Travels in a series of letters from a gentleman to his father, in the years 1787, 88, & 89, [ca. 1791-1792].

Manuscript text of twelve letters from Watkins to his father, Pennoyre Watkins, describing his travels in the Low Countries, France, Spain and Switzerland in 1787. The manuscript contains corrections, addenda and several notes for a printer, and is apparently the text of "his Travels in France and Spain....suppressed" in the 1792 publication of Travels through Swisserland, Italy, Sicily..... Versions of Letters 11 and 12 in this manuscript appeared as Letters I and II in the first edition of Travels

Watkins' letters give a full account of places, sights and people encountered on his travels with his friend, George Pocock, and include his horror at the sight of galley slaves in Bordeaux; his dislike of Spanish theater and his "shudder" in the offices of the Inquisition in Barcelona; his admiration of Mont Blanc and Chamonix; and his conclusion that Rousseau's description of the Vallais was "a deception passed upon travellers."