From E. D. Steuart   September 27th 1844

1 Burdete Avenue | September 27th 1844

John,

If I had required any assurance of your kind anxiety to fulfill your promise by the gratification of my wishes, it would have been afforded to me by your letter,¹ received this morning. But I felt quite certain that your time had been fully and, I trusted, much more profitably employed than in finishing the sketch of Steuart’s Lodge,² to which I merely expected you to devote a leisure hour whenever such should occur, and I must now request that you will not think of even touching it, until your present hurry of business is quite over, and your time and thoughts entirely disengaged. If you could give me an idea of the size of a frame for it, I should be glad to take one home with me, as I yesterday left the etching you gave me in Dublin, to have a frame made for it, and would wish the other to be the same. It has given Mr Steuart³ and me great pleasure to hear you have been able to procure employment,⁴ and we hope there is now a sphere open for the full display of your talent, which we have no doubt, combined with the steady perseverance you have hitherto exhibited, will yet raise you to the highest rank in your profession, and I can assure you, such is our earnest and most sincere wish and desire. I am thankful to say Mr Steuart is much better, and I trust we shall be able to return home early next month.

Believe me | Your sincere friend | E.D. Steuart.

RI MS JT/1/TYP/10/3322

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