Frasers of Philorth > Volume 3

12 LETTERS FROM SICILY AND
You say it is not fair to trouble me with cross-writing ; all I can say is that, as
long as the writing is not cross, I do not care how much cross-writing there is : I
shall not, however, give you any more of it at present, but leave what is not
already crossed in case anything should happen before Tuesday.
Last night I went to the ball, which was really a very good one ; two sets of
about thirty couple each, and some tolerably pretty women. I find everybody
here can speak French, and most of them English.
I have just got my papers from England, but no letters from home. I see
your name mentioned as a dancer at the Miss Pritchards' ball in Green Street ;
was it you or your cousin ? The people appear to be quite mad about Cossacks,
and the Princess of Wales, — certainly the people of England are, without any
exception, the greatest fools in the world. I must own, however, I should like to
see this Don Cossack myself, for if he is anything near the description of him
he must be a very fine fellow. By this time you must be heartily tired of
deciphering this scrawl. I long to hear from you, and believe me I remain affec-
tionately yours, Saltoun.
P.S. — James Macdonald, whom you know, left this yesterday for England. 1
VIII.
Oporto, 15th June 1813.
My dear Miss Thurlow, — I did not write you by the last packet, for the
post leaves this place on a Tuesday, and last Tuesday was the day before our
grand ball which we gave the natives, and as I had been named as one of the
committee for conducting the said ball, I had so much to do that I had not time to
write. It went off with great Mat, and, thank G-od, is now over, and what is not
the worst part of it, paid for. You may guess the crush and trouble in this place
— where there are no Mr. Gunters — in getting together the necessary apparatus
for giving a hot supper to three hundred and fifty people, and the drill that was
required previously to instruct the servants how to put the supper on the tables;
but, however, we got them tolerably expert before the day, and it went off very-
well. This place is just beginning to be hot, but I believe they never have any
heat here equal to what it is to the south of Spain ; however, I hope we shall not
remain here to try.
1 Son of first Lord Macdonald. Killed at Bergen-op-Zoom, 1S14.