have, or wish to have of popularity, yet I would not fend you one word, but millions and trillions of words, if I were not obliged to referve them for converfation. The immeasureable field, that lies before me in the study of Sanfcrit and of Hindu jurisprudence (the Arabic laws are familiar to me) compels me for the present, to suspend my intention of correfponding regularly with those I love * *The following sonnet, written some years before the date of Sir William Jones's letter, was addressed by him to his friend: To G. HARDYNge, Esq. HARDYNGE, whom Camden's voice, and Camden's fame, To noble thoughts, and high attempts excite, To kindle in thy breast, Phœbean flame, Oh rise! oh! emulate their lives, and claim W. J. Sir William Jones to Sir J. Macpherson, Bart. Jafferabad, Feb. 27, 1786. I cannot exprefs, my dear Sir, the pleasure which I have just received from that part of the Board's letter to us, in which they set us right in our misconception of their preceding letter. I rejoice that we were mistaken, and have just signed our reply; it will, I perfuade myfelf, reftore the harmony of our concert, which, if worldly affairs have any analogy to mufic, will rather be improved than spoiled by a fhort diffonant interval. You, who are a musician, will feel the tone of this metaphor; as to my harfher notes, quicquid afperius dictum eft, indictum efto. In fact (you could not know it, but) I never had been fo pinched in my life, for the last three months; having bought company's bonds, (which nothing but extreme neceffity could have made me fell at 30 per cent. discount), I was unable to pay my physician, or my munfhis, and was forced to borrow (for the first time in my life) for my daily rice; what was worse, I was forced to borrow of a black man, and it was like touching a snake or the South American eel; in fhort, if our apprehenLions had been well grounded, two of us had refolved to go home next season. letter dispersed all clouds and made t But your my mind as clear as the air of this fine climate, where I expect to escape the heats, and all the ills they produce in a constitution like mine. I confess I wish you had accepted our offer, for half my falary is enough for me, and I would have received the remainder cheerfully on any terms, as I have hitherto done; but as it is, we are all satisfied, and your offers were so equal, that either would have been fatisfactory to me. You must know better than I can, though I am so much nearer the place on the frontiers where Major Ellerker is now encamped. I can hardly persuade myself that Myun Gachim Fera*, with all his bravery in words, will venture to pass the Nâf; the whole story * A general in the service of the king of Ava, who appeared on the frontiers of Chatigan, with an army. The Nâf, is the boundary river between Chatigan and Aracan. iscurious, and as I am on the fpot, I wish to write it with all the gravity of an historian, especially as I can pick out fome part of the Pegu general's original letter, the characters of which are little more than the nagari letters inverted and rounded. I now fit opposite to the feas, which wafted us gently hither in the Phoenix; and our voyage was well timed, for had we ftaid two days longer, we fhould have been in a north-wefter. A beautiful vale lies between the hillock on which the house is built and the beach, on all the other fides are hills finely diverfified with groves, the walks are fcented with bloffoms of the champac* and nagafart; and the plantations of pepper and coffee are equally new and pleasing. My wife, who defires her best remembrance, amuses herself with drawing, and I with botany. If (which I trust will not be the cafe) you should be indifpofed, this is the Montpelier which will reftore you to health. * Lin. Michelia. Life-V. II. G + Lin. Me.ua. Sir William Jones to Mr. Juftice Ilyde. Jafferabad, April 30, 1786. I delayed, my dear Sir, to answer your kind letter of the roth, until I could give you an accurate account of my motions towards Calcutta. We fhall not flay here a whole week longer, but proceed, as foon as we can make preparations for our journey, to the burning well*, and thence *The burning well is situated about twenty-two miles from Chatigan, at the termination of a valley surrounded by hills. I visited it in 1778, and from recollection am enabled to give the following account of it. The shape of the well, or rather reservoir, is oblong, about six feet by four, and the depth does not exceed twelve feet. The water which is always cold is supplied by a spring, and there is a conduit for carrying off the superfluity; a part of the surface of the well, about a fourth, is covered with brickwork, which is nearly ignited by the flames, which flash without intermission from the surface of the water. It would appear that an inflammable vapour escapes through the water, which takes fire on contact with the external air; the perpetuity of the flame is occasioned by the ignited brick-work, as without this, much of the vapour would escape without conflagration. This was proved by taking away the covering of brick-work after the extinction of the heat, by throwing upon it the water of the well. The flames still continued to burst forth from the surface, but with momentary intermissions, and the vapour was always immediately kindled by holding a candle at a small distance from the surface of the water. A piece of |