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Orbe, Canton de Berne, July 22, 1794. 
My dearest Friend, | 
I have at last received your inestimable present, 
your Tour, which I have hitherto devoured, not yet 
having been able to read soberly; it has given me 
such delight as I cannot express. No doubt from 
my attachment I cannot be perfectly impartial; yet 
I can solemnly declare, that were I ignorant of its 
author, I should say he is the favoured child of 
Nature, and displays more solid sense than almost 
any other I have ever read. I have been delighted 
with subjects on which I understand little or no- 
thing, such as painting, from the nature of the 
remarks, ev. gr. vol. iii. p. 35. I had, just before I 
read this, seen the very attitude between my boy 
and his nurse. You know me well enough, my dear 
friend, to be assured that I am incapable of flatter- 
ing any one, from any motive whatever: believe me 
then when I say, that I have no words to express 
the delight your Tour has given, and continues to 
give me; you give throughout the whole, in my 
opinion, the best proofs of sound and solid sense, 
freedom from prejudice, and all the qualities that 
become a being worthy of the name of man. You 
desire particularly to have my opinion of what you 
say on Rousseau. I must frankly tell you the truth; 
I have never yet read any one of his works! Hav- 
ing rather too early in life had reason to be dis- 
gusted with general society, not having within my 
reach here any one congenial soul, I have long lived 
in a very recluse manner, visiting Mature / as well 
