Letter to <persName ref="#Elford_SirWm">Sir William Elford</persName>, <date when="1822-04-12">April 12, 1822</date> Mary Russell Mitford Elizabeth Raisanen Mary Russell Mitford Society: Digital Mitford Project University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Elisa Beshero-Bondar Transcription and coding by Matthew Blake Nardoci Elizabeth Raisanen Date last checked: 2019-04-21 Proofing and corrections by Elizabeth Raisanen First digital edition in TEI, date: 21 April 2019. P5. Edition made with help from photos taken by Digital Mitford editors Digital Mitford photo files: 12April1822SirWilliamElford1a#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford1b#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford1c#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford2a#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford2b#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford3a#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford3b#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford4a#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford4b#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford5a#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford5b#.JPG, 12April1822SirWilliamElford6.JPG Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Greensburg, PA, USA 2013

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, Horizon No.: 1361550 ff. 450 Letter from Mary Russell Mitforf to Sir William Elford, 1822 April 12

Two sheets of paper, with the first full folio sheet folded in half creating pages 1-4 and then a second half folio sheet written on the front for page five and page six used as an address leaf. Six surfaces photographed. Half sheet (pages five and six) torn on right edge where wax seal was removed. Letter was folded in thirds, twice.

There is a heavily faded stamp that reads 1822 in black, most likely a delivery stamp.

Sheet (pages five and six) torn on right edge of page five where wax seal was removed.

Red wax seal, complete, adhered to page six (the address leaf), possibly Mitford's rectangular "Mary" seal.

 Red crayon or thick red pencil. Probably a different hand from Mitford's that marks many of her letters, sometimes drawing diagonal lines across pages, and sometimes writing words overtop and perpendicularly across Mitford's writing. A red line is drawn from top left to bottom right of each page except the address leaf. Someone, apparently other than Mitford, perhaps cataloging letters and describing them, who left grey pencil marks and numbered her letters now in the Reading Central Library's collection. This letter is numbered "41" in the top left of the first leaf.

Mitford’s spelling and punctuation are retained, except where a word is split at the end of a line and the beginning of the next in the manuscript. Where Mitford’s spelling and hyphenation 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.
In grey pencil this letter is numbered "41" in the top left of the first leaf Three Mile Cross April 12, 1822 April 12th 1822..

