SD77. James Scarlett to Edward Moulton-Barrett (father)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 307–308 (in part).
[London]
July 8th 1807–
My dear Barrett
I am this moment favoured with your letter. I am very sensible of the Compliment you pay me in desiring me to be one of the Sponsors for your boy. I shall be happy to oblige you in this, & as I cannot be personally present, I must beg the favour of you to represent me on the occasion. Under such tuition as he will receive from his mother & you I think I may safely continue to answer for his sins till he is fourteen, & I sincerely wish he may <long> live to be the delight of both his parents.
You must apprize Mr. Moore to put in bail for you in Court to Barker’s action within the first four <days of> Michaelmas term—that is early in November, and in the mean time we shall do our best to arrange matters so that you may lose & Barker gain nothing by his improper conduct.
It is indeed mortifying to reflect that you should receive so little from your Estate—but at the same time you will recollect that out of the last years crop we have to defray two years expenses. For the crop of 1805 whas [sic] wholly at the disposal of your Uncle with the exception of that portion of it what was sold by Boddington & Co and which amounted to between 2 & 3 thousand pounds which were paid to you by me in the same year. I hope this year notwithstanding the bad prices, that you will be better off[.]
You will be concerned but not surprized to hear that P Campbell has been obliged to bring an action agt J. Sheridan for crim con in which he has recovered damages to the amount of 1500l– The damage would have been much larger but from the circumstances of her taking so short a time to form her connection with T S. She had not known him two months. It was at Edinburgh in the spring of 1804. Peters conduct was proved to have been <out> of kindness & affection for her. We have heard of no connection until last year & could not prove it until within the last six weeks. I always suspected from the falsehoods which I knew she was propagating about her husband that she had done something very wrong herself & was laying a ground to destroy his reputation & drive him out of society, lest the same thing should befall her. I pity her, but she has no heart nor honesty nor understanding. You may tell all this to Mrs Barrett when she is well enough. Adieu. I shall see Sam soon– I am yours—in great haste
J Scarlett
PS. Do you think Rham a proper man to go with Sam, if he does go? tell me your honest opinion.
I had no letter from my brother by the last packet, he had just heard the news of one of his daughters being at the point of death & had left home to meet her–
Address, on integral page: Edwd M. Barrett Esqr / Coxhoe Hall / Durham.
Docket, in hand of EM-B (father): July 8, 1807.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
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