| Description | I wrote to my dear son about a week or nine days ago, but as I am now in town I cannot refer to dates-since which I am without any news of you except seeing your signature to a receipt for money paid you by Mr. Striber. What can be the meaning of your long silence I cannot conceive. You leave my imagination to wander without a guide through various disagreeable scenes, and wound me with keeping me in suspence. I beg you will change your plan instantly, and give me some accounts of your self.
I flatter'd my self you would have given me some chymical information and told me what you have seen, done, read, or learn'd in that branch of philosophy, and what new discoveries or observations have been lately made by Mr. Wigleb. One way to obtain knowledge is to communicate it.
I am desireous of knowing how long the present course of lectures will last, that I may consider what is next best to be done, and how long you think it will be necessary for you to remain in Germany before you are so much master of that language as to read, write, and speak it correctly. I am desireous of giving you every advantage in education before you enter into business, as the time for learning languages and science is before you are loaded with the cares of the world: for into business it is absolutely necessary you go, as it is not in my power to give you an independant estate.
I wish you would endeavour to acquaint your self with the knowledge of exchanges between one commercial country and another, with the theory of money, and the rules for calculating exchanges or the relative value a given quantity of gold or silver in one country bears to the like quantity in another, and the causes of the fluctuations. I presume some persons or books may be found by which you may lead your self into this branch of commercial knowledge, and when you have made a little progress I will point out the means of your becoming a master of it.
I am nominated to serve the office of high sherriff for the county of Warwick dureing the next year, but I am applying to the ministers to excuse me at present, at least till you have lighten'd my present load.
Your sister is at Bath, but I propose to return to Soho on Monday, where I hope to meet her and Mr. and Mrs. Barrow.
May God bless you and preserve your soul and body is the fervent prayer of your affectionate father,
Mattw. Boulton
I sent you in my last a German translation of a paper I wrote upon my plan for putting an end to the counterfeiting of coin, and am now makeing a new model of a guinea by order of Goverment, which is intended to be so constructed as to be less liable to wear and much easier detected if deminished in weight or specific gravity. I forget if I sent you my said paper in English, and therefore I now send it.
[Edited transcript.]
Copy of a paper on coinage by Matthew Boulton. (Fair copy in an unidentified hand, with several corrections. This was evidently made, and the corrections added, before the copy sent with MS 3782/13/36/37) |