LETTER XVI. 



" And darest thou then 



To beard the Lion in his den, 

 The Douglas in his hall ?" 



Sir Walter Scott, Bart. 



Maij 28, 1855. 



My Dear Sons, 



1. My last was an affair of outposts. We have 

 now to do battle with Dr. Carpenter's main army, 

 drawn up in two divisions — a right and a left. We 

 shall in the first instance engage the former, — 

 and routing it (as I hope we shall), next try our 

 strength against the latter — to all appearance much 

 the more formidable of the two. Let us first of all 

 see what the enemy's forces are, and how they are 

 disposed. 



2. Dropping, now, this way of speaking, let me 

 observe that the leading arguments advanced by 

 Dr Carpenter in opposition to my theory, may be 

 described as embracing two parts. The first is that 

 which will alone occupy our consideration in this 



