Diplomatic Text
▼
Wing Sunday Feby 2d
What can I write my dear Mrs Dickenson. to Expreʃs
my Thanks for, as well as my adoration of, the very
Elegant Piece you sent me this morning -- it would
have invited my Applause if you had purchas'd it at
Hardmans -- but it is render'd doubly valuable to me
from being your own work -- indeed I am much obliged
to you for this additional mark of yr Affection, &
I shall Endeavour to deserve it, to the end of my
Existence --
You did not send the Copy of yr letter to Mr B——ks[1]
I confeʃs I very much fear that poor Miʃs W:
is a thoughtleʃs Girl -- I trust in God at all Events
the Money you sent was not considerable -- for my
own part I Hesitate now so deeply -- that I am almost
afraid to mention (even to the most Confidential friend)
What I cannot help Thinking of the Clique to
Whom these poor Girls are now devoted -- & I dare not
hint what I gueʃs of the Supporter or Patron of this
Worthy race -- it would be construed into Envy -- if I am
right in my Conjecture Lou will live to see the
degradation of that Power which we have seen Acquir'd.
it is indeed so Astonishing. & so unaccountable. that
future Generations will be amaz'd how it ever could
happen in so Enlighten'd a Nation. & where there is so
much Wealth. & so many Talents dispers'd amongst
them -- we are very glad you have wrote to Mr B——s
& I really pray heartily that in this one instance Justice
may be done & also for poor Madrit -- you have been
very good & humane to these poor helpleʃs abus'd people
I hope God will reward you -- we rejoice to find that
Dicky is safe & so well recover'd -- I hear he has a
Chance of breaking his Neck in a partanother part of the
Country. the D: of B——d is coming to Woburn[2] with a
Pack of Hounds & a deal of company --
for Tidings -- a letter from Mrs Blackman announces
that the K: of Pruʃsia has made it a Preliminary
Article. that before he Mediates for a general Peace
the Statholder shall be restor'd & the Netherlands
given up to their old Master[3] -- that it is not true
that the Chouans[4] have made Peace, on the contrary
their Force encreases daily & that an officer of high
reputation who has served in Ruʃsia is now in London
on his way to command the Royalists -- also that
Lord Westmoreland is to be married to Miʃs Saunders,[5] --
Mr Gore Langton to Miʃs Browne of Gloustershire --
Lord Exeter to the Dʃs of Hamilton[6] -- & a report
of Sir Tho's Moystyn to one of the Lady Hamiltons
so you & Mrs Harpur -- may make out a connexion
as they did in Old France -- she adds that every body
says that Peace is impoʃsible at present. that the
Great Question will be again defer'd to Wednesday -- when
it is supposd every thing will be carried with a high Hand
However, in despight of all her Courtly Authority -- WE
think -- there is some Hint -- & ------ seem'd to
give a Hint as if there might be a few caveats --
Mrs B: also adds her kindest remembrances -- & quite
delighted with her letter from Lou, which was received on
Thursday last. so with our Kind love -- & good wishes
I bid you Heartily farewell. & I Pray God to have
you entirely in his good keeping. from yr
Loving Friend
DBloʃset
I am very well but I was very poorly -- poor Lady Bute
her death was very Shocking.[7] unwell in the Morg. saw a Medical
Person who thought she Ail'd not much. after dinner dropp'd from
her chair & Expir'd --
yr Note is consum'd to Ashes & will
be heard of no more but as Memories[8]
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Notes
1. A Mr Breaks is mentioned in HAM/1/8/2/18 in connection with this family but has not been identified so far.
2. Where he had a model farm. The duke was very interested in agriculture, and was a member of the original Board of Agriculture.
3. This refers to William V, Prince of Orange (1748-1806), who was the last stadtholder of the Dutch Republic (1588-1795). In 1787, Frederick William II of Prussia had helped his brother-in-law (William V had married the King of Prussia's sister Wilhelmina) to suppress the patriots and help restore the house of Orange and strengthen the stadtholderate in 1787. However, the patriots returned in 1795 (now calling themselves Batavians) with the support of revolutionary French troops, causing Willem V to go into exile in England. As a result, the Dutch Republic became the Batavian Republic. Frederick William III of Prussia also supported William V and tried to restore the Stadtholderate, but did not succeed.
4. A French Royalist group responsible for a series of uprisings between 1794 and 1800. News of a truce appears in the newsapers at the beginning of the year, and the Sun notes on 30 January 1800 that they have made peace. However, the Observer of Sunday, 2 February casts doubt on the success of the truce (Burney, C. (2007). Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Cengage Learning. Accessed 09-03-2021).
5. They married on 24 March 1800.
6. They married on 19 August 1800.
7. The Marchioness of Bute died suddenly at home on 28 January 1800, while her husband was attending the House of Lords. See e.g. reports in the Oracle or The True Briton for Friday, 31 January 1800 (Burney, C. (2007) Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Cengage Learning. Accessed 10-03-2021).
