Personal letter from Sir William Gell to Philip Gell. Philip returned to England `on the visit of Boney' instead of staying as Gell did `to be taken, blockaded and ravished'. HRH [Princess of Wales] must have a young equerry; Gell has unlimited leave of absence as she is gone to the Lakes in Northern Italy; she has taken a house near Lake Como and seems very contented. Will send violin strings by sea. Gell's last interval of gout lasted 10 days which he spent at Pompeii which had been much excavated since he last saw it [encloses sketch of walls and fortifications and of quern]. `But why people should place a great red priapus over the mouth of an oven and write upon it, `hic habitat felicitas' is more than I can tell you.' The Princess is giving him a pension of £200 p.a. for life which is very kind of her because Gell does not expect ever again to be in a state to be useful to her. 14 Jul 1815