side one, left

To / James White Esq.-
North Street
Exeter

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31 Devonshire Street
My Dear Friend March Portland Place
London¹
I received your letter the 28th of last Month
I am sorry to hear of the accident you met with
but I hope you will soon be perfectly well again
& have no Gout to follow it, I went Yesterday
& bought Miss Podgers²
Sixteenth share in the
ensuing Lottery, at Richardsons; Goodluck & C^o
Charing-Cross³ the N^o of the Ticket is 14^m776 I
fixed on a high number as she desired & I
hope to wish her joy of the two drawn [?]Blanks
the first Da[y], such will receive 1,000 Guineas in
Gold!! I p[ai]d for the Sixteenth, one pound
Ten shilli[n]gs, so that I have now remaining
of your mo[n]ey in my hands, three pounds
nine Shill[i]ngs. There is an Exhibition
of Lucien [Buo]napartes Pictures for sale by private
contract [...................]Gallery N^o 60 Pall Mall⁴
[..................................]Gallery Admittance one Shillg
[...............................E]ighteen pence, the number
make 19[..................]set out with an intention
to be sold [as one] Lot, but now they allow the
Collection itself to be separated, this Exhibition
will close the beginning of next August.---

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So that it will be open when you come to London,
in this Collection there is a great variety, many
Pictures of the Italian Schools, but my own opinion
is that there are some good Pictures, but no capital
ones.⁵
The Exhibition of Pictures at the British
Gallery is now open to the Publick I have two Pictures
in it, the one is a view near Whitestone looking
towards the River Exe, the other is the Fall of
the Cayne in Merionethshire⁶, both of which you
have seen; tho’ not since they have been finished
when the Exhibition closes, the Rooms are to
be hung with most splendid Crimson velvet
the expense will be several hunderd pounds
& in May next, its to open with the most
Capital Pictures of the Flemish & Dutch
Schools, that are in England, the Prince
is to send thirteen Pictures, & the celebrated
Picture of Silenus from Blenheim, &c⁷
Sharp⁸ is now engrav[ing.............................] the
Grand Altar-piece of Fra[ncesco Ba]rbieri called
Guarcino da Cento, from the Church of St Grisogano
at Rome⁹; a most magnificent Picture indeed, in point
of effect & splendour of colouring, this subject

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Represents the Apotheosis of St Grisogano who is habited
in the costume of a Soldier, & who like St Sebastian had
also become a Martyr to the Christian Religion, when I
paid my attention to it (which I did for an hour) I was
struck with wonder, it displays the great school in
the highest degree, the drawing & colouring are
especially fine, the light striking on the figures of
the two angels, in the clouds passes on to the principal
figure & is carried across the Picture in a great Style
of Historical Painting, this Picture is 16 high by 9¹/₂
feet broad, its said they ask 6000 pounds for this
picture, what vast intellectual powers must
such an artist possess, to invent, put together,
& execute so great a work as this Picture [.....]
is, & when I [re]flect I am lost in Wonder, [...]
Italien Scho[o]ls are of a much higher Gusto
in regard to [t]he fine works of art, than any
other, & requ[ire] a much deeper knowledge of
the highest [wa]lk of Art, for which reason they
are not [.................................] the Dutch & Flemish
P[ainters...................... gener]ally of a more familiar
[............................................] case th[e] generality
of [......................................] believe by this time tired
you therefo[re] coming to the end of my paper
with my kindest remembrances to Miss Podger
I remain yr most sincere & affectionate
Friend Francis Towne
PS - the bordered
parts of this letter
read afterwards

The following five-part postscript written in the margins of the paper

left margin of side one, right

The high Opinion I have always entertained of your taste & judgement in the fine Arts, has
led me to make the following observation, that is the two Pictures I have mentioned in this
Letter, first that [?]by Parmigiano I saw at Harris’s Room in Bond Street & with not a single human
being in the Room but myself, I therefore indulged myself with time, & all my attention to it, the
Picture of Guicino I did the same thing, except here was a Gentleman who I found had travelled
w[ho] flattered & thanked me in the politest manner for the remarks which I
made to him
& this
I practise
when
ever #
# I [?]would
wish to
see & b

top margin of side one, right

b such Stupendous works of Art as these two Pictures, & as its my
greatest wish to improve my judgement, I give it to you
on terms the most sincere
without the opinions of others but not so to other people as I have
ever been cautious - to say as little on the sub-
- ject as I can & this I have found highly necessary to
do therefore you may depend 1

bottom margin of side one, right

1 on my opinions to [y]ou are always sincerely given & the warmth
with which I h[ave] expressed them is the natural feelings I have 2

left margin of side two, left

2 Been impressed with, Living as I do in the greatest City in the World, I have an opportunity which
I am gratified in seeing some of the finest productions of art which leaves me nothing more to wish
for in a professional light in regard to my Situation, & whenever I have given you what
I have thought of works of art its been with that sincere intention that you
should have as much pleasure as myself 3

left margin of side two, right

3 I hope some time or other you will see these two Pictures, there is so much depends
[?]upon that the habits of the blind should be keept in motion; as well as the bodily
habits or else they both are too apt to rust - Adieu