"He said that, by this post, he should write to endeavour to express
some of his feelings to you. Annie went away with him the next day, to
a place he has bought near Plymouth. He has promised to let us have
her for a month, every year, and we have promised to go down for the
same time, every summer, to stay with her. He asks numberless
questions about you, which neither I nor Annie are ever tired of
answering. Even with a mother's natural partiality, I must own that
her descriptions are almost too flattering, and he must think that you
are one of the most admirable of men.
"Next as to the jewels. Your father took them to be valued by several
diamond merchants, and accepted the highest offer, which was
16,000 pounds, of which he has already invested twelve, in your name,
in shares in six ships. Four of these are Indiamen. The other two are
privateers. He said that he did not think you would object to a
quarter of the money being put into a speculative venture, and that
they were both good craft, well armed and well commanded, with strong
crews; and would, if successful, earn as much in a year as a
merchantman would in ten."
Since then the letters had been of a uniform character.
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