8. This second postscript moved here from the top of p.1.
Normalised Text
▼
Wing Sunday February 2d
What can I write my dear Mrs Dickenson. to Express
my Thanks for, as well as my adoration of, the very
Elegant Piece you sent me this morning -- it would
have invited my Applause if you had purchased it at
Hardmans -- but it is rendered doubly valuable to me
from being your own work -- indeed I am much obliged
to you for this additional mark of your Affection, &
I shall Endeavour to deserve it, to the end of my
Existence --
You did not send the Copy of your letter to Mr B——ks
I confess I very much fear that poor Miss W:
is a thoughtless Girl -- I trust in God at all Events
the Money you sent was not considerable -- for my
own part I Hesitate now so deeply -- that I am almost
afraid to mention (even to the most Confidential friend)
What I cannot help Thinking of the Clique to
Whom these poor Girls are now devoted -- & I dare not
hint what I guess of the Supporter or Patron of this
Worthy race -- it would be construed into Envy -- if I am
right in my Conjecture Louisa will live to see the
degradation of that Power which we have seen Acquired.
it is indeed so Astonishing. & so unaccountable. that
future Generations will be amazed how it ever could
happen in so Enlightened a Nation. & where there is so
much Wealth. & so many Talents dispersed amongst
them -- we are very glad you have written to Mr B——s
& I really pray heartily that in this one instance Justice
may be done & also for poor Madrit -- you have been
very good & humane to these poor helpless abused people
I hope God will reward you -- we rejoice to find that
Dicky is safe & so well recovered -- I hear he has a
Chance of breaking his Neck in another part of the
Country. the Duke of Bedford is coming to Woburn with a
Pack of Hounds & a deal of company --
for Tidings -- a letter from Mrs Blackman announces
that the King of Prussia has made it a Preliminary
Article. that before he Mediates for a general Peace
the stadtholder shall be restored & the Netherlands
given up to their old Master -- that it is not true
that the Chouans have made Peace, on the contrary
their Force increases daily & that an officer of high
reputation who has served in Russia is now in London
on his way to command the Royalists -- also that
Lord Westmoreland is to be married to Miss Saunders, --
Mr Gore Langton to Miss Browne of Gloustershire --
Lord Exeter to the Duchess of Hamilton -- & a report
of Sir Thomas Moystyn to one of the Lady Hamiltons
so you & Mrs Harpur -- may make out a connexion
as they did in Old France -- she adds that every body
says that Peace is impossible at present. that the
Great Question will be again deferred to Wednesday -- when
it is supposed every thing will be carried with a high Hand
However, in despite of all her Courtly Authority -- WE
think -- there is some Hint -- & ------ seemed to
give a Hint as if there might be a few caveats --
Mrs B: also adds her kindest remembrances -- & quite
delighted with her letter from Louisa, which was received on
Thursday last. so with our Kind love -- & good wishes
I bid you Heartily farewell. & I Pray God to have
you entirely in his good keeping. from your
Loving Friend
Dorothy Blosset
I am very well but I was very poorly -- poor Lady Bute
her death was very Shocking. unwell in the Morning saw a Medical
Person who thought she Ailed not much. after dinner dropped from
her chair & Expired --
your Note is consumed to Ashes & will
be heard of no more but as Memories
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Notes
Metadata
Library References
Repository: John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester
Archive: Mary Hamilton Papers
Item title: Letter from Dorothy Blosset to Mary Hamilton
Shelfmark: HAM/1/8/2/20
Correspondence Details
Sender: Dorothy Blosset
Place sent: Wing
Addressee: Mary Hamilton
Place received: unknown
Date sent: 2 February 1800
Letter Description
Summary: Letter from Dorothy Blosset to Mary Hamilton, concerning general news of family and acquaintances.
Length: 1 sheet, 647 words
Transliteration Information
Editorial declaration: First edited in the project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers' (Hannah Barker, Sophie Coulombeau, David Denison, Tino Oudesluijs, Cassandra Ulph, Christine Wallis & Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, 2019-2023).
All quotation marks are retained in the text and are represented by appropriate Unicode characters. Words split across two lines may have a hyphen on the first, the second or both fragments (reco-|ver, imperfect|-ly, satisfacti-|-on); or a double hyphen (pur=|port, dan|=ger, qua=|=litys); or none (respect|ing). Any point in abbreviations with superscripted letter(s) is placed last, regardless of relative left-right orientation in the original. Thus, Mrs. or Mrs may occur, but M.rs or Mr.s do not.
Acknowledgements: Transcription and XML version created as part of project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers', funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council under grant AH/S007121/1.
Transliterator: Tino Oudesluijs, editorial team (completed 9 March 2021)
Cataloguer: Lisa Crawley, Archivist, The John Rylands Library
Cataloguer: John Hodgson, Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Research Institute and Library
Copyright: Transcriptions, notes and TEI/XML © the editors
Revision date: 2 November 2021