Address:
M^rs Flinders
7 Mary Street
          Fitzroy Square
                    London

                                        May 21. PM 1812

were       Knowing thou wouldst be disappointed, my dearest love
should no letter to arrive, from me, on Friday, I write to thee
in a hurry to say, that our experiments are not yet more
than one-half finished. The soonest I can expect to be with
thee, will be this day week; but it is not improbable that
it may be Saturday week before I arrive in town. The oppor-
tunity of making the experiments is so good, that I mean to
have everything made complete; or otherwise I should have
to go down to Plymouth, which I must avoid.
      Thou wilt probably want money before that time; and
if so, either go to, or write to Standert. He will send one of
his lads to thee with such money as thou mayst want, on
receiving thy letter, mentioning my absence.
      These last two days we have had fagging work of it
on board, from nine in the morning till seven at night. This after-
noon I am going up to Postdown Hill to take back bearings to

the ship; tomorrow I go again on board the Loire. Saturday and
Sunday, I shall be at home revising our first set of experiments; and
on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, as I expect, we shall be em-
ployed on board the Devastation bomb, which Sir R. Bickerton
has ordered to take the Loire's place in Stoke's Bay, near Spithead.
      Our experiments have succeeded in showing the differences
of variation which I expected, but the quantities are not so great
as they were on board the Investigator. I have not time to say
more at present.
                Kind love to Bell and little Nanny.
                            Thine most affectionately
                                        Matt^w Flinders