[From Letters of Bishop Hildesley]

Letter LXXXVIII

Bishopscourt, Feb. 6, 1771.

Dear Sir, Yours of the 2nd is before me, and your note which accompanied my packet, which came safe to my hands from Lezayre last night, by a casual messenger from the Court passing this way.

Your dining room into a study, say you! I did not mean by my fearing, your two businesses might intrench on each other, that they would interfere by being carried on in the same room, but the time required for both would be to heavy? And I wish, by all I hear, you don't find it so. But pray why would not the small room above stairs ; serve you two as well as the large one?

Your want of exercise of body, you will certainly suffer by, and your being too little in the air will make you tender and always subject to take cold whenever you go out

"Out to dinner by invitation and not to go? — Why I should not have imagined you would, when you were but a few days before to attend where your duty called you.

I must for our sake, if not for your own, enjoin your not over labouring the point of application. Unless you are for taking the advice you used to give to your late partner in the work that he "could not die at a better time or in better employment."

All the books you desire from Ballaugh are here at Bishopscourt ready to proceed for Douglass. Vicar-General Moore(155) when here the other day, upon mentioning the impediment to the progress of the work when Kelly should be withdrawn, offered his service with respect to the orthographical part, which he says he hopes he is pretty well master of — if you don't knock yourself quite up, before you have occasion for his help. "Fair and softly goes far," as good Richard of Philadelphia says.

I am glad to see the name of Captain Lutwidge among the list of masters and commanders, and do heartily congratulate him on the same. And I am no less sorry for poor D. Forbes. Such is the general topic of conversation verbal and epistolary. Glad and Sorry.

Of the sundry sorts of Oenigmas or probems I have met with in my correspondence, I think the most difficult of solution occurred to me in a paragraph of a letter among my last packet; which for curiosity I read you as follows:— "I don't know what Mr Moore means by opening my letter, and not sending the letter that was to go to Chesterfield Street; so don't blame me for not putting it into the penny post as you ordered me, whereby to save the person it was directed to double postage." For I am sadly at a loss to know what this could be and shall be sadly sorry if the Dean's letter never reached him and more so if it cost him postage 12 pence, as it must do, as it was in a case; and after I had told him that though I had no frank to him, I would take care it would come free to him.

If anything happened in its way to Douglas to occasion my sister's letter being opened, I can't but think my faithful agent would have signified as much to me or returned me the Dean of Durham's letter thati I might provide it another way of conveyance to save the postage which I shall be much ashamed of, after what I said to him on that head. This mystery, as usual, must remain in suspense to be explained, till I hear again from you. In the meantime give me leave to desire you will comsult George, the Genius of Douglass, about the machine for mending my smoking kitchen chimney, which has been long a nuisance not only to my servants but: to the whole house.

I have sent the model in a box to preserve it, I hope, and I think the tin part may be performed by the artificer for tin work. I had model and directions from Balladoole and when George has performed his part you'll be pleased to send it over to be applied to the rest. I have sent for the crock from Liverpool, and hope by the time you come over you will be witness to the effect.

Pray send me by bearer half a hundred or so of best dutch quills and pint of best ink to be had in Douglass, for I am out of both

I conclude with the news of the two Miss Lace's (156) having got into the Duchess of Athol's family, which gives great joy to all their friends. Wishing to hear of your better health.

I remain affectly yours, M,. Sodor & Mann.

Hetty's best compliments with mine, &c,

I was to see the widow at Ballaugh yesterday, who is much as usual, complaining much of want of sleep. She frets and vexes herself about the disposition of her effects. For though she has made her will, is not satisfied two days together. At present she is determined to settle with her nephew Allen at Lezayre, but makes Mr Wilks executor.

I wish you would contrive a line to Marown signifying from me that Mr Clucas (157) is expected hither on Shrove Tuesday to enter the next day on his temporary curacy at Ballaugh. He may take a bed here on Tuesday night.

Kewish (158) is here to do the iron work requisite to my chimney machine.

The perforation in the crock, I doubt should be made in Liverpool, and hope Mr Statham may find the place whence Mr Stevenson had his.

(155)—John Moore, Vicar of Arbory from 1748 to 1790.

(156)—These are the two girls from Ballavoddan, Andreas, previously mentioned.

(157)—Afterwards Rector of Bride and Vicar-General.

(158)—Probably the father of the Ballaugh blacksmith of the same name who discovered the elk in 1819, (See "Manx Worthies," p. 122)