granted by all) I rather think that the inhabitants of a British town, owing local allegiance, are entitled to the local advantage of being tried by a British form. In all events, if it be a benefit, they ought not to be deprived of it, without some greater public good to compensate the private injustice, than would result, I apprehend, from the power of summary conviction, if it were exercised by men, whose monthly gains would depend on the number of complaints made, and of fines levied.

I am confident, therefore, after mature deliberation, that nothing more is to be desired than a power in this government of appointing justices of peace by annual commissions; and these being my sentiments, I rely on your friendship, so long and so constantly manifested, that if it should be thought proper to mention the concurrence of the judges, you will remember that their concurrence was not unanimous.

I could easily have said all this and more; but I chose this mode, through delicacy, and fear of giving pain. Farewell; and as I esteem you, so esteem, dear sir, your ever affectionate, &c.

CXXXIII.

To J. Shore, Esq.

Gardens, 1788.

I THANK you heartily, my dear sir, for every part of your letter, and for your strings of Oriental gemsboth for the durr and the shebeh :* the pearls appear with more lustre by the side of the beads.

Your quotations from the elegies of Washi are sweetly pathetic: but I will not detain your servant by more observations. Sacontala will hardly be finished before I go to my cottage: happy shall I be if your occupations allow you to pass a few days near it. Adieu.

CXXXIV.

To J. Shore, Esq.

Gardens, 1788.

THE verses are worthy of Catullus, and in his manner; they would appear well in hendecasyllables.

* An Oriental expression for prose and verse.

I will think, at some leisure moment, of giving them a Persian dress, according to your hints. I rejoice that you have it in your power to relieve your mind by poetical imagery: it is the true use of the fine

arts.

I have been reading cases for a judgment on Tuesday, from nine o'clock till past two.

Farewell.

CXXXV.

To Dr. Patrick Russel.

Crishna-nagur, Sept. 24, 1788. I HAVE acted like those libertines, who defer repentance till the hour of death, and then find that they have not time to repent. Thus I deferred the pleasure of answering letters till the vacation; but found the term and session so long, that I have scarcely any vacation at all: I must, therefore, write very laconically, thanking you heartily for your kind letters, and very curious papers in natural history, wishing that the public may soon gather the fruit of your learned labours.

The business of the court this year has left me no leisure to examine flowers at Crishna-nagur. The sija is never in blossom when I am here; but though it has something of the form of the cactus,

VOL. II.

G

yet I imagine, from the milk of it, that it is an euphorbia,

With all my exertions, I cannot procure any fresh spikenard; but I will not desist. I have two native physicians in my family, but they have only seen it in a dry state.

I am very sorry to find that you are leaving us, as I have no chance of seeing Europe till the end of the eighteenth century. I wish you and your brother, and his family, a prosperous and speedy voyage. It is impossible for me to write more than, Vive, vale!

CXXXVI.

To Thomas Caldicott, Esq.

Sept. 24, 1788.

WE have had incessant labour for six hours a day, for three whole months, in the hot season between the tropics; and, what is a sad consequence of long sittings, we have scarcely any vacation : I can "therefore only write to you a few lines this autumn. Before your brother sent me Lewisdon Hill, I had read it twice aloud to different companies, with great delight to myself and to them: thank the author in my name. I believe his nameless rivulet is called Bret, or Brit, (whence Bridport) by Michael Drayton, who describes the fruitful Marshwood.

Pray assure all who care for me, or whom I am likely to care for, that I never, directly or indirectly, asked for the succession to sir E. Impey; and that, if any indiscreet friend of mine has asked for it in my name, the request was not made by my desire, and never would have been made with my assent.

"Co' magnanimi pochi, a chi 'l ben piace,"

I have enough; but if I had not, I think an ambitious judge a very dishonourable and mischievous character. Besides, I never would have opposed sir R. Chambers, who has been my friend twenty-five years, and wants money, which I do not.

I have fixed on the year 1800 for my return towards Europe, if I live so long; and hope to begin the new century auspiciously among my friends in England.

P. S. Since I wrote my letter, I have amused my. self with composing the annexed ode to Abundance.* It took up ten or twelve hours to compose and copy it; but I must now leave poetry, and return, for ten months, to J. N. and J. S.

* See Sir W. Jones's Works, vol. vi.