Kenilworth 5^th: June 1779
Dear Brother
As I have just learnt from Sir Rob^t: Harries (I am
now certain he has a right to the Title) that you have ordered him to
remit you his bills for ^L200 to Vienna I take the earliest opportunity of
forwarding a letter to you there, and as I left some things unsaid in
my last of the 23^d of may which I wrote to you at Venice from
Witham, I shall begin again in a kind of journal-like manner to
mention what my paper would not then give me room to say
I told you in my last that things in general at Witham were
in very good order, I shall therefore not recapitulate what I said
before, but go on to say what other things occur to my mind.
Wyles and Dale are quietly settled in possession of Nathan Hills
Land, the former had the homestead and one cow pasture, the
latter the meadow and the other, I advanced Wyles ten shillings
a year on his house in consideration of its being a better
than his last, and your having laid out ^L upon it, and he
seemed very well satisfied. In my way to Wytham I
called on M^r Bayley and M^r Vow about M^rs Edge’s charity estate
which from its having been left for a great many years at the
present rent of ^L35, I thought would bear raising, M^r Vow
was of the same opinion, and desired me to look over the
farm at Ufford and make enquiries about it. I did so, and
it is miserably poor land, I found Martyn the tenant willing
to have the rent advanced from Lady day next to forty guineas
this I communicated in my return to M^r Vow, but as you
was coming home to soon, I left it for you to settle the
matter finally with him. The chancery visit have been finish’d
some time ago, but as there is not money enough in hand to make
pay the lawyers, they have cut down about forty pounds worth
of Timbers on the estate to make good the deficiencies. The
five annuitants have been all paid up to Lady day 1778, M^rs
Septine Wright who was nominated during the suit cannot
begin to enjoy her annuity but from that date time. As m^r Voy
and you are now the only Trustees, and are each of you to

[f.90v]

nominate to three places when vacant, I drew cuts with him
which of M^r Tryon’s nominees you should appoint a successor to
and was lucky enough to draw the oldest by Twenty years. M^r
Vow seems very well disposed to come into any thing that so presents
without giving trouble to any body, but people complain a good
deal of M^r Bailey, the distance he is from the place makes it
very inconvenient to the annuitants to get their money of
him, which with some other things I will tell you when you
get home will I believe make you think it right when
the Lawyer’s bills are all paid and every thing settled to
get rid of him as your receiver, and either r receive the
rents yourself, or xxx {^^appoint} M^rs Torkington somebody near the
spot to do it. Nothing more has been said about the
right of common in Shulby fen, but the Manthorpe people
continue to enjoy it without interruption. I shall be
ready to make over Exton’s estate {^^to} you as soon as your return,
every thing is now settled, and I am very glad I was able to
get it, though it was attended with some little trouble, as it
may in future be very convenient to you, I had it con-
-veyed to me on Trust, by M^r Torkington’s advice, that the
transferring it to you might be attended with less trouble and
expence. I shall by no means think it necessary to leave
a mortgage on the estate for the money, your bond will be
quite as satisfactory a security to me. I have said the same
thing to Lord Craven {^^{with regard to the rest of Mrs Johnson’s fortune}} who wishes to release the estate it is secured
on, and has been so kind to give me five percent for the money.
The M^r Burrel Lady Priscilla Bertie is married to, is a son of
{^^{the late}} Peter Burrels of the Treasury he has an estate of about ^L 8—a
year, and his sister’s but small fortune though they have connected
themselves very greatly, one being married to Duke Hamilton and the
two others to Lord Peircy and his brother Lord Algernoon Percy.
Forwards from London to Grimsthorpe, which he sometimes does
twice a week, he has got a pack of fox hounds and seems well
disposed to be sociable and on good terms with his neighbours, though
I am sorry {^^{to find}} he has a bad set of hard drinking people about him
I rode over to Burleigh from Witham it is now completed,
and a most beautiful place it is. I have heard nothing of

[f.91]

your lottery ticket so fear it is not a twenty thousand pound prize,
I suppose you will examine it as you come through London. Now
you have turned your back on Italy I shall soon expect to
see you here, as I do not suppose you will meet with any
thing in Germany or Holland to detain you very long, you
will be so good to let me know when we may expect you in
England, and we shall hope to have the satisfaction of
seeing you at Kenilworth in your way into Lincolnshire, or
if that happens to be inconvenient to you, I will give you
the meeting in London or at Witham as may be most
convenient.
I will now give you a fuller state of your acc^t
than I was able to do [damaged] wrote last

