Sir.

I duly received your letter of the 26^th.² I am now almost afraid that for all the time I have had to prepare for my voyage, I might yet hear from the agent ere I was quite ready to leave.³ I will now state to you how this has occurred. I have been of late led to hope that a friend of mine here would advance a sum of money on my behalf, and accordingly was trusting in such, feeling ashamed to draw more deeply on your generous offers for my immediate wants.⁴ I stated to him plainly my circumstances & hopes of success in India, when I would repay him all that he might advance—asking him to assist me: but I have been disappointed, as he told me from certain alterations which he was about to make, he really could not at the present time spare me any money.

I have thus deferred mentioning to you any want of money, until I have given myself I fear little to time to again receive aid from you ere hearing from the agent as to sailing. I assure you I feel deeply in so heavily taxing your generosity—even though you have so repeatedly pressed me to let you know as to my pecuniary wants.⁵ These indeed would have been materially lessened had I not been so long out of a situation. I sincerely hope, therefore, that you will on this account excuse me in asking you for additional assistance to clear expenses here—and further believe that I am not unnecessarily drawing on your liberality.

I would therefore be greatly obliged by your transmitting to me a cheque for the amount which you think I might require on arriving in Calcutta, and also if you would include a little for sundry items & expenses here.⁶ You would thus enable me to meet all which I may incur in this country, & I fear not from the recomendations which you have induced D^r. Hooker to give me that I will soon find something to do in India.⁷

Permit me again to assure you that I feel very sorry that I should have occasion to ask you for further pecuniary assistance here: and I will only add that whatever you are pleased to grant me now, as well as that which you have already laid out on my account will be fully & pleasently repaid so soon as I am fairly settled & succeeding in India.

With this hope, I would thus respectfully solicit your aid, and beg you to excuse my not stating any sum, And now with best thanks for your kindness to me | I have the honour to remain | Sir | Your obed^t. & obliged Serv^t. | John Scott

P.S. I suppose a few standard works on Nat. Hist. will be all the books that I need take with me.