When I came from Bristol the snow was up on each side of the road as high as the top of the coach in many places, especially on Marlborough Down and Hounslow Heath." His friend Mr.Visger thus writes to him from Bristol on April 1, 1814:-- "It gave me pleasure to learn that Mr.Leslie sold his picture of Saul, etc., at so good a price.

I hope it will stimulate a friend of his to use his best exertions and time to endeavor even to excel the 'Witch of Endor.' I think I perceive a few symptoms of amendment in him, and the request of his father that he must support himself is, in the opinion of his friends here, the best thing that could have befallen him.

He will now have the pleasure to taste the sweets of his own labor, and I hope will, in reality, know what true independence is.

Let him not despair and he will certainly succeed.
"Excuse my having taken up so much of your time in reading what I have written about Mr.Leslie's friend; I hope it will not make the pencil work less smoothly.
"It gave us all great pleasure to hear that Mr.Allston's 'Dead and Alive Man' got the prize.

It would be a great addition to our pleasure to hear that those encouragers of the fine arts have offered him fifteen hundred or two thousand guineas for it....
"There is an old lady waiting your return to have her portrait painted.
Bangley says one or two more are enquiring for Mr.Morse.
"You seem to have forgotten your friend in Stapleton prison.