Thank you very much, my dear Sir William for your very kind & entertaning letter--the story of the Housemaid & the picture is delicious--& I enter into it the more thoroughly from having lately rescued some blotted papers of my own from the fangs of an animal of that species--I write (like Pope & other great poets) on the backs of letters notes etc (not yours--they are kept untouched--I should as soon write on bank paper)-- so that, considering the blessed & blotted state of the manuscript my Dramatic Scene for John Valpy's new paper --(the Museum--Sir--It is not come out yet--will you take it in?--I don't persuade you, mind, for I have not the least notion whether it will be good or bad--always excepting my own articles--& John will pay me the same whether you take it or no, which is all that concerns me)--Where were we? Well my dramatic Scene looked as she said such a "tatterdemallion piece of scribble" that she clawed it up in her paw--much as a monkey would seize on an open letter, & was actually proceeding to light a fire withal when I snatched my precious manuscript from her devouring fangs--I wish you had seen the look of contempt with which this damsel of ours--a cidevant schoolmistress--looked at my composition--I dare say she would have whipt whipped any one of her scholars that wrote only half as ill. And so you to not like Sir Andrew Wylie!--Well neither upon recollection do I--for though I was taken very much at the time with the fine tonic simplicity of the dialect & the pervading influence of a diverting quiet humour--yet on reflection it is as you say utterly impossible--& the latter fact in particular falls off terribly--the hero is so unnecessarily let down--& the heroine such a foolish country coquette--And yet there is one trait in that last part which is exquisite--the giving thanks in the Church for his return home--Goldsmith never exceeded the effect of that beautiful touch of pathos & simplicity.--I am now reading a very different sort of work--Horace Walpole's (I beg his pardon) Lord Orford's Memoires. Have you read these two delicious Quarto's of 550 pages each of History which ought to be dull inasmuch as it embraces the most uninteresting part of our annals, & which is yet as short & as entertaining as a fairy tale? One's first feeling in closing that book will be a desire to begin it again. And yet I don't suppose there is much truth in it either. The dear Horace has in the first place that keen insight into the worst part of chacracter which gives a general prejudice against human nature--& in the second a particular & safer added prejudice against almost every individual whom he has occassion to mention. He hates his Father's enemies--that's of course--he hates his Father's rivals--he hates his Father's successors--& he hates those of his Father's friends--who have deserted him--which considering the avowed principle of buying & selling which his Robert followed--embraces of course pretty nearly both houses of Parliament. Besides this sweeping filial dislike--he has a comfortable set of antipathies on his own account--& really seems to have hated almost every body. Tant mieux. It whets the razor, & most easily & keenly does that bright weapon cut. The characters are exquisitely given for piquancy & style--there is an unexpectedness & originality in some of his expressions greater even than in his letters--& the specimens of speeches give I should imagine a very just as well as lively idea of the speakers--particularly of the great rivals Pitt & Fox--(I mean of course the Father's)--one had never--at least I had never so considerable an impression of Mr. Fox as since reading these Memoires--(Pooh--Papa & Mama are playing at that tedious noisy courting game piquet--which makes me so stupid tonight) I meant to say that I never thought the first Mr. Fox so considerable a man as since reading these Memoires.--Well he is a delightful person Horace Walpole--I hope we shall have some more of his remains--& pray--may I ask--have you, his successor & likeness, composed Memoires of your own time to be put into a sealed box & opened when the first grandson or grand nephew comes of age?--your History will be better humoured humored than Horace Walpole's (& indeed not being the son of an ousted minister you will not have so many antipathies to disturb you)--but not a whit less amusing. Pray if you do leave a sealed box--do let it be opened before I am ninety. Now what shall we talk about? We have got Mrs. Opie's new novel of Madeline in the house--but I have not opened it yet--I have a good mind to write a critique on it without reading--for I think I can pretty well tell what stuff it is made of--one knows the usual ingredients of her tales--just as one knows the component parts of a plum pudding--so much common sense (for the flour) so much vulgarity (for the suet) so much love (for the sugar)--so many songs (for the plums)--so much wit (for the spices) so much fine binding morality (for the eggs)--& so much mere mawkishness & insipidity (for the milk & water wherewith the said pudding is wet up)--I think she has left off being pathetic--at least I have left out that quality in my enumeration. Yet she is a very clever woman & a goodnatured woman--& though my exceeding fastidiousness with respect to style & elegance & gracefulness in writing deprives me of any pleasure in her works, yet I know a great many very good judges who admire her writings greatly. I hope you won't tell her this by way of a compliment--though I have lately met with a misadventure which would go near to tying one's pen down to its good behavior all one's life. A discreet correspondent of mine (female of course) enquired inquired my opinion of a recent publication--I wrote her a very fair character of the work (which I did not very much admire)--a fair & candid character--with just enough of sweet to flavour flavor the tone (like sugar in mint sauce)--It was not a sweeping, knock me down critique--but a light airy neatly feathered shaft--whose censure looked almost like praise. So much the worse for me. My goose of a correspondent took it for complimentary--& by way of recommending me to the Author of the cutup work fairly read him the passage out of my letter--& then in her reply gravely told me what she had done! There's a pretty friend for you! Of course she will never get any but How d'ye do letters from me again as long as she lives.-- When do you come to Town? And have we any chance of seeing you here?--I have not the slightest idea of being in Town--Foscari would undoubtedly have been acted this season if Mr. Harris had continued in the management of Covent Garden--but since this change of Dynasy we have all to begin again--I don't think it will at any rate be performed this season--perhaps not at all--I don't believe it has even been presented to the new managers yet--though I don't know for it is with Mr. Talfourd & entirely in his hands. And to confess the truth, my dear friend, I am so thoroughly out of heart about it that I cannot bear even to think or speak on the subject. Nevertheless the Drama is my talent--my only talent--my only talent--& I mean to go on, & improve. I will improve. That is my fixed determination. Can you recommend me a good subject for an historical Tragedy? I wish you would think of this, & if you have none in your own mind ask any likely person--It should have two prominant male parts--& I should prefer an Italian story in the 14th 15th 16th or 17th Century--as affording most scope--& being less liable to blame for any deviation from the truth in the plot, than any well know n Here begins a three-line-long tear that is likely from breaking the letter's seal. incident in the greater states. I once thought of ou r Charles the First--He & Cromwell would form two very finely contrasted Characters--but the facts are too well known.--

Farewell, my dear friend. Kindest regards from my Father & Mother--Ever most sincerely & affectionately yours M. R. Mitford

Pray write soon. You cannot tell how much I value your letters.
Reading April fifteen 1822 Sir Wm Elford Bart Bickham J.B. Monck Plymouth
Galt John Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland Greenock, Scotland John Galt is the author of Sir Andrew Wylie, of that ilk, a novel Mitford discussed with Sir William Elford. Walpole Robert First Earl of Orford Houghton, Norfolk, United Kingdom St James's, United Kingdom Father of Horace Walpole and former British Prime Minister. Opie Amelia Alderson Amelia Alderson Norwich, United Kingdom Norwich, United Kingdom Amelia Opie is the wife of John Opie, who encouraged her to write. She become a poet and novelist of the late-18th and early-19th century and is best known for her novel Adeline Mowbray. According to Mitford's early biographer, Vera Watson, Mitford knew Opie personally, and Opie's husband John had painted Mitford's father's portrait (112). Upon the death of her father in 1842, Mitford was left with a large number of debts, which a public subscription helped to defray; Amelia Opie was one of the friends who donated to this subscription (Watson 253). Stuart Charles Charles I Charles the First Charles, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. Charles Stuart, King of England Dunfermline, Scotland, United Kingdon Whitehall, London, United Kingdom Seventeenth-century English monarch who was executed by Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army. Mitford made Charles I and Cromwell the subjects of a historical play.
Sir Andrew Wylie, of that ilk John Galt Edinburgh William Blackwood 1822 Sir Andrew Wylie, of that ilk is a three-volume novel by the Scottish novelist John Galt. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100299545 Madeline Amelia Opie London Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown 1822 Madeline was Amelia Opie's last novel-length prose work. Memoires of the last ten years of the reign of George the Second Horace Walpole London John Murray 1822 This is the first edition of Horace Walpole's memoirs of the last ten years of George II's reign. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000108271