Combe Abbey 9^th July Saturday.

Your letter from Tours gave
me great satisfaction my dear Brother by bringing me an
account that yourself and Charles were well and had got
so far safely on your journey I very often thought of you
and was afraid you would be sufferers by the heat, judging
from the weather here which has been hotter and drier
than ever I remember it, the seventh of June has been
the only wet day since you left England. The ground is
as brown as it can be in the south of France, many
farmers have been obliged to turn their stock into the
grass they intended to mow, and those who have cut
their hay have not more than a fourth part of a crop
except in the meadows and low lands which are rather
better off; New hay already sells for four pounds a ton
and those who have any old by them hardly know
what price to ask for it. The cattle in many places
are very much distressed for water and most of the
springs from ponds are dried up and the springs are very
low. If the dry weather continues much longer the xxx
graziers will be great sufferers indeed, but we have
withing this day or two had a few showers, and I hope
for more rain though I own I see no signs of it at
present. Luckily the corn does not suffer. I never saw

[108v]

ten days ago & has lain ever since in a state of insensibility, his
recovery is despaired of. My friend Kellet after spending
a fortnight here has just left us, he tells me there are
regular packets from Bourdeaux to Corke, should you chuse
to return by that route and he desired me to say he should
be happy to shew you the Lions {^^there} and render you any
service in his power. Tell Charles I was very glad to
hear he had settled all his matters so much to his
satisfactions at Datchworth before he left England, if
any thing occurs I shall readily lend him every assistance
in my power, I would write to thank him for his two
letters, did I not think writing to you exactly the same
thing and I am sure nothing I can say would be worth
double postage. I am much obliged to you for the trouble
you were so kind to take about the Plummerdens, and should
I have occasion to enquire further what you have done will
greatly facilitate the business. We are all very well &
the Ladies desires theor kind love and best wishes to you and the
Doctor. I shall be glad to hear how you like Bourdeaux, I hope
the wine will reconcile Charles to the thinness of the soup and
the dryness of the Bouile &c. Should you wish to order any Clark
Kellet tells me Burton & Johnson’s is the first house there,
they are his correspondents and by making use of his name
will I dare say use you well, the latter is a great friend of
M^r Kellets’ and knows me very well by hearsay. I shall
with pleasure pay attention to any thing I may hear from
Woolley, and if accident or inclination should detain you on the

[f.109]

the grain of all kinds look better. The oak trees were
blighted in a greater degree than they were last year, and
for a time made the wood look nearly as black as in
winter, but they are now recovering, and the midsummer
shoot has again clothed them in green. The Parliament
is still sitting and they {^^Opposition} are now battling the Irish propositions
in the house of Lords with the same success as in the house
of commons, they have reason and argument on their side
but a dead majority against them, another attempt to
oppose them will be made when they are returned to the
commons, as the Lords have made xxx some alterations [damaged]
them, and xx in Ireland the people seem as much ag[damaged]
them as they are here, so M^r Pitt will be in luck of[damaged]
carries them, xxx {^^the} is sulky and will not say when he means
to propose the parliament, or whether he means to keep
them sitting to wait the return of the propositions from
Ireland and then pass bills to enforced them, if so they
probably will not be up much before michaelmas.
My sister is as I suppose you know at Thenford, enjoying
company and good dinners grand dinners, two things not very
agreeable I should think this hot weather. We have been
at Combe some time, the large rooms and the coolness of
the cloysters make it particularly agreeable. Your old school
fellow Gasgarth had a very bad fall from his horse about *

[f.109v]

Continent longer than you intended, I can with great care attend
your rest day, for as I am obliged to be at Marbro about that
time, it will only be lengthening my ride a few miles and keeping
a day or two longer from home, so pray do not scruple to employ me
if you wish it, but I think you will all be sighing for the roast
beef of old England before that time.

[change of orientation]

a Monsieur
Mons:^r G W Johnson
gentillhome Anglais
Chez Mess^rs Skinner & Fenwick
a Bourdeaux
en France

[change of orientation]

I beg my Comp^d: to your fellow Traveller M<sup>r,/sup>
Tryon

[change of orientation]

Pray give my love to Charles, I shall hope to hear from one
or both of you soon, pray tell me which you think the most
eligible place for a family with a small fortune to reside in
Orleans or Tours? Did you perceive that the peasantry in the
neighbourhood of the Loire spoke better French & less Patois than
else where? Adieu Believe me truly & cordially your affectionate
R. A. Johnson</sup>

Combe Abbey 9^th July Saturday.

