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You will be disappointed in not hearing from me, but really I have been so ill of a bilious disorder for near half a year, that I have hardly been capable of writing at all; and, have not begun to recover till within these three weeks. When I received your former letters, I did not expect to recover at [ ]

I thank you for the account of your expedition, to Vesuvius, and the other particulars concerning Naples and its neighbourhood. I shall be very glad to hear of your recovering your money from the     Nobleman; but your silence concerning As in your last, gives me but little expectation of it. I have never yet written any paragraph for the public papers, but when I receive your whole accounts, shall get it done by a friend who is more used to things of that kind; and I hope it will be done to your sattisfaction.

Since I wrote you last, I am seperated from Lord Shelburne. I am going to live at Birmingham on the £ 150 per Annum: which, by our agreement, he is to allow me for my life. Some of my friends, who are unwilling that I should give up my philosophical pursuits, talk of enabling me to prosecute my experiments to advantage, without engaging in any thing else. Otherwise, I propose to take a few boarders.

In this situation, you will easily conceive that a large foreign correspondence, besides the trouble and uncertainty of it, will be much too expensive for me to keep up. I therefore engage in it as little as I possibly can. I think myself honoured, however, by Sigr. Subatilli’s good opinion of me, and if there be any thing that I wish particularly to know, and that his situation enables him to inform me of, I shall on your encouragement, take the liberty to trouble him with a line on that subject. And when Sir Wm Hamilton returns to England, I shall think myself honoured by his acquaintance. But living, as I shall do, altogether in the country, it will not be in my power to give either of them any informations that it will be worthwhile to trouble them with.

Nothing is talked of with us at present but the War. I am affraid that peace, which is the ardent wish of all philosophical, as well as humane persons, is at a great distance. I shall rejoice in any events that shall contribute to bring it about.

If you return thro’ Paris, give my respects to our friend, and acquaint him with the change, in my situation. I shall be glad to see you once more, and shall rejoice in whatever contributes to your happiness. I am with much respect Dear Sir Yours sincerely