| Description | Glasgow July 28th 1776
Dear Sir
I received your voluminous epistle dated in the month of July-The first part of it was not ostensible, however I have done the best I could; but I told you I would make a bad bargain in the essentials & perhaps you may think so. I reckon I have made a good one in securing to my self a valuable friend-All is settled & upon monday the fatal noose is to be put about my neck, or more emphaticaly, I am to get a lick of the eternal glue pot-At present I am something in the state of a man waiting for his dinner after the Cloth is laid, comforting my self for the delay by the certainty of a good meal-I wish my appetite may be as good-I dare say I have your prayers-On Friday morning if all be well we set out for Edinr: which I propose leaving on sunday night or monday morning & shall meet you at Leverpool upon tuesday night or wednesday morning unless you countermand me. A new call has been made for an engine at Lead hills where coals are about 11/6 pr ton I have not yet sent answer as it requires consideration I hope your health & spirits get better & that you do not forget to Celebrate all the weddings in the usual manner-Leverpool and Yorkshire are incompatible in the same Journey, The way to yorkshire will be from Birmingham
Mr Hamilton has his compliments to you and does not reccollect that he said any thing that could induce Pearson to write such a letter & both his opinion & mine is that it proceeds from a degree of ignorance of the world & conceit of his own importance which is attendant upon weak minds. The Gentn: who reccomended him to Mr H. writes, inclosed, which you will see and I hope will do good-I have at last got some of the most valuable & intricate of my fathers accounts settled & hope that his affairs will turn out well-He is become perfectly incapable of giving himself the least help & the seeing him in such a situation has much hurt my spirits, which however are kept tolerable by the benign influence of a certain planet
Above all things I hate at present to think of fire Engines, so you may suppose I am rather neglecting my business but I shall study to make amends, in future-I am glad to hear that Soho engine has ceased to Chatter I hope you have got up the new pump &c
I will not at present make any more excuses for leaving you so long in the lurch I leave all that to a more winning advocate
Make my best respects to Mrs B. and to all friends & believe me to be
ever your's James Watt
[On the same sheet are some rough calculations by Boulton.]
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