42 MEMOIR OF DRURY. 



be serious. I wrote to you the beginning of last 



month by means of Mr. T , who was acquainted 



with a captain going from Bristol to Sierra Leone, 

 which letter I hope you received ; indeed, I shall 

 not omit writing by every ship I can hear of, if I 

 only mention in my letter that I am well, together 

 with my family, a circumstance I hope will serve as 

 an example for you to follow, especially as you can 

 have no doubt what reception your letters will 

 always meet. Nothing can be more vehement than 

 the present desire of your friends in natural history 

 to hear from you. All long to know something of 

 a country that has yet been unexplored by any 

 curious man, but patience must be the portion of 

 every one, and must likewise be put in practice. 

 Last Thursday I had the honour of a visit from the 

 Duchess dowager of Portland to see my collection, 

 with which she was greatly pleased. She has 

 lately, by the means I fancy of Dr. Solander, be- 

 come a staunch entomologist. We were deeply 

 engaged for three hours, as you may well imagine, 

 and in the course of our conversation she said that 

 she hoped to become possessed of a collection of 

 Africans by your means, for she had heard of your 

 going on a physical inquiry; and, indeed, if the 

 plan you established had not been confined to a 

 particular science, I am confident she would have 

 become one of your subscribers. I explained the 

 nature of your voyage, also the whole of the plan, 

 and assured her that after the subscribers had been 

 repaid by the amount of the specimens, you would 



