Autograph letter signed : "Ashestiel by Selkirk" [near Melrose], to the Marchioness of Abercorn, 1806 Aug. 6.

Regretting that the arrival and subsequent death of his youngest brother [Daniel] prevented him from perusing and acknowledging a package from the Marchioness; describing at length his farm at Ashestiel, wishing he had "the lamp of Aladdin or the tapestry of some other eastern Magician" to transport her there; saying that the Ashestiel is so remote that he was obliged to "sally forth and shoot a crow to produce a quill" in order to write this letter; reporting that he saw Lord and Lady Melville before he left town and that the "veteran statesman" was in high spirits; referencing the "Delicate Investigation" and scandal surrounding the Princess of Wales. With a postscript enclosing some verses he intends to include in one of the tales of his Highland Romance and hoping she will accept a copy of his Ballads and Lyrical Pieces when it is printed.