"January 15th, 1715-16.

"Sir,

"I wrote to you yesterday by one that used to come here from Mr.
Hall, which I hope will come safe to your hands. At night I had
yours of the fourteenth, and this night that of the tenth. The caps
do pritty well, and I have orders to thank you for them. I send you
one of his own; if you can get such paper t'is well, and if not, the
other is what he likes best of any that you sent; so let some of
either one or other come when you have an occasion.

"I am sorry Mr. Brewer[133] is ill, for his presence here wou'd be
of great use; and as soon as he is able I wish he wou'd come, which
I am ordered to tel you, and also that you may endeavour to get a
copie of the coronation of King Charles the First and Second, which
certainly are to be had in Edinburgh. Willie Wilson had them, and
perhaps some of his friends may have got copies of them from him,
which may be had.

"I spoke to one some time ago about makeing a crown in pices at
Edinburgh and bringing it over here to be put togither, who, I
believe, talkt to you of it. That man was here some days ago, but
went away before I knew it is wisht that such a thing could yet be
done, which is left to your care.

"In case there be occasion for it here, as I wish there may, bulion
gold is what I'm afraid will be wanting, but it will not take much.
Had not the misfortune I wrote to you of hapn'd to Sir J.
Erskine[134] there had been no want of that. We have got no farther
account of that affair, tho' we have people about it; but if they do
not succeed this night or to-morrow when the spring tide is, it is
lost for ever. There is more by the way tho', and I hope will have
better fate. I have ordered more papers to be sent you, and
certainly you have more of them before now. It is mighty well taken
what that lady (the letters from London say) has ordered, as to
those you sent her, which you are desired to let her have; and I do
not doubt she will do the same as to those concerning E----d.
Adieu."

By the next letter it appears that the good opinion entertained by Lord
Mar of the Chevalier was real; since the whole of the epistle has the
tone of being a natural effusion of feeling, and is a simple statement
of what actually took place, and not the letter of a diplomatist.

"Sir,