th July._

"I have been occupied to-day at the harbour of Newport, opposite
Dundee, and am this far on my way to Arbroath. You may tell the boys
that I slept last night in Mr. Steadman's tent. I found my bed rather
hard, but the lodgings were otherwise extremely comfortable. The
encampment is on the Fife side of the Tay, immediately opposite to
Dundee. From the door of the tent you command the most beautiful view
of the Firth, both up and down, to a great extent. At night all was
serene and still, the sky presented the most beautiful appearance of
bright stars, and the morning was ushered in with the song of many
little birds."

"_Aberdeen, July 19th._

"I hope, my dear, that you are going out of doors regularly and
taking much exercise. I would have you to _make the markets
daily_--and by all means to take a seat in the coach once or twice in
the week and see what is going on in town. [The family were at the
sea-side.] It will be good not to be too great a stranger to the
house. It will be rather painful at first, but as it is to be done, I
would have you not to be too strange to the house in town.

"Tell the boys that I fell in with a soldier--his name is
Henderson--who was twelve years with Lord Wellington and other
commanders. He returned very lately with only eightpence-halfpenny in
his pocket, and found his father and mother both in life, though they
had never heard from him, nor he from them. He carried my great-coat
and umbrella a few miles."

"_Fraserburgh, July 20th._

"Fraserburgh is the same dull place which [Auntie] Mary and Jeannie
found it. As I am travelling along the coast which they are
acquainted with, you had better cause Robert bring down the map from
Edinburgh: and it will be a good exercise in geography for the young
folks to trace my course. I hope they have entered upon the writing.
The library will afford abundance of excellent books, which I wish
you would employ a little. I hope you are doing me the favour to go
much out with the boys, which will do you much good and prevent them
from getting so very much over-heated."

[_To the Boys--Printed._]

"When I had last the pleasure of writing to you, your dear little
brother James and your sweet little sister Mary were still with us.
But it has pleased God to remove them to another and a better world,
and we must