Emily Eden - Miss Eden's Letters

We heard from Morton 19 19 Miss Eden’s brother. the other day, a long account of his gaieties. He has been showing Oxford to the Feildings, and the Meerveldts 20 20 Count Meerveldt was the Austrian Ambassador; he died the following year. (what a difficult word to spell), and then was invited to go to Middleton with them, where he met the Worcesters, Cowpers, Eustons, and the Duke of Devonshire. We are rather in dread of his return, and to find him grown very fine, which will be an unlucky turn to take…

Mrs. Percival’s 21 21 Widow of Spencer Percival, who was assassinated in 1812; she married, secondly, Mr. Carr (Lieut. – Col. Sir H. Carr). marriage shocked us all, as we had not heard of it before, but Mrs. Moore sent in word of it, and of the gentleman’s name afterwards. Ever your affec. sister,

MY DEAREST SISTER, We have had two such long letters from Mary (at Bowood). You must be contented with some extracts. She says: “We have almost as few events here as at Eden Farm; in the morning we walk four or five miles, and in the evening everybody reads a little except Lady E. Feilding, 22 22 Lady Elizabeth Fox-Strangways, widow of Mr. Talbot of Laycock Abbey in Wiltshire, married, secondly, in 1804, Captain Feilding, R.N., afterwards Rear-Admiral. who walks about disturbing us all. She brought down a great book full of verses and epigrams, that she is collecting all over the world and gathered chiefly at Middleton; she let few of them be read, and screamed and pulled away the book every three minutes in case we should see more than we ought.

There were some pretty things of Lady Cowper’s 23 23 Amelia, daughter of Viscount Melbourne, married in 1805 5th Earl of Cowper. composing, one addressed to her sleeping baby, and another on an Infant that is one of the most beautiful things possible. It seems to be the fashion collecting these things, for Captain Feilding says it was quite ridiculous to see Lady Jersey 24 24 Lady Sarah Fane, daughter of 10th Earl of Westmoreland, married in 1804 5th Earl of Jersey. and Lady Cowper, and Lady E. Feilding and two or three others coming down of an evening at Middleton with their great books in satchells like so many schoolboys, and showing each other their ‘little treasures,’ and one saying, ‘May I copy this?’ – ‘No; not unless you will let me copy that.’ – ‘Very well, but you won’t turn over the page?’ – ‘No.’ – ‘Then you must not go further than that line.’ And then the books are all locked up again, for they each have keys, and Lady Elizabeth says everybody wore the key of her manuscript book at her side, in case the others should get it by fair means or foul.

Lady Elizabeth’s maid is also making a collection. Lady Lansdowne 25 25 Lady Louisa Fox-Strangways married in 1808 Henry, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne. looked prettier than ever last night, and is the kindest, most pleasing-mannered person I ever saw. She has got some receipts for dyeing muslins, sattins and silks any colours, and has been all this morning up to the elbows in soap-suds, starch and blue, and then on her knees for an hour ironing on the floor, – the work of the morning. I saw her little girl 26 26 Lady Louisa Fitzmaurice. for a moment, and it seems to be a pretty little thing; the boy 27 27 Earl of Kerry, aged three. is exactly like Lord Lansdowne, but is never to be seen, and I only met the little Feildings 28 28 Caroline married in 1831 3rd Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe, and Horatia married in 1850 Mr. T. Gaisford. once on the stairs since I came here. We are much too learned to think of children.”

So much for Mary’s first letter. George says, “Mary behaves like an angel. She walks with Lansdowne and talks learnedly – I do not know what about. The only words I could hear were, And be hanged to you , and Slip-gibbit , and Betty Martin .”

Mary says in her second letter: “We had a tremendous fit of Crambo again last night from eight to eleven without stopping. Lord Lansdowne gives his whole heart and mind to any little game, or whatever he is about, and it is really quite amusing to see him fretting and arguing, and reasoning and labouring, at this Crambo, as if it was a matter of the greatest importance. It is certainly rather fretting, but it is as good a way of passing a long evening as another. Lady Lansdowne takes a great deal of charge of me, and is a person I really cannot find one fault in…”

I had advanced so far in copying, and was just thinking how nicely and quickly I had done it, when the post arrived, and brought a letter from Mary of nine quarto pages thickly written, and so amusing. But you must not see it to-day – you little thing – this is quite enough for once. Your affectionate sister,

MY DEAR EMILY, I am living in a state of great fright about the event of my message by the last post, and if the key is not found, you must not be much astonished at seeing me arrive either with or without Mary on Tuesday; but I do not like to settle anything about this fussy, provoking scrapey piece of business till I hear from you and from Dyer to-morrow.

We have been doing nothing particular to-day except going in a large party after some woodcocks.

I am as pleased as Punch with the American peace. 29 29 A Treaty of Peace was signed at Ghent between England and the United States on December 24, 1814. We shall get rid of the property tax, and the 3 per cents will be up in the skies. We have nothing yet to succeed Whishaw. 30 30 A great friend of Lord and Lady Holland, born in 1764. Sir George Paul 31 31 Sir George Onesiphorus Paul (1746-1820). “One of the prettiest places” was Hill House, Woodchester, Gloucestershire. is near seventy, but he is a fine old beau, and has one of the prettiest places in England, so that if the Dowager Lady Ilchester 32 32 Juliana, daughter of the Hon. and Rev. W. Digby, Dean of Durham. does not snap him up, something may yet be done.

To console us for not having you, we have an Emily here who has something of the fooley in her, but she unluckily is a dullfooley.

I have in leisure hours been looking over a good many old letters which are here, written by the Fox’s and Pelhams and Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, 33 33 Charles Hanbury, a diplomatist and writer; he took the name of Williams in 1729. He was knighted in 1744. etc., etc., in the reign of George II., some of which are very entertaining. I send you a copy of verses written by Sir C. H. Williams to one of Ilchester’s aunts, Lady Susan O’Brien. 34 34 Lady Susan Fox-Strangways married Mr. O’Brien, a handsome young actor, in 1764.

Mary is quite reviving to-night, and is making a deuce of a noise, and be hanged to her. My love to my Mother and all. Yours very affectionately,

MY DEAR SISTER, I have not a guess how far Mary’s journal 35 35 Miss Eden’s sister Mary, aged twenty-two, and her brother Lord Auckland, were staying at Melbury, Dorchester, with Lord Ilchester. has been continued to you. She says, “The great amusement here seems to be eating, which goes on from morning till night. There is an immense breakfast for people to go in and out to, a large luncheon which stands two hours on the table, a very long dinner, and a regular supper, which altogether takes up half the day. To-day, by way of amusement, and keeping up an old custom, we have all been baking, that is, spoiling an enormous quantity of good things in the housekeeper’s room, making some uneatable gingerbread and cakes, and ourselves very dirty. There are a quantity of children here, and all very nice ones seemingly. Lady Theresa Strangways 36 36 Lady Theresa Strangways, married in 1837 9th Lord Digby. would be really a dear little thing, if Lady G. Murray 37 37 Miss Grant, Lady Ilchester’s mother. would not talk and teaze one so about her stomach and teeth.