139. Mary Moulton-Barrett to EBB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 136–138.
[Hope End]
[28 November 1821] [1]
I had begun to despair of dearest Papa’s arrival last night, the windows were all shut, & the school room & nursery were at tea, when his anxiously expected voice was heard! Never was he more welcome, for he brought me the good tidings of my dearest child, being free from all the pains which have teased her during the last week, & which I was sadly disappointed to find could not be more satisfactorily accounted for. Poor Puppy was half frozen, for the air was bitterly cold, however we sat down directly to our soup & chicken & half an hours basking in the arm chair before a blazing fire, enabled him to get thro’ the eveng very comfortably roasting chesnuts till the rioters all went to bed, and then in a more sober chat with Hentta & I, of which our loved Ba was the heroine!– How I long to see certain observations on Bacon of which I hear so much! [2] I had a note last night from Sam from Cheltenham [3] to desire I would write to Mrs Bussier for some of her enchanting little airs in Spanish Portuguese Italian & Venetian. [4] As I know not where Mrs B— is I have written to her Mother making the modest request that she will send me them forthwith, as Sam is in the utmost haste for them– how far poor Mrs D. may be linguist enough, to write them out, in less than a months [time,] spelling & putting together, I know not—however she has her pastoral daughter to assist her, & I hope they will gratify Sam’s impatience as quickly as they can— I have had a closely written vol. from Jane, from Turin dated Nov 10th which I want to answer or I would send it you. it breathes of happiness & of the delights of her interesting journey. They were enchanted with the situation of Lyons, with the walk on the Quai of the Rhone, which joins the Saone a little below that ancient & dirty Town– the scenery from thence to the foot of Mont Cenis, delighted her. At the little Inn there, they supped on excellent trout & roasted thrushes, whose sweet notes I should have grieved to see thus stilled! They had six horses to ascend the mountain, three abreast, & after winding at right angles over a road without a pebble, they reached the top in 3 hours– there was just a sufficiency of snow to complete the grand & imposing effect of the scenery which seems to have deprived the untravelled Jane, of all power to express her feelings! She however apostrophizes the great Napoleon who by this work enables his fellow beings to climb to the clouds with as much ease, as they bowl along the flat roads of our less aspiring part of creation– [5] Neither did banditti or avalanche threaten their safety. They reached Turin without a single misadventure & with glorious weather– From thence, they were going to Genoa for some days, which I much envy her, for I have a longing desire to see that beauteous bay, & to spend some little time at Florence on their way to Rome— She and her sposo were writing over a good wood fire like Darby & Joan, & she talks of having some new books to cover the first of her domestic cares. She desires me to tell her dearest Ba, how much distance appears to encrease her anxiety to hear of her—by some mischance she has recd only one letter from England since she left it– A thousand loves & kisses she sends you, some of which you are to distribute to dear Granny Tripsack & Sam. Poor Hentta has not time to scribble to you today, & we could not do so as usual last night, out of compliment to our guest–
And so you discovered the true Il Hoskins, which Hentta had believed a perfectly impenetrable secret! [6] May God bless my beloved Ba, & may she love her Mother only half as well as she is loved.
Wednesday 1 o’Clock– all gone to dinner!– Pray ask Dr B. his opinion of Dr R. & let me know it—do not forget!!
Address, on integral page: S M Barrett Esqr MP– / Spa Hotel / Gloucester.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: British Library.
1. Mary Moulton-Barrett used, as her final page, the cover sheet from another letter, franked and dated “Cheltenham November twenty five / 1821 / Mrs Barrett / Hope End / Ledbury / S M Barrett.” She also writes “Wednesday,” and 28 November was the first Wednesday after the receipt of this letter, which she says came “last night.”
2. It is possible that these “observations on Bacon” relate to an early draft of An Essay on Mind, as the first extant draft is on paper watermarked 1813, 1820 and 1821 (MS at Texas). Note (h) to Bk. II (p. 102 in the first edition) criticizes Bacon’s dedicatory remarks to King James I, a subject EBB dealt with at some length in letter 309.
3. Samuel Moulton-Barrett, not Mrs. Barrett Williams’ son Samuel Barrett, who lived at Cheltenham. This is established by reference to note 1.
4. We have not identified anybody of this name, and the British Library’s Music Catalogue does not list any published scores under this name. In view of the Moulton-Barretts’ habitual carelessness in spelling names, taken together with the later reference to “her pastoral daughter,” it is possible that the composer of these “enchanting little airs” was the wife of the Rev. Peter Edward Boissier, mentioned in letter 229.
5. Napoleon ordered the construction of a road over the Mt. Cenis pass (6,893ʹ); it was built between 1803 and 1810.
6. Although obscure, this remark is believed to refer in some way to Hungerford Hoskyns, the 17-year-old son of Sir Hungerford Hoskyns (1776–1862), of Harwood, Herefordshire.
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