Wilton Lodge
                                                           3d. September 1804

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My Dear Sir

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      It is certainly very
abominable in your precious Rib
to agitate your Nerves, by such Tantrum's
as You inform me of, and
I hope the Medical Gentlemen at
Cheltenham may punish her for it,
as She deserves. I beg You will not
permit her to escape from them,
till they force her to be good, and to
promise to desist from such Pranks
in future. As I still bear a degree of
Christian affection towards her, I
do hope, the Cheltenham Waters may
repair the mischief She has done
herself by pretending to vomit black
bile. Had she not known that
She was out of the reach of my personal
rebukes, she would not have
ventured to have tormented You
so. Caution Louisa to avoid her Mother's
bad example, and assure her Mother
that I will not forgive her, if
she ever ventures to give herself

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such airs again. Ever My Dear Sir,
                             Yours very Sincerely
                                                         Napier

Madam, My Sister,
      That you had not
written to me, did not surprise
me, because I know your Naughtiness.
But, that You should presume to be
ill, without asking my Leave, is quite
intolerable. It is therefore my positive
commands, that You regain your
health with all possible expedition,
as You value my future good will.
      You desire to know about
me, and mine. It is, however, so long
since we have had any communication
with each other, that I find
it difficult to know, at what part of
our history, I ought to commence.
Perhaps, you never heard that my eldest
Son, this time twelvemonth, announced
to me his disinclination to becoming a
Nabob. I am not quite sure, that I did
not approve of his sentiments, not being
violently attached to the Indian Tribe, at
the same time, I felt that if he could
creditably raise himself to independence,
and restore the broken fortune of his

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family, it would be a desirable circumstance
. As he did not seem to feel
this, I acquiesced in his wishes, and gave
up the Writership I had secured for
him. The question then was, what was
to be done with him? The Dragoons, or
the Navy -- which I pleased. To the Dragoons
, I had many objections, first,
because, I could not afford to purchase
promotion for him in that line, &
secondly, because I consider that
branch of the Military Line, as a mere
nest for idleness & dissipation. He did
not like to serve in the Infantry; but
having early had an inclination for
the Navy, it was resolved that he should
be a Tar. Accordingly, last October I shipped
him at Leith in La Chiffonne Frigate,
going on a Cruise to the Orkneys, from
whence, he was to be conducted to Yarmouth
, and re=shipped there to join the
Defence of 74 Guns, Captain George Hope, off
the Texel. The latter ship he reached the
beginning of December last, and has
been blockading the Dutch, till the
end of July, when his Captain sent him
home to me, to get a little better air,
in order to remove a periodical headache
, which was considered to be agueish.
He has had no return of the complaint
for upwards of five weeks, and he is
now preparing to return to the Texel.
For that purpose, I take him to Edinburgh

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on Wednesday. He is a great tall, lank
figure of six feet, though not eighteen, and
to complete his beauty, he has light red
curling hair, like a Mop. He & my Nephew
Sedley are just gone to fish for Pike, in a
Loch (anglice, Lake) seven miles off. As you
may not exactly know who my Nephew
Sedley is, it may be proper to tell You
that he is Son to Mr. Sedley of His Majesty
's Bedchamber, who is brother and
next heir to Lord Vernon. Young Sedley
is the husband of Miss Warren, only
child of Sir John Borlase Warren, whose Wife
is my Wife's youngest Sister. (I hope, this
will sufficiently instruct You in the
family Pedigree). Sedley, his Wife, and Young
Son, are now with us, and I am sorry
to say that we shall lose them on
Wednesday, as I like them much.
      I had a very brilliant Court
at Edinburgh last May, which proved £100
more expensive, than last Year. I am
told, that Government have it in
contemplation to add to my Salary, as
Commissioner. Out of £1500, the expense
this Year cost me upwards of £990. When
I got the Appointment, I was told that
I could clear from 7 to 800 per Annum
      Adieu My Dear Sister. Maria
joins me in everything kind to You &
Yours. Love to Louisa, & best Compliments to
My Countrywoman. Ever your Affectionate Brother
                                                         Napier