Address:
M^rs Flinders
      Partney near Spilsby
            Lincolnshire

Annotation: N^o 34         March 26^th 1808

                                  Aug. 12. 1807

    At length, my best love, orders have arrived here to set me at liber-
ty and restore me my vessel. They are dated March 21. 1807, and
it appears, had been sent out ^ ^{before from France} here by three different opportunities;
but as I had foreseen, the ships have apparently been stopped by
our men of war, and the letters thrown into the sea. This was sent
from Paris to London, thence to India, and from India was de-
spatched here by a frigate sent by Sir Edward Pellew, who writes
me most kindly on the occasion, inviting me to his house at Ma-
dras, if my inclination leads me to take the route of India, un-
til he {can} secure me a passage to England on board ^ ^{one of} His Ma-
jesty's ships. It is now three weeks since the orders were received, but
this despotic general will not yet fix upon the time when he will let me
go, nor the means, nor the route; nor let me yet let me go to town to arrange
my affairs, or give me the remainder of my books and papers that I might
arrange them from the disorder into which they were thrown at my shipwreck
four years since. He has however told me, that "when the time of my departure
"shall be fixed, I shall fully enjoy the favour granted me by His Majesty the
" Emperor and King." Upon the whole I think it probable, that I shall be sent
to India in a cartel now lying here, and that the time of our departure
will probably be one month hence. In this case, thou mayest expect me
about February or March: I may arrive sooner, but it is more likely to
be later; and as I hope a letter may reach thee by the way of America before
that time, I embrace the occasion of imparting to thee the glad tidings.
In December, my love, write me a letter to ^ ^be left at M^r Bonner's till called

for, to inform ^ ^me where thou art; and if after that, thou shouldst change thy
place, leave another there; that I may know where to write to thee immedi-
ately. Thou wilt endeavour to go up to town in a post chaise, and if M^r
Tyler shall be able to accompany thee, I shall be infinitely obliged to him
and I will have a lodging prepared for us, against thy arrival, of which
thou wilt learn the place from M^r Bonner.
      Being obliged to send away my letter immediately, I write in great haste,
and am disabled from writing to thy friends and mine. I therefore am obliged
to leave to thee the care of informing my mother in law, those at Boston,
Spalding, Enderby &^c &^c but if I learn that the vessel has not sailed so
soon as expected, I will tomor address a line to my brother and such
others as time will permit me. Adieu, my best and only love. The
hope of once more embracing thee, bears me up against the prolonga-
tion of patience which general De Caen makes me undergo.
            thy most affectionate
                        Matt^w Flinders