University of Virginia Library

LETTER XLIV. Introduction to the adventures of a young
Bostonian, who went to London to establish
a credit.

BY the ship O. E. I received a letter
from my father's old friend, the elder
Mr. *****, desiring some information
respecting his nephew, (from whom, it
appears, he has received only one letter,
merely announcing his safe arrival in
London,) and requesting me to aid him
with my friendship and advice. I do not
apprehend any mischance has or will happen
to him, but, if there should, I should
be very loth to be the messenger of ill
news to that respectable old gentleman.

I shall notice his letter in a way which
shall be honourable to the nephew, and,
consequently, pleasing to the uncle—and
refer him to you for any further information,
which, if adverse, you can temper, in
the communication, so as to accord with
the feelings of Mr. *****, whose heart
is bound up in the young man.

The truth is, I have seen young *****
but once since we parted in Liverpool,
two days after our arrival in port. I imagine
he is pacing the same rounds of curiosity
and amusement so commonly trod
by our young Bostonians, and treasuring
up a thousand fine sights to amuse and
astonish the ladies on his return. About
ten days after I arrived in this city, he
called on me, dressed in the pink of the
mode—his pockets full of cash, and his
mouth full of wonder. He had been to
dine with Mr. S. to whom his uncle consigned
him with an invoice of pot-ash, old
pewter, blubber-oil, and bees' wax, and
the merchant had sent his clerk to shew

him the city. It is astonishing what a
power of fine sights he had seen: he had
seen the monument, which he assured me
was almost as high as the old south
steeple—and seemed delighted at the discovery
that the great fire in London began
in pudding lane and ended at pye
corner: he had seen the lions, the queen's
zebra stuffed, and a man who ate fire;—
he went to see a man who eat himself, but
found this was a joke. He was going to
set for his picture to Mather Brown; and
when he had seen the king, the infant
Roscius, and the learned pig, he GUESSED
he should go to Brumajim to see them
make Whitechapel needles—and from
thence to Liverpool, to get a tea-set of
China ware which he had ordered to be
marked with his aunt's cypher: that his
counting-house friend had introduced him
to several London bucks of the first water,
and that he was going to be introduced to
a young lady of quality, and great fortune,
who, he told me as a great secret,
had fallen in love with him at the play-house.

Now, if you can pick out of this rhapsody
any thing which can be consolatory
to his uncle, pray communicate it. For
my own part, I see nothing portentous in
all this. I believe ***** will be amply
qualified to compare notes, on his return
home, with most of our young townsmen
who have preceded him.

As I have received a bill of exchange
upon Mr. S. I shall wait on that gentleman,
and make some inquiries respecting
our young traveller.

At all times, and on all occasions, believe
me, most affectionately,