[List of accounts not transcribed]

so much for business. I will now tell you we are all very well,
the little Georgiana grows apace, and William is become quite a stout
fellow. Charles intends writing after Stamford races and sending
you all the news of the country, for my part I heard none or
would be before hand with him. He accompanied me in my way from
Witham as far as Northampton, where we found my sister and all
the good folks very well. We have glorious fine weather here

[f.91v]

I hope the same blue skies attend you at Vienna, though possibly
so much sunshine may make it hot travelling. The S^t: James’s
chronicles are sent regularly to Witham and Charles takes care to
put them in proper order, but I have not {^^yet} been able to procure
the papers for last year, which I told you I had some hopes of doing,
but I do not yet despair of doing it. Young Lady Craven has
been most violently ill, it was a sudden seizure and she was
many days in great danger, but is now something better though
by no means well yet, the Doctors can’t settle what her complaint
was, though they have agreed to send her to Tunbridge for it. This
has quite derange my northern tour for this summer, but we still
hope to accomplish it next year


I saw Tyron, Forster and some few of our other old friends when I was in
Lincolnshire, Forster has now eight bouncing Brats, and the Archdeacon
is a hearty as ever. M^rs Cicil has not yet got a live child, and Jes
Packin labours likewise in vain. Old John Sivers of Witham is dead,
but I made the parish pay his rent to michaelmas. I could write
you a sheet ful of politics, but that subject I reserve for my next,
in the mean time I trust I shall have a letter from you which I
assure you will give us the greatest pleasure. M^rs Craven and M^rs
Johnson desire to be particularly remembered to you and join with
me in wishing to speedily to see you safe at home again. Adieu my
dear Brother believe me truly and inalterably yours
R.A. Johnson

[change of orientation]

Germany

[change of orientation]

A Mons^r
Mons:^r Johnson
chez Mons:^r Friests & C:^o
a Vienne
Almagne

[change of orientation]

Germany

but as I was going to seal this I received yours of 19^th May
from Rome, Which has given {^^us} great pleasure, but I will
forward this immediately as it is directed and write again
in answer to y^r last [damaged] adieu

Kenilworth 5^th: June 1779
Dear Brother
As I have just learnt from Sir Rob^t: Harries (I am
now certain he has a right to the Title) that you have ordered him to
remit you his bills for ^L200 to Vienna I take the earliest opportunity of
forwarding a letter to you there, and as I left some things unsaid in
my last of the 23^d of may which I wrote to you at Venice from
Witham, I shall begin again in a kind of journal-like manner to
mention what my paper would not then give me room to say
I told you in my last that things in general at Witham were
in very good order, I shall therefore not recapitulate what I said
before, but go on to say what other things occur to my mind.
Wyles and Dale are quietly settled in possession of Nathan Hills
Land, the former had the homestead and one cow pasture, the
latter the meadow and the other, I advanced Wyles ten shillings
a year on his house in consideration of its being a better
than his last, and your having laid out ^L upon it, and he
seemed very well satisfied. In my way to Wytham I
called on M^r Bayley and M^r Vow about M^rs Edge’s charity estate
which from its having been left for a great many years at the
present rent of ^L35, I thought would bear raising, M^r Vow
was of the same opinion, and desired me to look over the
farm at Ufford and make enquiries about it. I did so, and
it is miserably poor land, I found Martyn the tenant willing
to have the rent advanced from Lady day next to forty guineas
this I communicated in my return to M^r Vow, but as you
was coming home to soon, I left it for you to settle the
matter finally with him. The chancery visit have been finished
some time ago, but as there is not money enough in hand to make
pay the lawyers, they have cut down about forty pounds worth
of Timbers on the estate to make good the deficiencies. The
five annuitants have been all paid up to Lady day 1778, M^rs
Septine Wright who was nominated during the suit cannot
begin to enjoy her annuity but from that date time. As m^r Voy
and you are now the only Trustees, and are each of you to

