LET

LET

Letter of service, a written orderor authority issued by the secretary atwar, empowering any officer or indivi-dual to raise a certain body of men jtoserve as soldiers, within a given time,and on special conditions.

Letter of attorney, an instrumentin writing, authorizing an attorney, orany confidential person, to take the af-fairs of another in trust. A letter orpower of attorney is necessary to em-power a person to receive the half-payof an officer. This paper did cost six shil-lings, but now fifteen, and must be ac-companied by a certificate Sworn to bythe half-pay officer before some magis-trate or justice of the peace.

Letter of credit, a letter which isgiven from one merchant or banker toanother, in favour of a third person,enabling the latter to take up money toa certain amount. Sometimes a letterof credit is given without any specificlimitation.

Letter of licence, a deed signed andsealed by the creditors of a man, bywhich he is allowed a given period toenable him to discharge his debts by in-stalments, or by a certain proportion inthe pound.

Military letter or dispatch. TheFrench use the word depccltc. A letterof this description should be clear, andas brief as possible; containing in fewwords all that is necessary to be known,without endangering the object of itscommunication, through a want of suf-ficient explanation. We have a remark-able instance in history of this speciesof writing. When Spinola, who wasoriginally a Genoese merchant, appear-ed unwilling to undertake the siege ofBreda, the king of Spain ’s laconic letterdetermined him.

Marquis,

Take Breda.

I the King.

Spinola did so; and, in recompencefor that, and other brilliant services, bewas afterwards abandoned by his mas-ter, and died of a broken heart. Trollpudor !

We also fmd, in the history of Gus-tavus Adolphus, two other instances ofthe same laconic style.

General Kniphausen being anxious topreserve the pass and fortress of Schci-Jelbein, wrote to lieutenant-colonel

Monro, who commanded the garrison,a short billet to this effect: Maintainthe town as long as you can, but give notup the castle whilst a single nan conti-nues with. you.

This place, observes the historian,was not defensible for a longer timethan twenty-four hours; yet Monro,having the possession of it three (lavsbefore Montecuculi ’s arrival, made agood appearance of resistance; andwhen the imperial general had rangedhis army round the walls,.in order togive one united assault, and sent a trum-peter to propose a treaty, the braveScot replied, with great plainness, thtthe word treaty, by some chance hihappened to be omitted in his instruc-tions, and that he had only powder adball at the count de Montecuculis ser-vice. Upon this, orders w ere given tocommence a general storm; but theScottish troops behaved to admiration;and having laid the town in ashes, re-tired with great regularity into the cas-tle. The Imperialists perceiving tliagovernor to be a man ol resolution,broke up their encampment, and quittedthe siege. II. G. Ad. page 217".

Circular letters, (lettres circuloircs,Fr.) documents (which, in official lan-guage, and for the sake of abbreviation,are generally called circulars,) that are-sent to several persons upon the samesubject. _ . .

Letter-w/cu, certain pensioners be-longing to Chelsea Hospital, are socalled. . r

LETTON, Fr. a metal composed otmolten copper, called rosette, and olapis calaminaris, a yellow miners,owhich quantities may be found inneighbourhood of Liege .

Letton is used in cannon-foundiiThe best practical mode of digesnn„and mixing the materials, is to putor 12,000 weight of metal, 10,000 vveiof rosette, or molten copper, 900 pou«bof tin, and COO pounds ol ' e f ton jare various opinions respectingtnture of these several ingredients.

Lettre de c«o/(rf,Fr.an mtam ‘«.state paper, which existed be oiFrench revolution, differing in .sential point from an order o °J* ” 5council, that the former was sealed,the person upon whom it V?® vencarried into confinement, wth