here of a much later date than that brought by the Packet,
by which it should appear that the downfall of Buona-
-parte is really fast approaching – What a wonderfull [sic]
change in the whole world will the destruction of this
little Individual excite!
      The account you give me of my sons talents and
disposition is very satisfactory. I hope he will never
forfit [sic] your friendship. I shall aƒsist him occasionally
as I can, but like ourselves when entering life, he
has chiefly to depend upon his own exertions. I feel
very grateful to Lieut^t Franklin for his kind atten-
-tion to Harry, — his poor brother Thomas's speculati-
-ons to Jamaica ended to the great loƒs of us both —
The fate of your report upon the magnetism of ships, I
see, still remains undecided. – I hope, in the end, it will
meet with a suitable reward, – although men in power are
not always liberal to their servants. You remember Maƒson
at the Cape, – he had been more than 20 years here collecting
plants and needs for Kew Gardens, and his industry &
succeƒs were proverbial, – no man contributed to enrich
that noble collection so much as Maƒson, in the end he
returned home poor & old; when government instead of
settling a small Pension upon him, and a very small
sum would have enabled him to have spent the short
remainder of his days comfortably with his friends –
he was sent to Upper Canada to gather plants and
seeds there. Of this usage Maƒson complained bitterly
to me in a letter he wrote at Philadelphia – "after 20 years
spent in Africa among lions & tigers, they have sent me
to Upper Canada to aƒsociate with bears and wolves" he
died shortly after writing this letter, broken hearted. Such