APPENDIX. 393 



My nephew, John Clarkson, will show you the print of St. Paul, 

 from the picture at Greenwich. 



To MJK. TKUMBULL. 



BENJAMIN WEST TO COLONEL TIIUMBULL. 



LONDON, February 6, 1805. 



DEAR SIR, Mr. Calton moving with his family to New 

 York, I embrace the opportunity by him to give this letter the 

 chance of finding you there. Mrs. West, myself, and all the 

 Poggies, with many of your other friends, are apprehensive that 

 some misfortune has befallen you or Mrs. Trumbull, that has oc 

 casioned none of us hearing from you since your departure from 

 England. Speaking of the Poggies, I have to inform you that 

 Mr. Poggi is now with his family ; he returned to them through 

 Holland in October last. They are well, and are distressed in 

 not hearing from Mrs. Trumbull, as are likewise Mrs. West and 

 myself, for we want to know how the climate of America, etc., 

 agrees with her. 



Our politics, as a fighting, money-making people, go on much 

 as when you left us last year : it is a stream which overwhelms 

 everything else. The fine arts are but little thought of in our 

 military dash, except by his Majesty (who, thank God, is in per 

 fect good health, as I witnessed some days past, when I was with 

 him in Windsor Castle for several hours), who at present is form 

 ing in that Castle a collection, made from all his other palaces, of 

 the best pictures they contained ; the Queen's house is utterly 

 stripped, so are Kensington and Hampton Court; but his Majesty, 

 not to deprive Mr. Holloway of the opportunity of finishing his en 

 gravings from the Cartoons, has sent them to their old station at 

 Hampton Court, there to remain till he (Holloway) has finished 

 them. His Majesty resides in the Castle, and told rne that he 

 now felt himself at home, where, I say, may he long continue. 

 He has recently, by a single act, placed all those vipers (who have 

 been endeavoring to sting and drive me from the Chair of the 

 Royal Academy for some years past) under my feet. The fact 

 was simply as follows: On the 10th of December last, the 

 time for electing the President and the other officers for the en 

 suing year, Mr. Trisham rose and addressed the general assem 

 bly viz., that they were then to make choice of a proper person 



