News from the Republic of Letters Volume 1, Letter 2

Fellows of the Royal Society at Crane Court,

Fleet Street, London.

My Dearest Fellows:

My journey to Dover was without incident. Ive spent the last few days exploring the coast and pathways above and below these remarkable White Cliffs. Please find samples of the cliff chippings along with descriptive notes about time and location of each sample.

This evening as I returned from my sample taking, I made the acquaintance of a learned gentleman, Mr. Bowles. He shared with me a sonnet hed just completed that evening and I pass along to My Dear Fellows to give you a sense of this area.

At Dover Cliffs

On these white cliffs, that calm above the flood

Uplift their shadowing heads, and, at their feet,

Scarce hear the surge that has for ages beat,

Sure many a lonely wanderer has stood;

And whilst the lifted murmur met his ear,

And o'er the distant billows the still eve

Sailed slow, has thought of all his heart must leave

Tomorrow; of the friends he loved most dear;

Of social scenes, from which he wept to part;

But if, like me, he knew how fruitless all

The thoughts that would full fain the past recall,

Soon would he quell the risings of his heart,

And brave the wild winds and unhearing tide,

The world his country, and his God his guide.

~ William Lisle Bowles

(Sonnet: At Dover Cliffs, July 20th 1787)

On the morrow I shall take leave of England and will travel in a much more conventional mode than Monsieur Blanchard who hopes to cross the Channel by balloon! All of Dover is abuzz with M. Blanchards preparations and he plans to depart by weeks end. Consequently, I have altered my travel arrangements to stay in coastal France in order to view the landing of his amazing journey.

With much anticipation I bid adieu,

Blue Revolution