Your letter from Tours gave
me great satisfaction my dear Brother by bringing me an
account that yourself and Charles were well and had got
so far safely on your journey I very often thought of you
and was afraid you would be sufferers by the heat, judging
from the weather here which has been hotter and drier
than ever I remember it, the seventh of June has been
the only wet day since you left England. The ground is
as brown as it can be in the south of France, many
farmers have been obliged to turn their stock into the
grass they intended to mow, and those who have cut
their hay have not more than a fourth part of a crop
except in the meadows and low lands which are rather
better off; New hay already sells for four pounds a ton
and those who have any old by them hardly know
what price to ask for it. The cattle in many places
are very much distressed for water and most of the
springs from ponds are dried up and the springs are very
low. If the dry weather continues much longer the xxx
graziers will be great sufferers indeed, but we have
withing this day or two had a few showers, and I hope
for more rain though I own I see no signs of it at
present. Luckily the corn does not suffer. I never saw

[108v]

ten days ago & has lain ever since in a state of insensibility, his
recovery is despaired of. My friend Kellet after spending
a fortnight here has just left us, he tells me there are
regular packets from Bourdeaux to Corke, should you chuse
to return by that route and he desired me to say he should
be happy to shew you the Lions {^^there} and render you any
service in his power. Tell Charles I was very glad to
hear he had settled all his matters so much to his
satisfactions at Datchworth before he left England, if
any thing occurs I shall readily lend him every assistance
in my power, I would write to thank him for his two
letters, did I not think writing to you exactly the same
thing and I am sure nothing I can say would be worth
double postage. I am much obliged to you for the trouble
you were so kind to take about the Plummerdens, and should
I have occasion to enquire further what you have done will
greatly facilitate the business. We are all very well &
the Ladies desires theor kind love and best wishes to you and the
Doctor. I shall be glad to hear how you like Bourdeaux, I hope
the wine will reconcile Charles to the thinness of the soup and
the dryness of the Bouile &c. Should you wish to order any Clark
Kellet tells me Burton & Johnson’s is the first house there,
they are his correspondents and by making use of his name
will I dare say use you well, the latter is a great friend of
M^r Kellets’ and knows me very well by hearsay. I shall
with pleasure pay attention to any thing I may hear from
Woolley, and if accident or inclination should detain you on the

[f.109]

the grain of all kinds look better. The oak trees were
blighted in a greater degree than they were last year, and
for a time made the wood look nearly as black as in
winter, but they are now recovering, and the midsummer
shoot has again clothed them in green. The Parliament
is still sitting and they {^^Opposition} are now battling the Irish propositions
in the house of Lords with the same success as in the house
of commons, they have reason and argument on their side
but a dead majority against them, another attempt to
oppose them will be made when they are returned to the
commons, as the Lords have made xxx some alterations [damaged]
them, and xx in Ireland the people seem as much ag[damaged]
them as they are here, so M^r Pitt will be in luck of[damaged]
carries them, xxx {^^the} is sulky and will not say when he means
to propose the parliament, or whether he means to keep
them sitting to wait the return of the propositions from
Ireland and then pass bills to enforced them, if so they
probably will not be up much before michaelmas.
My sister is as I suppose you know at Thenford, enjoying
company and good dinners grand dinners, two things not very
agreeable I should think this hot weather. We have been
at Combe some time, the large rooms and the coolness of
the cloysters make it particularly agreeable. Your old school
fellow Gasgarth had a very bad fall from his horse about *

[f.109v]

Continent longer than you intended, I can with great care attend
your rest day, for as I am obliged to be at Marbro about that
time, it will only be lengthening my ride a few miles and keeping
a day or two longer from home, so pray do not scruple to employ me
if you wish it, but I think you will all be sighing for the roast
beef of old England before that time.

[change of orientation]

a Monsieur
Mons:^r G W Johnson
gentillhome Anglais
Chez Mess^rs Skinner & Fenwick
a Bourdeaux
en France

[change of orientation]

I beg my Comp^d: to your fellow Traveller M<sup>r,/sup>
Tryon

[change of orientation]

Pray give my love to Charles, I shall hope to hear from one
or both of you soon, pray tell me which you think the most
eligible place for a family with a small fortune to reside in
Orleans or Tours? Did you perceive that the peasantry in the
neighbourhood of the Loire spoke better French & less Patois than
else where? Adieu Believe me truly & cordially your affectionate
R. A. Johnson</sup>