| Description | (Directed to Frege & Co.)
My dear Son,
I reproach my self much for not writing to you oftener. I have lately been interupted by accompanying your sister to Manchester musick meeting, where we are erecting some engines for spining cotton, and for a bleach field upon your Dr. Berkley's late improvments with dephlogisticated marine acid.
From there I went to Buxton, with intent to give my self a little holoday and to wash away all my rhumatick pains, but on the fourth day I was sent for by express to attend the Privy Council in London, where I was detain'd near a fortnight, and at my return I found your sister return'd from Buxton with her dentist Mr. Dumergue, his daughters, and three other ladies, who stay'd a fortnight at Soho, singing and dancing with all the vivacity of Frenchmen, which, with other aditional business hath prevented me from writing to you.
But what excuse shall I find for you! who have only wrote to me one letter since you was at Leipsig, and that, too, without a date. You surely must be very indolent, which you need not be, as you have enough to learn. It would give me great pleasure to receive a letter from you in the German character and language, and I do beg and desire that you will apropriate a few hours every day in the writing of that character and language, and get some master to correct and direct you. I saw Jim Watt at Manchester in the counting house writing German letters, which he doth in a very neat regular distinct hand, and I beg you will qualify your self to do the same.
I observe by a letter lately receiv'd from Mr. Frege & Co. that you have receiv'd from them about 30£ sterling. I wish to see a general sketch how your Cash Account stands, and beg you will be carefull how you disperse that one thing needfull, as it is much easier scatter'd than collected.
My long letter to Mr. Reinhard, of which you had a copy, was rather intended to shew what then passed in my mind than to dictate when you should go, leaving it to him and to you to decide for your selves. I had no objection to Fryburg, as I am inform'd there is much knowledge to be gain'd there and many sensible and learned men to be found, as well as being the best school for minerology in Europe. Hence I shall be satisfyed whether you are gone to Langensalza or to Fryburg; but I desire to be inform'd where you are, that I may know who you are with and how to write to you; and I beg you will write to me two letters for my one, and I shall be satisfyed, for I shall write much oftener than I have lately done.
I pray God bless and preserve you, remaining ever, my dearest son, your very affectionate father,
Mattw. Boulton
[Edited transcript.] |