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am engaged in fuperintending a complete fyftem of Indian laws; but the work is vaft, difficult, and delicate; it occupies all my leifure, and makes me the worst of correfpondents. I truft, however, that long letters are not neceffary to convince you, that I am, &c.

Sir William Jones to Mrs. Sloper*.

Crishna nagur, Oct. 13, 1790.

I deferve no thanks for the attentions

which it is both my duty and my delight to

fhew our beloved Anna; but you deserve, and I beg you to accept my warmest thanks for your entertaining letter, for your frequent kind remembrance of me, and your acceptable prefent of a fnuff-box in the most elegant tafte. All that you write concerning my friends, is highly interesting to me; and all pleafing, except the contents of your laft page; but the most agreeable part of your letter is the hope which you express, that the Bath waters would

* Sister to Lady Jones, and married to William Charles Sloper, Esq.

reftore you to health and it gives me infinite pleasure to know, that your hope has been realized. Anna will give you a full account of herself, and will mention fome of the many reafons, that make me a bad correspondent. I thank you for Erfkine's fpeech, but I was myself an advocate fo long, that I never mind what advocates fay, but what they prove; and I can only examine proofs in causes brought before me. I knew you would receive with your ufual good-nature my faucy jefts about your hand-writing, but hope you will write to me, as you write to Anna, for you know, the more any character refembles pot-hooks, &c. the better I can read it. My love to Amelia, and to all whom you love, which would give them a claim, if they had no other, to the affection of,

My dear Madam,

Your ever faithful,

WILLIAM JONES.

Sir W. Jones to Sir J. Macpherson, Bart.

Crishna-nagur, O. 15, 1790.

I give you hearty thanks for your postfcript, which (as you enjoin fecrecy) I will only allude to ambiguously, left this letter fhould fall into other hands than yours. Be affured, that what I am going to say does not proceed from an imperfect sense of your kindness, but really I want no addition to my fortune, which is enough for me; and if the whole legislature of Britain were to offer me a different ftation from that which I now fill, fhould most gratefully and respectfully decline it. The character of an ambitious judge is, in my opinion, very dangerous to public justice; and if I were a fole legiflator, it should be enacted that every judge, as well as every bishop, fhould remain for life in the place which he first accepted. This is not the language of a cynic, but of a man, who loves his friends, his country, and mankind; who knows the fhort duration of human life, recollects that he has lived four-and- forty years, and has

learned to be contented. Of public affairs you will receive better intelligence, than I am able to give you. My private life is similar to that which you remember: seven hours a day on an average are occupied by my duties as a magiftrate, and one hour to the new Indian digest, for one hour in the evening I read aloud to Lady Jones. We are now travelling to the fources of the

Nile with Mr. Bruce,

whofe work is very interefting and important. The fecond volume of the Afiatic Tranfactions is printed, and the third ready for the prefs. I jabber Sanfcrit every day with the pundits, and hope, before I leave India, to understand it as well as I do Latin. Among my letters I find one directed to you; I have unfealed it, and though it only fhews that I was not inattentive to the note, with which you favoured me on the eve of your departure, yet I annex it, because it was yours, though brought back by my fervant.

The latter part of it will raise melancholy ideas; but death, if we look at it firmly, is only a change of place: every departure of a

1

friend is a fort of death; and we are all continually dying and reviving. We shall all meet ;

but,

you well

I hope to meet you again in India;
wherever we meet, I expect to fee
and happy. None of your friends can wish
for your health and happiness more ardently
than, my dear Sir, &c.

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When your letter arrived, I had begun my judicial campaign, and am fo bufy I can only answer it very fhortly. Lady J. and myself are fincerely rejoiced, that you have so good an establishment in so fine a country. Need I say, that it would give me infinite delight to promote your views? as far as I can, I will promote them, but though I have a very extenfive acquaintance, I neither have, nor can have, influence. I can only approve and recommend, and do my beft to circulate your propofals. We are equally obliged to you for your kind invitation, as if we had it in our power to accept it; but I fear

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