Life of Count Rumford. 283 



myself when I am going out of the world that I have lived to 

 some useful purpose. And I feel very grateful to Providence 

 for the many opportunities I have had of pursuing with effect 

 my favorite object. There are few persons, I believe, who 

 have passed through a greater variety of interesting scenes than 

 myself, and no one surely can feel more deeply, more intensely, 

 everything that is interesting and affecting in the occurrences of 

 life. 



" My daughter, who will never forget your kindness to her, 

 desires me to present her best respects. Permit me to join with 

 her in thanks, and to assure you that I shall never cease to be, 

 with unfeigned regard and esteem, my dear Sir, 

 11 Yours, most sincerely, 



"RUMFORD."* 



The following long letter of the Count to Baldwin 

 will be found referring to many matters of interest, 

 especially to some relating to the private affairs of the 

 writer, and to certain annoying and perplexing transac- 

 tions with which he seems to have been embarrassed by 

 relatives of his wife and daughter in America. 



"MUNICH, iyth Dec r ., 1797 



" MY DEAR SIR, I am still in a state of uncertainty re- 

 specting the fate of a number of letters on matters of importance 

 to me, which I wrote to several of my friends in America, and 

 among others to yourself, in February last. I have, however, 

 some reason to think that they arrived safe, and that the an- 

 swers to them were lost between England and Hamburgh, in 

 their way to Germany, in June last. An English packet-boat 

 on which I know there were letters for me which had come 

 from America, addressed to the care of my Banker in London, 

 was taken by the French at that time, and I think it more than 

 probable that these were answers to my letters of February last, 



* Memorials of Youth and Manhood. By Sydney Willard. 



