as well as New England. What will be the final Result of these Altercations time only can discover. thus much seems to be certain that if there is not a change of Measures, and that very soon, the British Dominions will be plunged into one of the most dreadfull of all temporal Evills, into all the Horrors of a civil War. Yesterday Messrs. Hutchinsons who had a large quantity of Tea under the Custom house agreed to have it stored by the committee of Inspection 'till the Act is repealed.

A Vessell just arived who left London a week after Cap't Scott. Says the London Remonstrance was presented to the King by three Gentlemen at the head of the largest Number of People ever assembled together in London and was most graciously Received.

We greatly Rejoyce to hear that you are all well hope you will enjoy a continuance of that and every other Blessing. Brotr. and Sister Copley join me in tenderest Love and Respects to yourself, Sister Pelham, and Cousins Hilly and Charles. Hoping very soon personally to pay my respects, and catachize my son Charles at Newton. I remain, Dear Sir, Your Most Affectionate Brother, and Most Humble Servt.

H. PELHAM.

PS. I must beg the favour of you Sir, to lock up the Newspaper in your desk till I come to Newton, as I find I cannot get another from the printer, and I should be Very sorry to be without one.

John Hurd to Copley

PORTSMO', 4th May, 1770.

SIR,

I rec'd your favor of April with the Portrait Pictures per Capt Miller which are come to hand in good Order, but the

Frame designd for the Picture here is too small by half an Inch in the Wedth, that I fear it must go back again unless we find some other Use for it.

Mr. Nelson's Picture I think is well recoverd from the Ruin it seemd devoted to. The Governor is satisfy'd with it, tho' he hardly thinks it restor❜d to its original Beauty.

He and his Lady return their Compliments to you and Mrs. Copley for yr. respectful Remembrance of them.

I am pleas'd with the Governor's Picture now sent, but I cant perswade Mrs. Hurd, nor my Children who were very fond of the first, that this Copy is equal to the Other. The Glass and frame is certainly not so good.

Inclosd you have the Governor's sett of Bills Exchange on Messrs. Trecothick and Apthorp of London for £30. 13.6 Sterlg, the Exact Ballance of your Acco't and which you'll please to credit him for Accordingly. Pray [give] my best Respects to your Father Clarke and all his good family in which Mrs. Hurd desires to join with our kind Complim❜ts to Mrs Copley. I am with great Regard and Esteem, Dr. Sir, your most humle Servt.

JOHN HURD.

BARBADOS, 4th May, 1770.

DEAR SIR,

Yours of the 6th. Jan'y I recd. and setting the motive asside from which it was wrote, be assured it gave me much pleasure; could I promise myself sucess, I would petition for a continuance of your favors. I will at a Venture. It is the humble

1 Perhaps a son of Thomas Johnston, who was painter, engraver and japanner in Boston, and also a designer of heraldic work. John Greenwood, some of whose letters are in this volume, was apprenticed to him.

request of your friend Will: that as often as Opportunity presents, and your time cannot be better employ'd that you convey a few sentiments, which will ever be agreable and most gratefully received, as coming from my friend Copley.

I could wish to give you a more satisfactory account of the arms you are in search of, I well remember the talk of such a thing, but it never was carried into Execution, to my knowledge, for be assur'd I never had it possession in my life. It might possibly have been given to Mr. Parker who was at that time my partner. I was at Portsmouth a year and half after I left it as the place of my residence, and put up at Captn. Pearsons; no mention was ever made of it at that time. If I had had it I should have done it and return'd them both, for of what service could they be to me. You say that the Arms consisted of three Lions and a Stag for the Crest, if the arms are so well remember'd, the Loss is happily mitigated. I am sorry for the Loss of the other, if there was any particular Value put upon it, but cannot charge myself with having been instrumental to such a misfortune.

The next thing to be considered, I think is the boiling of oil, the purity of which article much inhances its Value. A few words would explain to you what you desire, but I choose to be methodical, for when method is strictly observ'd, we are not so apt to shake hands with Reason.

Now Sir the common practice of boiling oil among Common Painters; observe I say Common Painters, for what I am now about communicate is a knowledge you do not want to come at; but that knowledge which you would wish to be inform[ed] of, or made perfect in, is to me equally easie and shall be communicated in a future paragraph. You now undoubtedly will expect to be inform'd of the Common Painters method boiling

of oil, as I observ'd to you before altho it is not a knowledge you are any ways curious about, yet I have promis'd and must abide by it; from this Principle, that the complying with Engagements is not only a Duty, but a Virtue, which every one should cherish, and hold in the highest Veneration. Now Sir this said information may not, and I dare [say] is not altogether so neigh as you may imagine, for a thought has Just popt into my head, the bear Idea of which, affords me such pleasure, that I cannot indulge you with my promise till I have committed it to writeing. It is this, the great satisfaction it would give me to have a painting of my friend Copley's Head Either in Crayons or oil, in miniature or what ever way will be most agreable to him. I should wish to have it very like, but to be sure of that I need only to desire it may be done by himself. I say the Common painters method is this, the Common painters method of what? you are quite right indeed, to ask what, for I really like to have blunder'd, but it must have occur'd to you from what would have follow'd that the boilg. of oil was what I meant. Well then (for we will be very Carefull this time) the Common painters method of Boiling oil is this. Take any given quantity of Oil put into an Iron pott, throw into it, a little red Lead put it over the fire, and let it boil till such times as the froth subsides, which is an Indication of its being boil'd Eno. Some indeed try with a feather; when it is sufficiently Boil'd it will scorch the Feather. Although this method does not alter the Quality of Dryg. which is all they want, yet it has not the property the other method gives it, for instead of its being return'd to you Very black (which is ever the case from the Common method of boilg.) it will be return'd to you as pure as you put it in, and will hold its colour, and that in fact is what you are in pursuit of.

Really, Sir, what I promised you in a future paragraph was design'd for this place, but upon sudden recollection find that the mark as well as word signifies the beginning of a new subject; a new subject let it be and confine the other to a new sentance. Mrs. Hobby is an only Sister of mine, not intirely unknown to you; and such is my affection for her, I should be very glad to have her picture in miniature, in water colours or oil, which you please tho: I must confess should like to have it in water Colours, for this reason, because there are several pictures in this Island lately arriv'd from England, that are thought much of, so far inferior to some I have seen of my friends, that they never can be nam'd with them, and to convince them it is not mere boast should be glad to have [it] as soon as you can conveniently do it. What ever your price is shall be remitted to you in specie, or any thing you may Fancy from this Island. Pray oblige me in this request. I think there was a picture done of Mr. Dipper: done in small life and given to Harry Liddle if you will give me a Copy of it in black and white Chalk, Just the head; or with a black lead pencil. I want it for a Lady, you shall receive a Compensation beyond your desires.

I have been in some parts of this letter, a little bordering upon the Shandean stile; that should it meet you on a Cloudy day, or when the weather had for a time been disagreable, brought on a languor and depression of spirits, to rouze you and make you forget the malady you then Labour'd under.

Now seriously to answer your request. Take a Glaz'd pipkin, made long in shape thus.1 let it depend from the trammel into a Kettle of water, if you have a mind to force the drying property, you grind a little Vitriol or sugar of lead, and stir into it 1 Here followed a crude sketch of a pipkin.