The Cotman Letters 1804-1833

Tuesday Morning 17th December 1811.
Dear Sir,
I have been considering & turning over in my mind your proposition relating to my residing in Yarmouth or its neighbourhood, and the result is that I will do so - providing I can meet with a pleasant & respectable House, not too small, in some quiet situation - over the Bridge I should prefer, from its being more likely to be reasonable. When you can hear of such a place that may be likely to suit me, I will answer you better by return of coach, in Person, if possible.
In the meantime can you inform me the nature of the teaching at Yarmouth - as to the terms [[of]] & time for each pupil, and whether in many together, or singly, etc, as I am a perfect stranger teaching school fashion? I should be obliged to you also to state on what grounds you suppose I can make 200£ to 300£ p.a. - as, saving the best scholars, it's but a sorry drudging and only calculated for money making. Where a Man fags from door to door merely for the £ sterling. The next place I'm afraid you ought not to calculate from the Population alone of Yarmouth, but from the Disposition of that population, relative to their ideas & wishes to the arts, viz, who will & will not encourage a poor Drawing Master? From your answer I shall now act and give, or not give, my Landlord notice of my leaving his premises. It will be an additional favour to hear therefore from you before Xmas.
I have sent you Impressions [Persp] of any etchings, but the Color is terribly bad. The difficulty is so great to hit the tone from one batch to another that my Printer seems s if he is determined to give up the tinting altogether, which I shall be sorry for, as he's an honest fellow, I believe, and very civil - an uncommon character in a copper Plate Printer. If he does it will cause me to go up to London, for they must be tinted, both for the better appearance of the work and [[form]] for