[f.90v]

nominate to three places when vacant, I drew cuts with him
which of M^r Tryon’s nominees you should appoint a successor to
and was lucky enough to draw the oldest by Twenty years. M^r
Vow seems very well disposed to come into any thing that so presents
without giving trouble to any body, but people complain a good
deal of M^r Bailey, the distance he is from the place makes it
very inconvenient to the annuitants to get their money of
him, which with some other things I will tell you when you
get home will I believe make you think it right when
the Lawyer’s bills are all paid and every thing settled to
get rid of him as your receiver, and either r receive the
rents yourself, or xxx {^^appoint} M^rs Torkington somebody near the
spot to do it. Nothing more has been said about the
right of common in Shulby fen, but the Manthorpe people
continue to enjoy it without interruption. I shall be
ready to make over Exton’s estate {^^to} you as soon as your return,
every thing is now settled, and I am very glad I was able to
get it, though it was attended with some little trouble, as it
may in future be very convenient to you, I had it con-
-veyed to me on Trust, by M^r Torkington’s advice, that the
transferring it to you might be attended with less trouble and
expense. I shall by no means think it necessary to leave
a mortgage on the estate for the money, your bond will be
quite as satisfactory a security to me. I have said the same
thing to Lord Craven {^^{with regard to the rest of Mrs Johnson’s fortune}} who wishes to release the estate it is secured
on, and has been so kind to give me five percent for the money.
The M^r Burrel Lady Priscilla Bertie is married to, is a son of
{^^{the late}} Peter Burrels of the Treasury he has an estate of about ^L 8—a
year, and his sister’s but small fortune though they have connected
themselves very greatly, one being married to Duke Hamilton and the
two others to Lord Peircy and his brother Lord Algernoon Percy.
Forwards from London to Grimsthorpe, which he sometimes does
twice a week, he has got a pack of fox hounds and seems well
disposed to be sociable and on good terms with his neighbours, though
I am sorry {^^{to find}} he has a bad set of hard drinking people about him
I rode over to Burleigh from Witham it is now completed,
and a most beautiful place it is. I have heard nothing of

[f.91]

your lottery ticket so fear it is not a twenty thousand pound prize,
I suppose you will examine it as you come through London. Now
you have turned your back on Italy I shall soon expect to
see you here, as I do not suppose you will meet with any
thing in Germany or Holland to detain you very long, you
will be so good to let me know when we may expect you in
England, and we shall hope to have the satisfaction of
seeing you at Kenilworth in your way into Lincolnshire, or
if that happens to be inconvenient to you, I will give you
the meeting in London or at Witham as may be most
convenient.
I will now give you a fuller state of your acc^t
than I was able to do [damaged] wrote last

[List of accounts not transcribed]

so much for business. I will now tell you we are all very well,
the little Georgiana grows apace, and William is become quite a stout
fellow. Charles intends writing after Stamford races and sending
you all the news of the country, for my part I heard none or
would be before hand with him. He accompanied me in my way from
Witham as far as Northampton, where we found my sister and all
the good folks very well. We have glorious fine weather here

[f.91v]

I hope the same blue skies attend you at Vienna, though possibly
so much sunshine may make it hot travelling. The S^t: James’s
chronicles are sent regularly to Witham and Charles takes care to
put them in proper order, but I have not {^^yet} been able to procure
the papers for last year, which I told you I had some hopes of doing,
but I do not yet despair of doing it. Young Lady Craven has
been most violently ill, it was a sudden seizure and she was
many days in great danger, but is now something better though
by no means well yet, the Doctors can’t settle what her complaint
was, though they have agreed to send her to Tunbridge for it. This
has quite derange my northern tour for this summer, but we still
hope to accomplish it next year


I saw Tyron, Forster and some few of our other old friends when I was in
Lincolnshire, Forster has now eight bouncing Brats, and the Archdeacon
is a hearty as ever. M^rs Cicil has not yet got a live child, and Jes
Packin labours likewise in vain. Old John Sivers of Witham is dead,
but I made the parish pay his rent to michaelmas. I could write
you a sheet ful of politics, but that subject I reserve for my next,
in the mean time I trust I shall have a letter from you which I
assure you will give us the greatest pleasure. M^rs Craven and M^rs
Johnson desire to be particularly remembered to you and join with
me in wishing to speedily to see you safe at home again. Adieu my
dear Brother believe me truly and inalterably yours
R.A. Johnson

[change of orientation]

Germany

[change of orientation]

A Mons^r
Mons:^r Johnson
chez Mons:^r Friests & C:^o
a Vienne
Almagne

[change of orientation]

Germany

but as I was going to seal this I received yours of 19^th May
from Rome, Which has given {^^us} great pleasure, but I will
forward this immediately as it is directed and write again
in answer to y^r last [damaged] adieu