, and received the following reply,
which contains some interesting particulars of the reception of the
book there:--

LONDON, _12th April 1759_.

DEAR SIR--I give you thanks for the agreeable present of
your _Theory_. Wedderburn and I made presents of our copies
to such of our acquaintances as we thought good judges and
proper to spread the reputation of the book. I sent one to
the Duke of Argyle, to Lord Lyttelton, Horace Walpole, Soame
Jenyns, and Burke, an Irish gentleman who wrote lately a
very pretty treatise on the Sublime. Millar desired my
permission to send one in your name to Dr. Warburton.

I have delayed writing you till I could tell you something
of the success of the book, and could prognosticate with
some probability whether it should be finally damned to
oblivion or should be registered in the temple of
immortality. Though it has been published only a few weeks,
I think there appear already such strong symptoms that I can
almost venture to foretell its fate. It is, in short, this--

But I have been interrupted in my letter by a foolish
impertinent visit of one who has lately come from Scotland.
He tells me that the University of Glasgow intend to declare
Rouet's office vacant upon his going abroad with Lord Hope.
I question not but you will have our friend Ferguson in your
eye, in case another project for procuring him a place in
the University of Edinburgh should fail. Ferguson has very
much polished and improved his _Treatise on Refinement_, and
with some amendments it will make an admirable book, and
discovers an elegant and singular genius. The _Epigoniad_, I
hope, will do, but it is somewhat uphill work. As I doubt
not but you consult the Reviews sometimes at present, you
will see in _The Critical Review_ a letter upon that poem;
and I desire you to employ your conjectures in finding out
the author. Let me see a sample of your skill in knowing
hints by guessing at the person.

I am afraid of Kames's _Law Tracts_. The man might as well
think of making a fine sauce by a mixture of wormwood and
aloes as an agreeable combination by joining metaphysics and
Scottish law. However, the book, I believe, has merit,
though few people ever take the pains of inquiring into it.
But to return to your book and its succe