Page:Letters from India Vol 1.djvu/237

 We have bought some beautiful Chinese drawings on rice paper, some like your butterflies, and some figures that are lovely, and I sent for a Chinese painting-box, meaning to paint some on English paper. (The Chinese have taken to draw on our paper.) However, when the box came, I found that there are so few hours here of open windows that I have little time even for common drawing, so I just tried what it would do, made a beautiful butterfly, and now send the box to ; she might paint on silk with it. She must wet the colours, and then put a little spoonful of them in the mortar and pestle them about, which in a cool climate is charming exercise, and then put the colour on the paper as thick as possible. The brushes are very good for all drawing. I have had a large collection given me, and use nothing else. There are also in the large packing-box some talc figures, which came to George amongst some other goods he bought, and he thought they might amuse your children. I think there is a set of the Government House servants among them; but I am not quite sure, as we have had so many of these talc figures brought us that I do not know which is gone where.