[The MS. collection of the late Humphry Repton, containing interesting
details of his public and private life, has been used by Mr. Loudon in
his biographical notice of Repton prefixed to the last edition of _The
Landscape Gardening_, 8vo., 1840. Mr. Loudon states that 'these papers
were left as a valued memorial for his children: it may be imagined,
therefore, that they contain details of a private nature, which would
be found devoid of interest to the world. Mr. Repton, indeed, possessed
a mind as keenly alive to the ludicrous, as it was open to all that was
excellent, in the variety of characters with whom his extensive
professional connexions brought him acquainted; and he did not fail to
observe and note down many curious circumstances and traits of
character, in themselves highly amusing, but, for obvious reasons,
unfit subjects for publication. Not one taint of satire or ill-nature,
however, ever sullied the wit which flowed spontaneously from a mind
sportive sometimes even to exuberance." His artistic critiques will be
found in the following works: _The Bee_: or, a Critique on the
Exhibition of Paintings at Somerset House, 1788, 8vo. _Variety_: a
Collection of Essays, 1788, 12mo. _The Bee_: a Critique on the
Shakspeare Gallery, 1789, 8vo. _Odd Whims_: being a republication of
some papers in Variety, with a Comedy and other Poems, 2 vols. 12mo.,
1804.]
"_Oriel._"--I should be glad if any of your correspondents could inform me
of the origin of the term _oriel_, as applied to a window? It is not, I
believe, necessarily to the East.