My Grandpapa having told me that he sends his Letters this morning I got up early to answer your letter forwarded By the Marquis de la Fayette. I am still learning to cast Types and my drawing still goes on. I have begun lately to paint in Miniature with Black and White colours and send you one of my firsts having found that I begun to forget my Latin I now read Latin Authors. Excuse my bad writing. My grandfather being the only Man who can write with a bad pen, and having no penknife I can’t mend it, attribute the shortness of my Letter to the little time I have to spare, and consider it is a Anglo-François [between the lines: Franco Anglois] wich writes so that you can not expect good English.

I am My dear Mamma Your most Dutiful and Obedient son