SD1135. Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Septimus Moulton-Barrett
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 4, 368 (in part).
Torquay,
Sepr 25. 1840–
My dear Sette, I must first inform you of a commission I want you to execute for me, but should it interfere with your Master, I dare say Harry will be kind enough to do it for you or me– Sugar here as well as Tea & Coffee are much higher than in London, & as there is a water communication direct from London I wish you to buy these articles for me, to be sent by the Steam Boat that leaves the Wharf near London Bridge on Sunday next; the same conveyance by which the Things in Wimpole Street are coming– You will get them at Davidson & Newman Fenchurch St next door but one to Mincing Lane, 1/2 cwt of Plantation Sugar 9s/ if not too bad, 2 loaves of refined Sugar, such as you use, 4 lbs of green tea about 8s/– & 4 lbs of black; upon consideration, perhaps you had better take the price you pay for these goods in Wimpole St & ordered them at the same, & then you will see whether of the twain is cheapest: I also want as much roasted Coffee as will keep well for a fairest consumption– Mind it is not to be ground. Messrs Davidson & Co, who know me, may either wait until I come to Town, or you may pay them. In your way thither, buy for me two or three dozen of steel Pens, without a stick, & put them in the Parcel; & if the Parcel from Wimpole St be not packed, perhaps the Snuff would come best with the above goods. Upon consideration do you not think, it would be as well that you sent that same parcel to Davidson, where they might enclose it in theirs, for a larger one is less likely to be put aside & mislaid, than a smaller one, only they must take special care that the moist Sugar does not come in contact with Henrietta’s things. The Wharf is but a step from Fenchurch St close to the Bridge, whence the Gravesend Packets start, at least so they tell me– To-morrow I expect to receive the other halves of the Notes, by the bye I behaved very ungentlemanly in that business, however I asked pardon, & if Harry is not satisfied he may take a shot at my Picture, & so get what is called satisfaction, with this advantage I promise him, that the fire shall not be returned– But who would ever have thought that his & your letter should have passed us, & gone on to the land’s end or nearly so– It has turned out rather an unfortunate business, for I suppose until some one proceeds to wind up Hammersly’s affairs, the money will be locked up in the Bank, & I shall not get my transfer of the fractional share, altho I take it I am quite safe, as it was by the express desire of the Parties I paid it in there–
I enclose you Moody’s Bill, & upon seeing it perhaps you may be able to throw some light upon the business; George still thinks he paid the £20 & the £24, but not the 12s/6, as I said I would not pay it– I see he charges from the 20th Jany. but surely I paid him subsequent to that date. I think Hamyard is wrong; what constitutes two windows, is when it is beyond a certain width & height; neither will the slips of window round the Hall Door in my opinion count as three, provided they are not 11 ins apart from each other, at least this used to be the practice years ago, as far as I can task my memory.
Now I must tell you our dear Ba was very tolerable this morning, but the exertion of getting up to-day, which by the bye is only being removed from the bed to the sofa close by, brought on a very bad head-ache & great exhaustion, tho not worse than when she made the last effort, & to-day she was out of her bed half an hour. They are all gone to bed, or I would have told some one to give you an account of her night’s rest in the morning– You must hope the best–
You will see from my letter to Henry that we found out the intended criticism in the Quarterly before your scratches indicated that you had– Ba expects to be well trimmed in it, but she is proof against all they may say, & means to think as little of the important We, as she would of I– However I dont think that it will be very unfriendly, altho her evident politics will of course be looked at with a jaundice-eye. The Writer will I dare say most kindly give advice, & recommend this or that, when if the truth were known, peradventure he may not be worthy to hold a candle to her– But Critics must live, altho Authors cannot, by their writings–
Mr Kenyon is to be here the first week in Octr at least so George heard to-day from Miss Garrow.
I have been puzzling my brain to recollect where I put my Key, that of the table Drawers in the library, before I left; have you met with it any where in your rambles among the Books or my dressing Table drawers, if so take care of it & let me know–
I am sorry that Annie has taken the step she has, but of course I have no right to give an opinion upon it– I dare say Mary Minto is delighted with the Office she is to fill to-morrow, & may be would not have objected to have been the Prima Donna herself, altho not with the accompaniment that Annie has selected–
Best loves attend you all
Yrs very affectionately
E M Barrett
Sept, what shall I give you to learn to write a good hand, tell me & if it be not out of the way, you shall have it– This scratch of yours will mar your prospects—& you will have to work–
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
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