Criss-cross letter from 1830

[Maiden Stone]

I'm going giddy.

na(c)ked Bits, perhaps?!

Looks more like "beds" to me. Are there any more words starting with letter b?

[Kendra71]

Alpinecottage - both of those are good ideas.

"ruffian's" is keeping with the tone of the letter, which I think is a teasing letter from a niece to favourite uncle.

"walled bed" is also in character. They're all fairly well to do, and the uncle is a keen gardener. Not as salacious as my "naked" but more likely!

I have a few others which I'll post shortly. This is SO helpful!

[Mart 'n' Al]

It is a shame that we don't have a time machine to reply to the letter. It does seem odd that the writer left such a very wide spacing between lines, and yet saw the need to do it in criss-cross fashion.

Martin

[Kendra71]

I have two more here please -

The first one reads "I told my father t’other day that you had asked me if I thought he would build a house for you. He desires me to say he will and [moreover?] [---] Jones’ cottage"

The other is "such a sprightly young bachelor. The [---] from [Bill?] [naughty?][man?] place is not come. I thought of waiting its arrival before I wrote but as it now almost a week since I heard from you I feared you would think me very remiss in waiting so long before"

[alpinecottage]

"and moreover there is Jones Cottages."....perhaps   

Next one " The ?correspondence from ?Bill/Hill naughty man's place is not come" - we would write it like this these days, I think - The correspondence from Bill's, naughty man, place is not come.

[Kendra71]

"Correspondence" feels like a push but you might be right! I think it appears elsewhere in the letter also, so I'll try to find and post it here.

Here it is along with a couple of other problem words:
"...but beg I may never have to do so again. [--] [--] its stiff work the beginning of a correspondence, one doesn’t know what [slight?] to write in but I shall do better just now."

[alpinecottage]

I agree about "correspondence" being a push.  I may return to it if I have a moment.

The final problem is easy-peasy - it's "style" not "slight"!  The couple of words before that may be contracted Latin - like D V for deo volente meaning God willing.  I'll look again and come back

Added; the best I can come up with is Oh deus, meaning Oh Lord, it's stiff work......

[Kendra71]

Here are the few remaining ones, which I'll post here also with a grateful request for any suggestions...

(1) Suffice it to say he sings divinely and joined us in [glee] with John [James] and myself. It was such a treat! Such a volume of harmony poured from his lips the moment he opened [voice].

(2) We have had another quadrille party at the Clarkes since you left and now indeed being quiet until the [--] which is the week after next. I have taken my new dress to the first milliners in Birmingham and expect to [cause] a sensation when I appear in it. I shall not wear a fancy dress [for] the “Old Turks” [gala] but shall content myself by being among the anonymouses.

(3) which would be the very thing for you to spend the remnant of your days in! [--][--][--] for my impudence talking of “remnants of days” to such a sprightly young bachelor.

[Bookbox]

A couple more suggestions for the doubtful words.

(1) ... the moment he opened them.
I agree with a glee (line 3)

(2) ... until the Oratorio which is the week after next ... expect to make a sensation ... not wear a fancy dress now the Old Turks gone ...