Autograph letter, incomplete, to Josiah Taylor, bookseller (Maxted, Brown).

Two pages, 4to, corner torn off with seal (must have been delivered by hand), text clear. Do errors and changes indicate a draft? - but sealed? "Sr. / I am but just now returned from a long tour in the North of England Scotland &c which has prevented me seeing & replying to your very kind communication of the late Mr Rivetts Letters [two words underlined] from Athens &c. The contents of them ["are" excised] is curious & interesting but all the important part has ["I think" excised] been published in his work on the Antiq of Athens, which work I have the satisfaction to inform you still continuing to maintain the highest rank among literary & scientific Gent. for its elegance, and accur[a]cy and its importance [superscript added] is allowed by all in having very materially aided the great improvement which has of late years been made in the taste & Style of Archr. in England which no doubt is now established upon a ["more" excised] stable footing owing entirely to ["the" added superscript] skill & perseverance ["labour" excised] of your Uncle [Isaac Taylor - or was it "Dawkins"? "& his companions added superscript], who have left a lasting testimony of good tatse & industry which can never be exceeded -- the friendship of Mr Dawkins was I beli[e]ve continued to Messrs. Stuart & to the period of his death. The important parts of these having been already ["communicated to" excised] before the public, are not of importance to publish now . Yet I beg you to accept my best thanks for your polite ["& kind" excised] <?> of these[.] they are the more particularly interesting to me as all the collection of Letters & Drawings relating to the ["works" added superscript] were unfortunately [added superscript] burnt in the fire which destroy[ed] my house in Holborn [phrase added in superscript] & all the valuable and curious [from "the" added superscript] that was in it in Decr. 1822 --" On the reverse, half taken by letter, the other half containing figures, prob. in different hand, large totals subtracted from eachother to leave small balances.