“I am really greatly concern’d that it has hitherto been out of
my power to wait upon you, and I am afraid will be so the whole
summer, for my book is sold off, and Millar presses me for a second
edition, which I am now about, and since I wish it should appear
in the world as perfect as possible, I must beg the favour of you
to let me know what corrections you think it may want; the world
received the first edition with great indulgence, but the second
will have a right to approbation when it has received a greater
degree of perfection from the corrections of a gentleman of your
abilities.”
[Page heading: YORK]
In an answer to Lord Lyttelton’s letter from Inverary, too long to be
inserted, Mrs. Montagu mentions that she is sending the letter to York--
“I shall be glad to hear that your Lordship and Mr. Lyttelton
like York, to which perhaps I am partial as to the place of my
nativity. One of the strongest pictures in my mind is the funeral
of a Dean of York, which I saw performed with great solemnity in
the Cathedral when I was about 4 years old.... I know, my lord, you
will rejoice with me for Mr. Boscawen’s[254] victory, both from
public spirit and private friendship.”
[254] Admiral Boscawen defeated the French off Cape Lagos on
August 18.
Emin, after a serious illness, was setting off on his dangerous journey
through Turkey, and on September 20 wrote “To the Montagu the Great,”
ending up with, “My dearest, brightest and the wisest Queen of the
East, your very affectionate and faithful, obedient, humble servant and
soldier, Emin of Hasnasari in Persia.”
Lord Lyttelton and his son travelled from Edinburgh to Lord Hopetoun’s
place, Hopetoun House. In a letter to Mrs. Montagu of September 21,
Tom says, “There is one chimney piece done by Risback that cost £600,
my father thinks it the finest he ever saw.” Thence they proceeded to
Stirling, and paid visits to Lord Cathcart and Lord Kinnoull; thence to
Glamis Castle, which he describes “as a very old castle, but has not
a tolerable apartment, and can never be altered much for the better.”
He does not mention the ghost; probably he was not told about it. From
thence to the Duke of Athole’s at Dunkeld, where he is enraptured with
the country, and mentions the window at the Hermitage,[255] “through
which the falls of the Braan appear as a surprise to the visitor.” The
Lytteltons accompanied the duke to his other seat, Blair Athole, after
which they proceeded to Taymouth, Lord Breadalbane’s splendid place,
which enchanted Tom.
[255] Ossian’s Hall.
[Page heading: SCOTCH CHARACTERISTICS]
He now gives Mrs. Montagu a sort of character sketch of the Scottish
nobility--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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