Downing Dec^r 31. 1789

That many many happy returns of the season may attend you & y^rs is the sincere wish of this house. & may you & miss Bulls¹ find themselves for a long series of years as well as I do at present. apprehensions more than realities occupy me at present. The disorder of last summer which possibly never return IYou nor I [...] mind money much: but there is a sort of habitual [...] shabbiness about franks. I venture to write without one, as my wants are urgent. I have finish my journey to Dover from hence (in the true Hibernican style) I crossed to [...] Calais, before I got there. In short; by reason of my unfortunate loss last year, I finished France before I reached Dubris.² That done, I determine to give a concise account of the sequel of that Tour made with my son in May 1787. ie. quite to the lands end. The isle of Wight will be included. I am therefore to request you in y^r walks to desire m^r Edwards to send me by the Chester coach. N^o 1116 of his Catalogue Sir Ric^d Worsley.³ at the same time let me beg y^r excuse for desiring you to look at N^o 5691 5691 Tableaux &c & see if therey are tolerable. I wa[...]nt heads for my french Tour: & shall be glad to know if there any small heads of french Kings like those of the english.* Pray add my thanks to m^r Edwards for his polite attention to my letter wrote at his own request. In truth the impertinence of Booksellers is among other reasons of taking to an amanuensis. France is charmingly doing

Rather than you should cease from honoring my work with y^r pasting amusement, I shall freely give you a copy of all I have wrrotitten from [...] or shall write 'from the Temple stairs to the lands end'. you will look out for a scribe against I come to town, which will ^be ab^t March 10^th. It will be a work capable of much ornament. excuse this trouble: & think me

Dear Sir
most truely yours

Tho. Pennant.

Moses thought he succeeded so ill with m^r Pitt that he w^d not charge that head.
*yes many.
⁴ N.B. they are charg’d, and paid for. vid: Bill. R^d B.

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Editorial notes

1. Elizabeth and Catherine Bull.
2. See 1092, n. 1.
3. This reference appears to relate to a portrait of Sir Richard Worsley. For a portrait by Joshua Reynolds, 1775/6, see here [external link] [accessed 2 April 2019].
4. This and the following note are in Richard Bull's hand.

i. For Bull's query regarding the music room at Holywell, see 1097.