Letter to <persName ref="#Haydon">Benjamin Robert Haydon</persName>, <date when="1821-03-10">1821 March 10</date> Mary Russell Mitford Amy Colombo Mary Russell Mitford Society: Digital Mitford Project University of Pittsburgh at Greenburg Elisa Beshero-Bondar Transcription and coding by Amy Colombo Proofing and corrections by Lisa M. Wilson First digital edition in TEI, date: 25 June 2015. P5. Edition made with help from photos taken by Digital Mitford Editors Digital Mitford photo files: 18March1821BRHaydon1a.JPG, 18March1821BRHaydon1b.JPG, 18March1821BRHaydon2a.JPG, 18March1821BRHaydon2b.JPG Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Greensburg, PA, USA 2015

Reproduced by courtesy of the Reading Central Library

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Digital Mitford Letters: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Reading Central Library The letters of Mary Russell Mitford, vol.4, 1819-1823 qB/TU/MIT Vol.4 ff .441 Horizon No.: 1361550 Letter from Mary Russell Mitford to Benjamin Robert Haydon, 1821 March 10.

Paper

1 large sheet of paper folded up at the top and bottom, and right and left sides, creating the "envelope." Correspondence on both sides.

Address leaf bearing the following postmarks: 1) Black circular mileage stamp readingREADING 2) Red double circle Duty stamp reading B 12 MR 12 1821 3) Sepia-inked oval Delivery stamp reading * MR * 12 * 1821 F.N. n 4) Red crown Franking Stamp; appears to be crossed out

A portion of the letter has been torn away under the seal

Remnant of red oval-shaped wax seal

 B.R. Haydon Esq

Mitford’s spelling and punctuation are retained, except where a word is split at the end of a line and the begining of the next in the manuscript. Where Mitford's spelling and hypenation of words deviates from the standard, in order to facilitate searching we are using the TEI elements "choice," "sic," and "reg" to encode both Mitford's spelling and the regular international standard of Oxford English spelling, following the first listed spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary. The long s and ligatured forms are not encoded.
March 10th 1821..

I cannot tell you, my dear Mr Haydon, how much I admire the letter I have just received from you. I return the two you ask for, & I do not wait for a frank or a private conveyance because it appears to me that you would rather pay triple postage than not destroy them immediately. At the same time I feel myself bound to acknowledge that I mentioned to Miss James something of what you said of Mr. Scott--I shall write to her immediately & transcribe for her benefit the expression of noble feeling which I now have before me, & I know that she will admire & respect you fifty times more than ever. I also, in writing an account of the Duel to a friend abroad, repeated nearly your words (but I hope & believe without mentioning your name) as a proof that Mr. Scott's temper might possibly have been to blame. To her I shall also write in a day or two. After this confession, which I could not excuse myse lf from making, can I ever expect to hear from you a gain ! I can only say that I intended no treachery--& that I throw myself entirely upon your mercy. The Scotch letter is quite a different affair--I return it uncopied--but you will not find it so severe as you expect. Read it over before you burn it--& if you like it better than you expected keep it for me. I hope you won't take a fancy to desire any more of your letters--I keep them like the apple of my eye.--There is no talking of this melancholy duel--it is too dreadful--He was with Mr. Talfourd in good spirits that very morning. What a pity that he had not the firmness to say at once to Mr. Lockhart that he would not fight on a Literary quarrel. This is a woman's view of the question--but even amongst honourable honorable men there would have been no dishonour dishonor I should think in such a declaration. Or even if he had fought Mr. Lockhart with such a man as Mr. Horace Smith for his second-- any thing anything rather than this miserable end. I hope Mr. Pattmore Patmore will be severely dealt with --Mr. Lockhart's feelings must be severely tried.--I hear from every body everybody of the surpassing beauty of your new picture. Many thanks for the Examiner--How could he think of his crabbed politics when he was writing on such a subject! That Mr. Robert Hunt is--I have not room to say what. -- Yes Daphne has killed three hares. Did notyou receive a brace marked on the direction as her killing? She would have killed more. I dare say if she had seen them but she had been so delicate & I have so dosed my Father with cautions about her that he has only taken her out two or three times the whole season for fear of me. Oh what a vixen I must be! -- He says she is exceedingly fast.--after all the widow has played us false--she says the puppy died -- but I am afraid she sold it--indeed Papa says he is sure she did. Ours is however well & flourishing & shall be yours -- you must not say a word against this arrangement which is as fixed as fate. I am only very sorry that the one you selected & whose colour color you probably preferred should have been lost. This is my fault too--I liked the woman & persuaded Papa to put the puppy there under the notion of its being taken better care of -- & I can still by no means comprehend how a person with such a voice manner & countenance can be dishonest--she looked like Truth itself.--Ah I am a sad blundering friend & deserve to be turned off.--

Adieu my dear Mr. Haydon--Forgive me if you can & be sure that I am always most & sincerely & affectionately your's M R Mitford.. Best respects from my Father &Mother
To B.R. Haydon Esqre St. John's Place Lisson Grove North Regent's Park London