1759 LETTEE FEOM GIBRALTAR 113 



letter that my long story about Gib** came to my poor 

 Father's hands. Since I wrote that, I am removed to the 

 most northern part of the Town — near the Grand Battery, 

 where I have a room of a large store-house, 24 f* by 28. 

 This I have divided into Dining-room, Bed-room, & study, & 

 have plenty of cellar room, etc., in a large stair-case. My 

 prospect from my windows is rather more elegant than the 

 other was. I was much pleased with your description of 

 the Hermitage, & hope some time or other to view that 

 delightful spot once more. I beg to hear if you intend to 

 continue the occupier of those beautiful environs of my 

 Father's house ; or if the sweet shades & solitudes of Baker's 

 Hill, etc., are to fall a prey to the merciless Hands of the 

 Farmer & Hedger. I flatter myself I could make some 

 pleasing additions to your late Improvements in the forti- 

 fication-way. We, who maintain ourselves here by Violence 

 and Defiance, breathe nothing but War and Hostilities. But 

 I fear things of this sort may look a little preposterous in 

 the peaceful plains of Selborn & Newton ; tho' the Militia 

 Bill may perhaps somewhat reconcile them. 



The end of this letter is missing. 



On June 8th, 1759, Mulso wrote : — 



"I have been looking over Buncombe's Translation of 

 Horace; he has been so kind as to give us most of the 

 Satires and Epistles in blank Lines, for I will not call them 

 Verse. I cannot but say that you did Him great Injustice, 

 but yourself great Justice, in not letting me insert your 

 Imitations amongst them. They would have been amongst 

 the things that, if he knows himself, he desperat tractata 

 nitescere posse, and so leaves them to halt in Blank, but they 

 would have ornamented the Book. . . . Mrs. Mulso is not 

 angry at your applying to her what was designed for a 

 Horse, for she knows that it is your favourite animal.'* 



VOL. I. — I 



