| Transcript or Index | I hope, my beloved friend,
that I may now find you returned to dear
Shipley, but tho I am deeply in your debt
I sh[oul]d not have written by this post, if
I had not been led to do it by a letter
just received from my poor unfortunate
Cousin. She tells me that Mrs Williams
is to sail in the first ship w[hic]h she hopes
will be early in next month; that she
is extremely anxious to go w[i]th her;
but that Mrs W has written twice, & she
herself once to Mr Mundy, & can obtain
no answer. She says “my Mother fully
acquainted Mr Mundy before he left London
w[i]th her inability to equip me, or pay my
passage, & I trust he will not oblige her
to leave me behind.” She writes to me to
ask your address, & I have answered by
advising her to direct to Shipley. Mr Mundy
[page 2]
seem’d desirous of forwarding this plan, & though
I cannot help fearing that her letter has been
lost as one of mine to him was some months
ago, if you can assist me I know you will,
& certainly it is high time that the matter
sh[oul]d be decided one way or another.
Your most kind & wellcome letter
gave me a delightful account of your sojourn
at Button Ferry, where I wish I had been
w[i]th you. I hope your long journey has
been equally prosperous, & that you are now
safely lodged at home. I am still touring
about Bath, but I have not been much
in my own house. I have lent it to my
Brother who is here to try the waters,
& I visit him most days, but I stay
a little way out of Town, tho’ near enough
to see him & poor L[ad]y Bradfield[?] when
I please. I cannot boast much of health
just at present, but I suppose I shall be
better some time or other. I trust that
my Brother is better for Cheltenham, &
that he will be still better for Bath.
[page 3]
His wife & children are returned home.
I have a good account of my sister’s health
of very late date, but she is uneasy about the
state of public affairs, & I expect that Buonaparte
will oblige her to leave Italy, tho’ it is not now
easy to come home. God only knows where
danger lies, & I hope & trust he will protect
her. She was too far from Naples to learn
anything of the dreadful calamity there
except from report, but she speaks of it
as more extensive than anything of the
kind ever known before, except the earth-
quake in Calabria some years ago.
L[ad]y Feilding I believe is at Tenby. I had
a letter from her w[hi]ch gives some explanation,
tho’ not a very clear one, of the claim
made on the estate w[hi]ch was charged w[i]th
the portions of the natural children, along
with other estated, for the payment of L[ad]y
Denbigh’s jointure. L[ad]y F seems to have
been ignorant of this till very lately, & to
have interfered no further than to prevent
a claim being made for arrears since the
death of L[or]d Denbigh. By this time you
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probably know more of the matter than I do. You
have acted as you have always done, & I hope the
whole of this troublesome business will now be settled.
If poor Mary escapes mischief during the voyage, (for
w[hi]ch ugliness seems to be her only security), & makes an
honest marriage, I shall be truly glad of it; but I cannot
think that Mrs W- can teach her anything but her own
trade, & for that luckily she has not the qualification of beauty.
I have a nice letter from Mrs Middleton,
written from her new house, but w[i]th her usual
charming spirits. – Forgive a stupid letter
writer w[i]th an aching head; & believe me ever
my dearest Nelly, faithfully & most affect[tionate]ly yr
H W Bowdler
Bath Sept 23
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