free agents! But a truce with philosophy.

The amount of the legacy is now ascertained. The stock, however, in
which a great part of the money is vested being shut, the transfer

to my father cannot be made for some time; and till this is done, my
mother cannot be persuaded that we have yet got anything to trust

to--an unfortunate notion which renders her very unhappy. The old
gentleman himself takes no interest now in the business. He has got

his mind at ease by the payment of all the legacies; and having
fallen in with some of the members of that political junto, the

Saints, who are worldly enough to link, as often as they can, into
their association, the powerful by wealth or talent, his whole time

is occupied in assisting to promote their humbug; and he has
absolutely taken it into his head, that the attention he receives

from them for his subscriptions is on account of his eloquence as a
preacher, and that hitherto he has been altogether in an error with

respect to his own abilities. The effect of this is abundantly
amusing; but the source of it is very evident. Like most people who

pass a sequestered life, he had formed an exaggerated opinion of
public characters; and on seeing them in reality so little superior

to the generality of mankind, he imagines that he was all the time
nearer to their level than he had ventured to suppose; and the

discovery has placed him on the happiest terms with himself. It is
impossible that I can respect his manifold excellent qualities and

goodness of heart more than I do; but there is an innocency in this
simplicity, which, while it often compels me to smile, makes me feel

towards him a degree of tenderness, somewhat too familiar for that
filial reverence that is due from a son.

Perhaps, however, you will think me scarcely less under the
influence of a similar delusion when I tell you, that I have been

somehow or other drawn also into an association, not indeed so
public or potent as that of the Saints, but equally persevering in

the objects for which it has been formed. The drift of the Saints,
as far as I can comprehend the matter, is to procure the advancement

to political power of men distinguished for the purity of their
lives, and the integrity of their conduct; and in that way, I

presume, they expect to effect the accomplishment of that blessed
epoch, the Millennium, when the Saints are to rule the whole earth.

I do not mean to say that this is their decided and determined
object; I only infer, that it is the necessary tendency of their

proceedings; and I say it with all possible respect and sincerity,
that, as a public party, the Saints are not only perhaps the most

powerful, but the party which, at present, best deserves power.
The association, however, with which I have happened to become

connected, is of a very different description. Their object is, to
pass through life with as much pleasure as they can obtain, without

doing anything unbecoming the rank of gentlemen, and the character
of men of honour. We do not assemble such numerous meetings as the

Saints, the Whigs, or the Radicals, nor are our speeches delivered
with so much vehemence. We even, I think, tacitly exclude oratory.

In a word, our meetings seldom exceed the perfect number of the
muses; and our object on these occasions is not so much to

deliberate on plans of prospective benefits to mankind, as to enjoy
the present time for ourselves, under the temperateinspiration of a

well-cooked dinner, flavoured with elegant wine, and just so much of
mind as suits the fleeting topics of the day. T-, whom I formerly

mentioned, introduced me to this delightful society. The members
consist of about fifty gentlemen, who dine occasionally at each

other's houses; the company being chiefly selected from the
brotherhood, if that term can be applied to a circle of

acquaintance, who, without any formalinstitution of rules, have
gradually acquired a consistency that approximates to organisation.

But the universe of this vast city contains a plurality of systems;
and the one into which I have been attracted may be described as

that of the idle intellects. In general society, the members of our
party are looked up to as men of taste and refinement, and are

received with a degree of deference that bears some resemblance to
the respect paid to the hereditaryendowment of rank. They consist

either of young men who have acquired distinction at college, or
gentlemen of fortune who have a relish for intellectual pleasures,

free from the acerbities of politics, or the dull formalities which
so many of the pious think essential to their religious pretensions.

The wealthy furnish the entertainments, which are always in a
superior style, and the ingredient of birth is not requisite in the

qualifications of a member, although some jealousy is entertained of
professional men, and not a little of merchants. T-, to whom I am

also indebted for this view of that circle of which he is the
brightest ornament, gives a felicitous explanation of the reason.

He says, professional men, who are worth anything at all, are always
ambitious, and endeavour to make their acquaintance subservient to

their own advancement; while merchants are liable to such
casualties, that their friends are constantlyexposed to the risk of

being obliged to sink them below their wonted equality, by granting
them favours in times of difficulty, or, what is worse, by refusing

to grant them.
I am much indebted to you for the introduction to your friend G-.

He is one of us; or rather, he moves in an eccentricsphere of his
own, which crosses, I believe, almost all the orbits of all the

classed and classifiable systems of London. I found him exactly
what you described; and we were on the frankest footing of old

friends in the course of the first quarter of an hour. He did me
the honour to fancy that I belonged, as a matter of course, to some

one of the literary fraternities of Edinburgh, and that I would be
curious to see the associations of the learned here. What he said

respecting them was highly characteristic" target="_blank" title="a.特有的 n.特性">characteristic of the man. "They are,"
said he, "the dullest things possible. On my return from abroad, I

visited them all, expecting to find something of that easy
disengaged mind which constitutes the charm of those of France and

Italy. But in London, among those who have a character to keep up,
there is such a vigilant circumspection, that I should as soon

expect to find nature in the ballets of the Opera-house, as genius
at the established haunts of authors, artists, and men of science.

Bankes gives, I suppose officially, a public breakfast weekly, and
opens his house for conversations on the Sundays. I found at his

breakfasts, tea and coffee, with hot rolls, and men of celebrity
afraid to speak. At the conversations, there was something even

worse. A few plausible talking fellows created a buzz in the room,
and the merits of some paltry nick-nack of mechanism or science was

discussed. The party consisted undoubtedly of the most eminent men
of their respective lines in the world; but they were each and all

so apprehensive of having their ideas purloined, that they took the
most guarded care never to speak of anything that they deemed of the

slightest consequence, or to hazard an opinion that might be called
in question. The man who either wishes to augment his knowledge, or

to pass his time agreeably, will never expose himself to a
repetition of the fastidious exhibitions of engineers and artists

who have their talents at market. But such things are among the
curiosities of London; and if you have any inclination to undergo

the initiating mortification of being treated as a young man who may
be likely to interfere with their professional interests, I can

easily get you introduced."
I do not know whether to ascribe these strictures of your friend to

humour or misanthropy; but they were said without bitterness; indeed
so much as matters of course, that, at the moment, I could not but

feel persuaded they were just. I spoke of them to T-, who says,
that undoubtedly G-'s account of the exhibitions is true in

substance, but that it is his own sharp-sightedness which causes him
to see them so offensively; for that ninety-nine out of the hundred

in the world would deem an evening spent at the conversations of Sir
Joseph Bankes a very high intellectual treat.

G- has invited me to dinner, and I expect some amusement; for T-,
who is acquainted with him, says, that it is his fault to employ his

mind too much on all occasions; and that, in all probability, there
will be something, either in the fare or the company, that I shall

remember as long as I live. However, you shall hear all about it in
my next.--Yours,

ANDREW PRINGLE.
On the same Sunday on which Mr. Micklewham consulted Mr. Snodgrass

as to the propriety of reading the Doctor's letter to the elders,
the following epistle reached the post-office of Irvine, and was

delivered by Saunders Dickie himself, at the door of Mrs. Glibbans
to her servan lassie, who, as her mistress had gone to the Relief

Church, told him, that he would have to come for the postage the
morn's morning. "Oh," said Saunders, "there's naething to pay but

my ain trouble, for it's frankit; but aiblins the mistress will gie
me a bit drappie, and so I'll come betimes i' the morning."