’Aberdeen, July 19th.

’I hope, my dear, that you are going out of doors regularly and taking much exercise.  I would have you to make the markets daily—­ and by all means to take a seat in the coach once or twice in the week and see what is going on in town. [The family were at the sea-side.] It will be good not to be too great a stranger to the house.  It will be rather painful at first, but as it is to be done, I would have you not to be too strange to the house in town.

’Tell the boys that I fell in with a soldier—­his name is Henderson—­who was twelve years with Lord Wellington and other commanders.  He returned very lately with only eightpence-halfpenny in his pocket, and found his father and mother both in life, though they had never heard from him, nor he from them.  He carried my great-coat and umbrella a few miles.’

’Fraserburgh, July 20th.

’Fraserburgh is the same dull place which [Auntie] Mary and Jeannie found it.  As I am travelling along the coast which they are acquainted with, you had better cause Robert bring down the map from Edinburgh; and it will be a good exercise in geography for the young folks to trace my course.  I hope they have entered upon the writing.  The library will afford abundance of excellent books, which I wish you would employ a little.  I hope you are doing me the favour to go much out with the boys, which will do you much good and prevent them from getting so very much overheated.’

[To the Boys—­Printed.]

’When I had last the pleasure of writing to you, your dear little brother James and your sweet little sister Mary were still with us.  But it has pleased God to remove them to another and a better world, and we must submit to the will of Providence.  I must, however, request of you to think sometimes upon them, and to be very careful not to do anything that will displease or vex your mother.  It is therefore proper that you do not roamp [Scottish indeed] too much about, and that you learn your lessons.’

’I went to Fraserburgh and visited Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, which I found in good order.  All this time I travelled upon good roads, and paid many a toll-man by the way; but from Fraserburgh to Banff there is no toll-bars, and the road is so bad that I had to walk up and down many a hill, and for want of bridges the horses had to drag the chaise up to the middle of the wheels in water.  At Banff I saw a large ship of 300 tons lying on the sands upon her beam-ends, and a wreck for want of a good harbour.  Captain Wilson—­to whom I beg my compliments—­will show you a ship of 300 tons.  At the towns of Macduff, Banff, and Portsoy, many of the houses are built of marble, and the rocks on this part of the coast or sea-side are marble.  But, my dear Boys, unless marble be polished and dressed, it is a very coarse-looking stone, and has no more beauty than common rock.  As a proof of this, ask the