your last publication, which the booksellers here tell me is on the road. A new book of Scotish poems published by you, promises me the utile and the dulce conjoined; which is a treasure to one of my age, confined much with a disease, often teasing, and sometimes torturing, as I have found the stone to be.

I observe well what you write about our old laws; but, except the copy of those of Robert the Bruce, I know of no authentic copies of those preceding James I. Messrs. Robertson, who keep the records here, think Skene has mistaken a copy in the record-house, which seems not at all authentic, for an original of those of Robert III.; which may have been the case, as he was not very

accurate.

VOL. I.

X

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