SD727. Samuel Moulton-Barrett (brother) to Henrietta Moulton-Barrett
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 2, 367–368 (in part).
[London]
Thursday June 17th 1830
My ever dearest Henrietta
I wrote you a few lines last Tuesday, as Dominick said he was going to start, & I kept it untill to day, but he came here this morning with Young Knowles to say he had not yet decided when he should go, so I burnt it, & have taken up my pen, to write you per post; Young Knowles is looking remarkably well & in very good spirits, he beggs to be remembered to you all, & Dominick likewise, the latter gentleman is very gay, he is going to a Ball to night, I suppose to meet his intended. Mr MacSwiney also paid us a visit this morning, he had just arrived from Brighton with nine of his Scholars, they had broke up for the holidays, he has now seventeen, & is going to move into a larger house, as he intends to take twenty, he is looking quite fat & in capital spirits, Papa has not seen him, as he is off tomorrow morning at ten, & he could not dine here, he sends his love to you all, particularly to Stormy, he was quite surprized when I told him of his progress in Latin & Greek; he says he heard that Mrs Orme was quite done up, all her goods & Chattells had been sold off, & her house was to let that she was going out again as a Governess, & her daughters Ditto, but he had not ascertained where they were gone to, but he supposed that they were still in Scotland. I went as I told you to Mrs Dunns to dinner where I met the young Lady you are so anxious about, & as you wished to know my private opinion, I think she is a very pretty girl, & I think since I last had the pleasure of seeing her, that she has got very lively & amusing, tell Henery Trant I should advise him not to venture a visit to her again, for if he does he will be desperately smitten; I asked her when she was going to Malvern, & she said she had not had an invitation from Mrs Trant yet, so I am afraid you will not have the pleasure of seeing her, without you come & pay her a morning visit in your Wheel barrow. I went the next evening to a party at Mrs Hartleys Kensington, I was invited to dinner, & was to have gone in Dr Addams’s carriage, but I was unfortunately too late, for I was so long Titivating myself, & attempting to make myself handsomer than I really am, (which I found quite impossible) that by the time I got to Dr Addams’s his carriage had left me behind, so I had the pleasure of walking to Piccadily in the midst of a pouring rain, & getting into an Omnibus, & by the time I arrived at my journeys End, I think I had every bone in my body dislocated, so I imagine the Omnibus must be nearly as bad as your vehicle that I mentioned before, & into the bargain I lost my dinner; but I asure [sic] you I made up in the evening for lost time by eating & drinking of everything that belongs to a ball room, & I shook my bones into their proper places again by dancing with some very select young ladies, & I came home in Mrs Addams’s carriage with her, after spending, taking all things into consideration, a very agreable evening. You said in your letter that you were in the clouds when I talk of Mrs Burder, I am just as much in the Clouds as you are, for I never had the pleasure of having an acquaintance of that name, You also said, “you had the satisfaction of seeing & eating Mrs Jones wedding cake, now I never had the pleasure of Mrs Jones acquaintance either, but if I had, I should certainly advise her, for the future, to keep her cakes out of my sisters way, I think after making such a confession to me, you need not pretend to be so bashful about the Brandy; I think you must have been under the effects of the latter com[m]odity when you did not deliver all Miss Boyds messages, if you were not, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for not delivering them. I heard from Uncle James last week—he is quite well & he intends paying you a visit this summer, & I think it will be soon; John is with him, he has been unwell, but is now much better, I should not be surprized if they both travelled together; Papa saw a Hereford Paper yesterday, he says there was a reward of £5 offered for the recovery of 11 Sheep that John had stolen. I have not seen your country Buck yet, but I am in hopes of getting him a place, my master wants a boy, & he is so pleased with Jimmy that I think he is certain of the place, when he gets it I will let you know. I suppose poor Daly’s troubles are commenced, tell him I pity him very much, but I pity the Stawberries still more. (Friday) I went yesterday after I had written the above to see a Canadian Giant in Bond Str—he weighs 45 Stone, & measures 7 feet round his body, 4 feet round his thighs[,] 3 feet, 4 inc round his leggs & is 6 feet 4 1/2 high, he certainly is a very fine animal; dressed with a Quakers hat, red hunting coat, yellow waistcoat, & green trowsers; when I told him there were such impositions he might be stuffed, he asked me to feel him, & I gave him such a pinch in the calf of his legg that he got quite angry. I have just had an invitation to a Ball for next Wednesday to Mrs Kentish’s & as an inducement she says there are to be 16 unmarried ladies there, I shall not fail to attend, Mr Anderson the new performer is also to be there, you shall hear how it goes off. We have heard of the Sterlings, they arrived quite safe, & are now in Edinburgh. Miss Trep[sack] sends her compliments to all the family at Hope End & says she can wait no longer so you must excuse me as we are going to visit Miss Scarlet[t]. The Packet is expected every day, when we hear from Monies we will let you know. Mind & write as soon as possible. With best of loves to all your fry. I remain
Your ever affectionate
Sam
Papa Gran[n]y, & Treppy send their best loves.
Address, on integral page: Miss H Barrett / Hope End / Ledbury / Herefordshire.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library, Altham Archive.
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