SD1242. Edward George Barrett to Georgiana Elizabeth Barrett
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 12, 369 (in part).
Albion
Jany 22. 1846–
My dear Missy
I will begin my letter by wishing you a happy new year, hoping that you have had a merry Christmas–
Since I last wrote to you, my father & myself have been down at Spanish Town for some weeks during Christmas & have just returned–
We passed a very pleasant time at a friend’s house, and returned in perfect health. We have had an extraordinarily mild winter, nobody recollects such weather having ever before happened—but we have had a very small supply of rain, however we have enough water for the present, & we must hope for the best. My garden has become very full of weeds since my absence in Spanish Town, but the flowers look well, cockscombs, Balsams, violets, &c are in blossom– Don’t you wish you had them |out| in England!
I bought some flower seeds in Kingston & planted them here– I planted the convo[l]vulus minor on Jany: 22. & it came up Jany: 26th– The other seeds took one day more to make their appearance–
I bought a little pig the other day to fatten I feed him a great deal on sweet oranges, & when the time comes he will have mangoes & guava’s & other nice things that little girls in England would like as well as little pigs here–
I am afraid that you will scold me for giving you such a short letter, but the news are so scarce that I would not have written at all, had I not recollected that it was so long since I last wrote–
Do you ever see Storm?– If you do, remember me to him & tell him that I wish he was at the Retreat again
When we were at Kingston I tried to persuade your father to have his likeness taken by a Daguerreotype to send to you, but he is very jealous on the subject of his good looks—he says it makes people look too old & cross–
I, who have no good looks to boast of, am not afraid of your having an inadequate idea of my charms; &, next time I visit Kingston, will endeavour to get myself shadowed forth & will send you the production, like or not like, cross looking or not, as the fates may decree–
Your affect: brother
E G Barrett
Do you recollect in one of the “Illustrated London News” a picture of Paul and Virginia?– The face of Paul is an excellent likeness of poor Monk as he was about 2 or 3 years before his death
Address: Miss Barrett / 44 Upper Baker Street / Regents Park / London.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
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