MS West Devon Record Office Acc 1092/8
My dear Anne
How sorry I am to hear that Mary has a cold to pull her down just as she was getting better. I hope it will not last, but this is bad weather for shaking it off. It signifies rather more than my nose. I have been laughing much at the sensation that made two months after it had quite recovered. And after all it was not in consequence of my labours for my countrywomen, but rather that in October, being very unhappy about Alethea Mackarness2 and rather forlorn at Julian’s departure, I worked very much & raced from one thing to another to drive out worrying about them, and altogether that was rather too much, but port wine and sulphuric acid soon set all to rights again.
Have you heard of the railroad accident? It was at 11 1/2 on Saturday night, part of the tire of the wheel was loose, and they got off the line close by the Moat House Farm, at least they were off the rails from where the arch is across the road, and just by the Moat House the engine ran down the embankment on the side towards Brambridge, carrying with it the tender and post office van, but happily the 3 carriages broke off, and were left. The stoker was killed, and the engineer had his legs so crushed that he died the same night, the 2 post office men were much hurt, and there is a report that one is dead. The letters were scattered on the bank. I was just gone to bed when it happened, and heard the steam whistle long and loud, but little thought how much it meant. The Policeman at Bishopstoke who was watching saw the light run off the lines and sent an engine to see what was the matter. On Sunday after Church we went to look at the place, the engine & tenter lay there covered with tarpaulin and there were a good many people about, very quiet and orderly. James, the Hursley coachman asked Papa it had happened from a ‘coalition’. I am so glad you found out the Pitpat Mason I put it in on purpose. I hope you will read the Women of Christianity, it is such a beautiful book. D’Israeli’s Charles I is one that I much want to read. Mrs Heathcote had the two first Insect Episodes in the book club but she did not like them, and so will not get the third which we are very sorry for as we liked them extremely. Miss Cooper’s Rural Hours is another very pretty book, it is a sort of country Journal of the birds, flowers &c in a village in America. Is it not curious than [sic] our weeds, which have travelled there no one knows how, should be driving out the native American plants, such as the pitcher plant &c. Poppies seem the only ones that are not rampant, and they will grow as cultivated in gardens though never in the corn like ours. Tell Duke that there is a story for boys coming in the next Packet, but it is a very dismal one. Poor Judith, Susan Whorley’s sister, whose husband was killed at Bishopstoke, is fast dying of decline, she had it before, but his death seems to have hastened it, and she is so happy as it. Before she knew she was in such a state, she used to sign her letters to Susan Your unhappy sister, now she has quite left it off. Her mother is with her at Bishopstoke. Another of our girls, Fanny Backhurst married a soldier, and last summer came to stay with her father, bringing a little boy of three, who used to drill his little aunts. Now the poor thing has just died of a chill she caught three weeks after her baby was born, and her mother has just been to Wolverhampton to fetch home the little baby. The father is only 21, and some of his relations take the boy, he allows Mrs Backhurst 3 shillings per week, which is somewhat handsome, I think.
What fun about William Barnes. I wonder how he comported himself it must have been very awkward. Anne Hedges looks more cadaverous than ever, but Stoneham was said to disagree with her, and she had more work there, she had dreadful headaches, but she has not had one since she has been here. You know Martha is no further off than Misselbrook’s shop, her little Mary who is about a year and a half old is one of the prettiest children I ever saw.
Mr Wither has Mr & Mrs Janvrin staying with him, a Winchester clergyman. She is having her head modelled by Mr Lucas, and is very handsome. Papa and I dined there yesteray, unluckily Mamma had a headache and could not go, & Kezia went to wait. You would have laughed to see Mr Wither snatch up the one candle lamp off the drawing room table, leaving the Janvrins in the dark, when he came to escort us out at the front door.
Mamma and I are very busy reading Maculloch’s Natural Theology, a book Duke would highly approve.3
your most affectionate
CMY