40 ORMISTOUN^S LETTERS 



been privately carried on for former years for defeating all I 

 had done and preventing my being able to do more in a way 

 which I thought was for the improvement of the Estate. 

 What has changed the notions against planting and taking 

 care ... I can't 



tell : I have not endeavoured at it, for I hate wrangling and 

 when I can't make a Shoe do I choose in the easiest way to 

 let it go down in the heel. Your stay while this humour lasted 

 against the very thing for which you was there, would indeed 

 not only have been a most useless expence but a most pro- 

 voking one, for it was impossible to conceive any thing but 

 disappointments difficulties and objections which no pleasure 

 or profit could make worth the while to struggle against. 

 How matters stand now I know not, but if planting and the 

 like ..... 



As I neither know what is 

 done, what is proposed to be done or who is to do it, it would 

 be rediculous in me to order tho' I was disposed as I tell you 

 I am not to do it. I know not what of Nursery kind you have 

 what condition the planted Woods are in, or in what order 

 Alex"" Wight's Wood is which falls next to be cut or how soon 

 it may be ready for cutting so can give no orders if I would. 

 You tell me the Hedge Rows want many trees. I have heard 

 from several of the Tenants that they would gladly have had 

 Trees if they could have got them. All I could do was to 

 send down Acorns for dibbling in and advise them to get Ash 

 . . . and lay it for dibbling next year into the Hedge rows. 

 Alex"^ Wight wrote to me that he would make some ground 

 ready for such Seeds as I should send, so I have sent him some 

 Acorns for trees and a few other Seeds for Hedges. In his last 

 to me which is of 15*^ Dec*" only three days before the date 

 of yours, tho' I had it ten days before it. He told me you was 

 come, that you wanted no Seeds which surprised me, and 1 

 could not well reconcile your not wanting Seeds with your 

 coming or with your desiring some English Elms, for I fancied 

 you would equally want both 



in order to carry on the design of enclosing 



