| Description | "Account of his sojourn in town, and exhibitions visited."
24 Wimpole St. Wednesday, 29. 1837.
My dear Papa
We are very glad to hear that you are better, & as the weather is changed I hope you will soon be able to come up to us. We have been to two exhibitions of pictures, one in Suffolk Street, & another in Pall-Mall. I liked the latter best, although there were not many good pictures even there. The best I think were a smuggler by Parker, painted so as to appear to stand out of the picture, some landscapes by Wilson, & a picture of Rent-day at Haddon Hall by a young artist of the name of Horsley; which we found out to day that Mr. Cartwright had bought. The second picture of the Wreckers, the original of which Mr. Cartwright has, was at the exhibition, but a great deal inferior. We went this morning to the Etruscan Tombs, which are very good & I think the most interesting thing we have yet seen. The man who shews them discovered them himself near Rome, & bought permission from the Pope to transport what he wanted. The rooms are fac-similes from the tombs, which are cut in the solid rock; the paintings also on the walls are fac-similes. The sarcophagi have each a large statue on their lids of the person buried under them, & the scull & some of the bones are still left in them, together with a great number of implements buried with them. They have also inscriptions on them in some unknown language, some of which have been deciphered. There is a box of jewels, containing a gold bracelet with 2 precious stones, some ear-rings, & a seal, of which I have brought an impression; the ornaments were taken off one of the statues. Ned did not go with us but intends to do so some other time. There a great many more tombs discovered, but these are the most perfect; some more are to come over. Mr. Davis is going to take us to-morrow if [it i]s a fine day, to the Thames—ne[..... Mon]tagu is gone to-night to di[ne] with Hallam, who lives at 67. Wimpole St. Ned tells me to say that she received Aunt Bessy’s letter, & will attend to it. Give my love to all at home, & believe me to remain
Your affectionate Son
M. P. W. Boulton.
P.S. Ned will write to-morrow, & wishes to have the papers.
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