CHAP. III. AND FOREMAN OF MASONS AT PORTSMOUTH. 313 



and several buildings connected with the Yard. Tel- 

 ford took care to keep his eyes open to all the other 

 works going forward in the neighbourhood, and he 

 states that he had frequent opportunities of observing 

 the various operations necessary in the foundation and 

 construction of graving-docks, wharf-walls, and such 

 like, which were amongst the principal occupations of 

 his after-life. 



The letters written by him from Portsmouth to his 

 Eskdale correspondents about this time were cheerful and 

 hopeful, like those he had sent from London. His principal 

 grievance was that he received so few from home, but he 

 supposed that opportunities for forwarding them by hand 

 had not occurred, postage being so dear as scarcely then 

 to be thought of. To tempt them to correspondence 

 he sent copies of the poems which he still continued to 

 compose in the leisure of his evenings : one of these was 

 a ' Poem on Portsdown Hill.' As for himself, he was 

 doing very well. The buildings were advancing satis- 

 factorily ; but, " above all," said he, " my proceedings 

 are entirely approved by the Commissioners and officers 

 here so much so that they would sooner go by my 

 advice than my master's, which is a dangerous point, 

 being difficult to keep their good graces as well as his. 

 However, I will contrive to manage it." 



The following is his own account of the manner in 

 which he was usually occupied during the winter months 

 while at Portsmouth Dock : " I rise in the morning 

 at 7 (February 1st), and will get up earlier as the days 

 lengthen until it come to 5 o'clock. I immediately set 

 to work to make out accounts, write on matters of busi- 

 ness, or draw, until breakfast, which is at 9. Then I go 

 into the Yard about 10, see that all are at their posts, 

 and am ready to advise about any matters that may 

 require attention. This, and going round the several 



Letter to Andrew Little, Langholm, dated Portsmouth, July 23rd, 1784. 



