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 eye of people on whom their promotion depends. And if dancing here from nine to halfpast eleven, without cards, without supper, without even wine, amuses them, and keeps them in the society of respectable people, it surely must be better than shutting up the house, and saying it is wrong to be amused. It is very difficult, at least I think so; but the young cadets and writers do not, and I am sure they do not get too much of it. I enclose from the paper the amusements of the month. It is just the same thing in every day’s paper. We had a large dinner in the evening. I wish that were reckoned immoral, but the very strictest make no objection to dinners.

Thursday, August 11. We had rather a smaller set of visitors, and more amusing. Sir H. Fane is gone to the Sandheads, to recover from his fever. George wrote to ask if any honours of salutes, &c., could be paid to his embarkation. We think so much of these things, and are by no means easy in our minds upon the subject of a salute that our Fort did not return to our ship ‘Wolf,’ because ‘Wolf’ had gone and disguised herself