ham by a sight of you, but when is there a probability of my being so happy? It concerned me greatly when I heard the other day, that your asthma continued at times to afflict you, and that you were often obliged to go into the country to breathe. You cannot oblige me more than by giving me an account of the state both of your body and mind; I hope the latter is able to keep you cheerful and easy in spite of the frailties of its companion. As to my own, it can do neither one, or the other; and I have the mortification to find my spiritual part the most infirm thing about me. You have doubtless heard of the loss I have had in Dr. Middleton, whose house was the only easy lace one could find to converse in at Cambridge. or my part I find a friend so uncommon a thing, at I cannot help regretting even an old acquaintace, which is an indifferent likeness of it, and ough I don't approve the spirit of his books, meinks 'tis pity the world should lose so rare a thing a good writer.*

My studies cannot furnish a recommendation of ny new books to you; there is a defence de sprit des Loix, by Montesquieu himself. It has he lively things in it, but is very short, and his ersary appears to be so mean a bigot, that he erved no answer. There are three Vols. in 4to.

Mr. Gray used to say, that good writing not only reed great parts, but the very best of those parts.-Mason.

of Histoire du Cabinet du Roi, by Messrs. Buffons and D'Aubenton. The first is a man of character but (I am told) has hurt it by this work. It is all a sort of introduction to natural history. The weak part of it is a love of system, which runs through it, the most contrary thing in the world to a science entirely grounded upon experiments, and that has nothing to do with vivacity of imagination. There are some microscopical observations, that seemed curious to me, on those animalcula to which we are supposed to owe our origin; and which he has discovered of like figure in females not pregnant, and in almost every thing we use for nourishment, even vegetables, particularly in their fruits and seeds. Not that he allows them to be animated bodies, but molecules organisées. If you ask what that is, I cannot tell; no more than I can understand a new system of generation which he builds upon it. But what I was going to commend, is a general view he gives of the face of the earth, followed by a particular one of all known nations, their peculiar figure and manners, which is the best epitome of Geography I ever met with, and wrote with sense and elegance; in short, these books are well worth turning over. The Mémoires of the Abbé de Mongon, in 5 Vol., are highly commended, but I have not seen them. He was engaged in

* One cannot therefore help lamenting, that Mr. Gray let his imagination lie dormant so frequently, in order to apply himself to this very science.-Mason.

several Embassies to Germany, England, &c. during the course of the late war. The Presid. Henault's Abrégé Chronologique de l'Hist. de France, I believe I have before mentioned to you, as a very good book of its kind.

You advised me in. your last to be acquainted with Keene, and we are accordingly on very good and civil terms: but to love one another (I reckon) you hardly proposed. I always placed the service he did me about Tuthill to your account. This latter has done him some service, about his regulations. If you will give me the pleasure of a letter, while I continue here, it will be a great satisfaction to me. I shall stay a month longer. My best wishes Mrs. Wharton and your family. I am ever

MY DEAR WHARTON,

a beast no longer. I desired him to tell you in the beginning of the summer, that I feared my journey into the north would be prevented by the arrival of my cousin, Mrs. Forster (whom you remember by the name of Pattinson) from India; she came in August; and I continued in town with her a month, in order to do what little services I could to a person as strange, and as much to seek, as though she had been born in the Mud of the Ganges. After this the year was too far advanced to undertake such an expedition; and the thought of seeing you here in the spring, in some measure comforts me for the disappointment; for I depend upon your coming then, when it will be far easier to confer together, and determine about a thing, in which (I fear) I am too much interested to deserve having any great share in the determination

sion; but as your father is old, if you should lose him, what becomes of your interest, and to whom is it then to be transferred? Would you leave London and your practice again to canvass an election for yourself? It seems to me, that if you execute your present scheme, you must (in case of Mr. Wharton's death) entirely lay aside all views of that kind. The gradual transition you propose to make through Bath or Cambridge to London, is very well judged, and likely enough to succeed. For Bath, I am wholly unacquainted with it, and therefore can say little to the purpose. The way of life there, might be more amusing to Mrs. Wharcon, than this; but to you, I think, would be less satisfactory. I sincerely congratulate you on the good effects of your new medicine, which is inleed a sufficient recompense for any pains you have taken in that study. But to make a just trial f its efficacy, and of your own constitution, you ertainly ought to pass a little time at London, (a month or so.)

Our good Mr. Brown goes out of his office to ay, of which he is not a little glad. His college, hich had much declined for some time, is picking p again: they have had twelve admissions this ear; and are just filling up two fellowships with Mr. Cardell, whom I do not know, but they say is a good scholar; and a Mr Delaval, a Fellow ommoner (a younger son to old Delaval of Nor