Letter – Thomas Richard Beaumont to Mark Skelton – 10 Feb 1792

								Rome  Feby. 10th 1792

Dear Skelton,

I this morning received a letter from Hammersley with Bills enclosed for 600£. I wish you would let us know what the Baronet said about my letter to him, as you talked about three hundred he was to send me, whether he intends this as a present. I shall write to him in a few days and thank him for it – I am anxious to know how you go on at Grove; I took the advice of a Physician at Naples respecting Mrs. B. & he advises our going to <Bagneu> in France, that it will be September before we can possibly be at Home, as she must drink the Waters for six Weeks. Since we came here she has had two relapses of her Spasms within ten days. I think it owing to the cold weather, we shall leave this for Nice, in about a fortnight, as it is much warmer there, & all in the Way we are destined to go to, we have had Snow all this day and rain for this last three days, we had not changed for the better in leaving Naples – we shall go by slow degrees till we get thro this Country and get settled again, as moderation and change of air is strictly recommended we have nearly seen all the curiosities here, the Carnival is begun and all the Romans are mad, in the Afternoon near all the world are masked & run up and down in the Streets, they have races every day in the great Street, which is a mile long, sometimes 9 & ten horses start without riders, and run from the top to the bottom, and that is all, the prize is a trifle, only a piece of cloth richly worked, it is more the honor than any profit. There are abundance of English here, and more coming every day, this business only continues three days longer, I wish it were over it grows so very stupid, always the same there are masqued balls three times a week but we have not been to any, we shall just look into one, to see what they are, and retire for we live by rule and keep very good hours – write to me soon after you get this, and tell me the news, what horses you got at the fair, I shall want a clever hack when I return, it must be a capital trotter – direct to me chez Monsr. le Baron Le Clerc á Nice en Provence – Diana joins me in respects –

I am Dear Skelton

Yours most sincerely

Tho Rd Beaumont