Letter to <persName ref="#Talfourd_Thos">Thomas Noon Talfourd</persName>, August 31, 1822. 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 Elizabeth Raisanen Proofing and corrections by Elisa Beshero-Bondar Lisa M. Wilson First digital edition in TEI, date: January 25, 2014. P5. Edition made with help from photos taken by Digital Mitford editors Digital Mitford photo files: DSCF6135.JPG, DSCF6136.JPG, DSCF6137.JPG, DSCF6138.JPG Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Greensburg, PA, USA 2013

Reproduced by courtesy of the The University of Manchester.

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. 14 Coles no. 41 Letter from Mary Russell Mitford to T.N. Talfourd, 1822 August 31.

Folio sheet of paper folded in half to form four quarto pages, with correspondence on 1-3 and address leaf on page 4, then folded in thirds twice more and sealed for posting.

Address leaf bearing the following postmark: red double circle, text illegible

A large 7 denoting the fee for a single-sheet letter has been written in black ink by the postal service across the address leaf.

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

Remnants of red wax seal

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.
Three Mile Cross August 31st 1822.

Most heartily do we congratulate you, my dear Sir, on the happy event which your kind note announced to us. I do not know when or where my letter may reach you, but I must express somewhat of our overflowing good wishes, I must write to day, this very 31st of August. What a glorious day it has been, dewy & fresh & healthy & glowing, with such a sky as one sees sometimes in Berghem's Coles speculates that Mitford is here referring to the Dutch landscape painter Dirck van Bergen (or Berghen), but another likely possibility is Bergen's contemporary and fellow Dutch landscape painter Nicholas Berghem. landscapes smiling down on you like a fair bridal face. Are you superstitious enough to take such weather as an omen of prosperity & happiness? I am. I have been watching it from the bright morning to the golden sunset, thinking how much it resembled the brilliant daylight of your genius & character, & wishing--oh how sincerely!--that the whole course of your future life may be as unclouded as your wedding day. My Father & Mother are dining at Dr. Valpy's--you can imagine with how much delight & enthusiasm your healths would be drunk there--I & our little household did not forget to do the same at home. You will not need to be told how cordially Mrs. Talfourd is included in our good wishes, or with how deep an interest we look forward to the happiness of being made known to her. It will be such a pleasure to talk to her of all that I owe to your kindness. Will she accompany you to Reading in October? I hope so. She should see with her own eyes & hear with her own ears the intense admiration with which Reading, romantic only in that, regards her husband.

How inimitably good you were to give a moment's thought to Foscari at such a time. I returned the Play a day or two ago with the roses swept clear away from the first act--even Camilla's dream--the curse much modified--& the Doge's part enlarged if not improved at the conclusion--intimating that I would readily make any other alteration that might be desired. Do you think there can be any doubt of its being acted? After Mr. and Mrs. C. Kemble 's assurances it is wrong even to ask such a question--but I have got into a sad habit of fearing about that Play, & am afraid even of making too sure--& you yourself, who are always so cheering & comforting seemed not quite certain. Yet I ought not to doubt--they are people of high character, & were so very kind, so very frank & open--then his eyes are so honest & sincere--they set a seal upon his words--a man born with such a look is born to act rightly. Did you never remark those eyes of his?--I will not fear--should I?--Even the dear Doctor, that modern Cassandra has given up foretelling that Foscari will not be performed--he consoles himself with a little lurking doubt as to its success--he does not say so though, which is wonderful--he only says "Ah if it were Mary's other Play--that takes from my Orestes Presumably Euripides' play Orestes.!

I understand that a meeting of the Billiard Club is to be called for next Thursday to consider of the affair of the John Bull. I don't very well see what the Billiard Club can do in it. Certain of the members indeed can prove that they were not present at the time alleged, & others that they never heard the words attributed to Mr. Palmer--but it appears to be that the question is purely personal & individual & does not concern any party or society whatsoever. I wonder that instead of referring the affair to this meeting Mr. Palmer does not take it up himself. Could not he prosecute these voracious Journalists in such a manner as to allow them to prove the truth of their story if they could? And would not this be the best, the most public, the most unquestionable way of refuting the falsehood? Besides the duty of exposing such libellers, it would really be worth while to undergo their slander to be defended & vindicated as he might be, & undoubtedly will be, if the Meeting, as I hope will be the case, should advise a prosecution. Mr. Palmer's wealthiest & heartiest supporters the Locks's Champions &c. are I hear decidedly for the strongest & boldest measures--a trial like this in the Court of King's Bench With all Reading to hear it & a good deal of London would be a fine opportunity--would it not? One should forgive the John Bullthen, at least I should--even for the trick they played my poor dear Father. He will of course attend the Meeting & give his testimony to the untruth as far as he is concerned in any way Mr. Palmer desires--But I hope he will prosecute. How impertinent it is in me in my ignorance to talk at all on such a subject especially to you!--Here come my Father & Mother. Yes! They did drink your healths in the Forbury with all the ardour & affection of which I was so full.

Tuesday.--The Bride cake, with its pretty appendages, is just arrived--I looked at the cards, one of them especially, with so much pleasure as a pledge of future acquaintanceship--May I dare to say of future friendship--again & again, accept, & make acceptable to Mrs. Talfourd our sincerest & warmest congratulations & good wishes--& believe me ever, my dear Sir,

Most gratefully & affectionately your's M. R. Mitford.

How is poor Miss Lamb?
To T. N. Talfourd Esqre No. 1 Pump Court Temple London
Dirck van Bergen Dirck van Bergen Berghen Haarlem Haarlem Painter Dirck van Bergen (or Berghen) was a seventeenth-century Dutch landscape painter.