146 CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS FAMILY. 



sages therefrom night and day, and especially at first waking, 

 which, by their importunity give me more uneasiness than 

 pleasure, still teizing my imagination, and recurring irre- 

 sistibly to my memory at seasons, and even when I am 

 desirous of thinking of other matters : yet notwith- 

 standing all these fine things, I would give six pence to hear 

 you two maidens perform the ivopses, the lesson with the jig, 

 and that with the lovely minuet, &c. &c.* 



The letter from Nobody puzzled the Mulso family for a long 

 time. At first they suspected me ; but the strange unknown 

 hand, the London postmark, and some other circumstances 

 threw them all out ; so that, to put them out of doubt, I was 

 forced to own the imposture, and to acknowledge that you 

 were accessory. Mrs. Clement held her Xtening lately : I 

 was godfather, and we named the child Isaac. Mr. Ch. Etty 

 came in this morning from Spithead, where his ship, the 

 ' Duke of Kingston ' is lying at anchor in readiness for sailing 

 soon. This young gent, says that peace is the general talk, 

 so that he supposes they may possibly sail with a white flag, 

 and without any convoy at all. We have had all this winter 

 26 Highlanders of the 77th regiment quartered in this village 

 and at Oakhanger : where tho' they had nothing in the world 

 to do, they have behaved in a very quiet and inoffensive 

 manner, and were never known to steal even a turnip or a 

 cabbage, tho' they lived much on vegetables, and were asto- 

 nished at the dearness of southern provisions. Late last night 

 came an express ordering these poor fellows down to Ports- 

 mouth ; where they are to embark for India, near 100 of 

 them aboard Ch. Etty's ship. Un. Harry writes word that 

 he hopes his son Ch. will have a commission soon. 



With all due respects I remain 



Your affectionate uncle, 



GIL. WHITE. 



Several of our soldiers came from Caithness. 



White's mind, that he quotes it verbatim three times in his correspond* 

 ence. T. B.] 



* [See Letter LVI. to Daines Barring-ton, Vol. I. p. 251. T. B.] 



