Letter to <persName ref="#Talfourd_Thos">T. N. Talfourd</persName>, 1822 August 13 Mary Russell Mitford Lisa M. Wilson Mary Russell Mitford Society: Digital Mitford Project University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Elisa Beshero-Bondar Transcription and coding by Lisa M. Wilson First digital edition in TEI, date: 24 May 2014. P5. Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Greensburg, PA, USA 2013

Reproduced by courtesy of the The John Rylands University Library.

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Digital Mitford Letters: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive The John Rylands University Library Mitford-Talfourd Correspondence: Letters from Mary Russell Mitford to Thomas Noon Talfourd: vol. 665 JRL English MS 665 no. 13 Coles no. 40 Letter from Mary Russell Mitford to T.N. Talfourd, 1822 August 13.

One quarto sheet of paper folded in half to form two octavo pages, and then folded into four panels to expose the address.

Address leaf bearing the following postmarks: 1) black elliptical Receiving House stamp Unpaid Berners St . 2) Sepia indented single rim oval stamp reading According to Coles, the stamp reads "2 o'Clock." 14 AU 1822

A large 2 denoting the fee for a single-sheet letter has been written in black ink by the postal service across the address leaf.

The upper right corner of page three is torn.

Red wax seal.

 Someone cataloging the letters, apparently other than Mitford, numbered each on page 1. This letter numbered 13.

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.

 Added this change-log, corrected titleStmt spacing issue. Proofed and corrected against ms. Added prosopography to site index.
Three Mile Cross August 13th My dear Sir

This morning brought me your very kind letter--I cannot express to you how much I am gratified & touched by your kindness & confidence--Oh may you be as happy as I wish you! And you will be so--There are some characters that make their own destiny, & your’s is one of them--& who can doubt the merits of the woman of your choice!Talfourd was at this point engaged to be married to Rachel Rutt. It will be amongst my first & highest pleasures to be made known to her. In the mean time meantime your secret shall be quite safe--you delight me by your promise to let us know the day--Oh we shall all drink bumpers to that toast--Out of your own families none can think of it with deeper interest. What must we be made of if we did not!--The same post that brought me your delightful letter, brought another that will give you pleasure too--a letter from Mr. Kemble that which I transcribe verbatim. My dear Madam--I have with encreased increased pleasure reperused the Tragedy of Foscari & am happy to inform you that with your consent we shall produce it as early as possible in the next season, which commences on the first of October. There will be a few slight alterations necessary to be made in it previously & the sooner the better. If you are coming to London & would honour me with a call, a few minutes conversation would suffice to make all the requisite arrangements with regard to its production I am -- &c &c--Is not this delightful. You did not expect it--did you?--Nor I I am sure--Nobody did but my dear Father--& you should have seen his Joy & his triumph! I believe it was necessary to have been as much cast down as I have been to have tasted such exquisite pleasure. God grant I may deserve it! I am so thrilling with joy & thankfulness that I can hardly write--but I could not let one day elapse without making the kind & unwearied partner of my fears & disappointments a part-ner in my hopes though perhaps you will not receive my letter yet awhile.-- I am so very slow I think in case the alter ations should be troublesome that I had better see Mr. Kemble as soon as I can & as Papa cannot stir before till after Saturday, I think to drive up to Town on Sunday or Monday (18th or 19th) to take his directions.--You will be better engaged--but Papa will call at the Temple just for five minutes to get your advice. I suppose Mr. Macready would not object to play the Doge, if Mr. Kemble should wish it--though of course I should not take the liberty to answer for it--Would it be right to leave the choice of performers & all affairs of that nature to the Manager? I suppose so. I hope you will be in Town for I am--we are--so totally ignorant of theatrical business that to see you only for two minutes would be an inexpressible comfort. Besides I am superstitious & don't think things would prosper without you.--I shall be at Mrs. Hofland's 23. Newman Street.--Once again my best & kindest friend accept our truest & heartiest thanks--If Foscari succeeds it will be entirely through you--In all but the mere language it is more your play than mine.--God bless you & prosper you & make you as happy as I wish you--& as I am at this moment--

Ever your's M R Mitford.

--Pray don't give yourself the trouble of walking to Newman Street at such a moment. My father will call on you--Once again God bless you

Dr. Mitford returned to Pump Co urt on Thursday Morng Morning ea rly

In one of the Nos. numbers of the Museum you will find a certain unworthy sonnet Coles suggests that this is "'On Reading a Ballad of <persName ref="#Wordsworth_Wm">Wordsworth</persName> ,' which appeared in the Museum, I (August 31, 1822), 301 ." (Coles #40, p. 201, note 6)..--How scandalously ill Mr. Campbell has behaved to you!--Oh he is the least of the little!
To T. N. Talfourd Esqre. No. 1. Pump Court Temple