Letter from Court Dewes to Mary Hamilton. He has deferred writing to Hamilton until his return from his Spanish Expedition in the hope that he would have some entertaining news. 'Alas! The Expedition has turned out literally a Chateau in Espagne, a Castle of cards w[hi]ch after having been all the Winter in Building, a breadth has blown down'. He writes that he had set the date he was to travel to Madrid, hired a coach and six mules, a servant, 'prepared a Bed & kitchen furniture, & almost ordered my provisions for the journey' when he suffered from some form of pain which would make it 'imprudent for one to journey where Curiosity can only be satisfied at the expense of much fatigue & difficulty'. He hoped to undertake the journey before the season ended but was unable to do so and he is now on his way home. He is currently in France and the letter describes the town where he is currently staying and of his meeting with a Mr and Mrs Eden who are travelling to Madrid with their seven children and notes that he is at 'a loss to conceive of how he will' journey through Spain and that Mrs Eden already seems 'disgusted w[i]th the journey'.
Dewes also writes of Hamilton's neighbours in Taxal and writes about her acquaintance, D'Agincourt [Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Georges Séroux d’Agincourt: see HAM/1/7/1].
Dated at Bordeaux, [France].
Original reference No. 3.