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this extraordinary match, if on the contrary the Gentleman
had been 29 & the lady 112 it would have been more reasonable
as the Maltese Ladies are generally Grandmothers at
the age of 30 & GreatGrandmothers at [43 & 5?]. You may
think that I joke but I assure I do not & if you
wish to read the best account of Malta ever written
buy "Travels in Malta & Sicily by A. Bigelow of Boston
there you will find the true character manners & Customs
delineated in the most correct and splended Style.
his language is pure & chaste & at the same time amusing
& instructing. When I receive a letter from you with a
few questions on the various points which you [insertion] may [/insertion] wish to
know I flatter myself that my letters will be a little
more acceptable This is only an outline & I write more
from the desire of hearing from you than give you [paper is torn]
amusement which you do not deserve for your non-
Correspondence. I have commenced Arabic which I
find the most difficult study immaginable. They write
from the right tot he left in this manner [arabic writing sample]
which means the King done justice, my name they write
thus [arabic writing] ---& Cousins [arabic writing]: but as it
is very difficult for me to write backwards as yet.
I cannot