58 Mary Somerville. 



LETTER FROM DR. BLAIR TO MARY FAIRFAX. 



MY DEAR Miss FAIRFAX, 



This comes to return you a thousand thanks 

 for the pleasure and entertainment I have had from your 

 landscape paintings. I had them placed in the best 

 light I could contrive in my drawing-room, and enter- 

 tained myself a good while every day looking at them 

 and admiring their beauties, which always grew upon me. 

 I intend to return them to you to-morrow, or rather on 

 the beginning of next week; and as they were taken 

 particular care of, I hope they shall not appear to have 

 suffered any injury. 



I have exhibited them to several people, some of 

 whom were excellent judges, whom I brought on purpose 

 to view them Lady Miller, the Solicitor and Mrs. Blair, 

 his lady, Dr. Hill, Miss Anne Ker of Nisbet, and a 

 variety of ladies. All joined in praising them highly. 

 The penserosa figure caught the highest admiration of 

 any, from the gracefulness of the figure and attitude, and 

 the boldness and propriety of the scenery. The two 

 morning and evening views one of Lochness, and the 

 other of Elcho Castle which make fine companions, and 

 which I always placed together, were also highly admired. 

 Each of them had their different partizans, and I myself 

 was for a good while undetermined which of them to 

 prefer. At last, I found the placidity of the scene in 

 Elcho Castle, with the cottages among the trees, dwelt 

 most on my imagination, though the gaiety and brightness 

 o the morning sky in the other has also exquisite beauty. 

 On the whole, I am persuaded that your taste and powers 

 of execution in that art are uncommonly great, and that 



