Transcription
Madrid September. 7. Thursday Ev’h ‘43
My dearest M:
I have go into a way of scribbling during these / latter days, which bodes no good to the family at Nevis _ I am becoming / like Papa, somewhat mechanical for letters of business, and to you all / I write down whatever comes first in a gossiping manner, easier to write / than read _ this morning completed the week since my arrival, and / as after a good deal of fussing I shook Uncle Goeffrey’s hand at 6 o’clock / as he rattled away with the English COurier, this twhile time, not a gentleman / in the army, but one of the old messengers; a greyheaded queer Irishman, / ci-devant valet to Lord Londonderry.
Soon after breakfast by way of consolation, arrived the / letters by the steamer; dates to the 15th a short one from Papa; a nice long one / from [L-?]ecky, and one from George Schuyler : you + he were just setting out for / New-Haven + Bridgeport : and I hope you had a pleasant visit and excur - / sion _ As you all are kind enough to give me the brightsides of things, / I think of you always, pic-nicking; making excursions in the Dream; full / of fun and laughter, and I have a sort of posthumous enjoyment of these / pleasures _ It is a great relief too to hear that Papa’s affairs are improving / with the general condition of the Country _
This is my first day of solitary and “quiet enjoyment” and / as it is was always the first step which breaks ones in, I am getting on very / well : I was busy during the morning writing and afterwards driving about / to visit official people until about 5 when I came home to my solitary [^ dinner] : this / is I maintain the worst part of a single gentleman’s 24 hours; at least it / has been so always in my experiences, and particularly so at present after the / agreable tête dinners with Mr. I. when he was generally very lively : / however it was soon over and I returned to the books and papers _ I have sent / after him to night a bundle of letters from the Cottage _
Already I begin to consider my self a veteran housekeeper; Every / thing goes so smoothly; yet it is quite a machine to keep in motion; there is / a coachman, and a cook; and her aid de camp; and Juana; and my /
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“Body servant”, Pépè, a most intelligent boy’ rejoicing in a new hat and cockade, / and two splendid coats with the U.S. button _ when I go to Court, i shall select / the largest carving knife, and make a chasseur of him at once _ all these servants / are very good, and Juana; a favorable specimen of womankind, humanizes our old / bachelors considerably _ I began this letter as a sort of diary or gossiping talk with / you, by way of relief to the silence of the rest of the day; so that I must not full / my sheet at once; moreover I sent off last Ev’g or rather this morn’g, a long letter on / politics to papa + one to Uncle Philip; in addition to an epistle to [L-?]ecky last week : / I am writing at Mr. I’s table, and as all doors are open, I have a [ ^ see in] perspective through / these long rooms a faint light at the other end of the house some 60 or 70 feet distant; - / the lightning flashes through the windows and makes the darkness visible,and a most / refreshing shower is cooling the air after a hot + sultry day _ I shall run round the / corner between the drops to hear the Pirata for the first time to my great satisfaction : they say its well given _ buenas noches _ A.H.
Thursday Ev’g ½ past : 10 _ Here I am again adding a few lines to my journal, which / I must finish in two or three days for the steamer of the 19th; today being the 8th / About 12 this morning while I was writing in the office as Spanish minister was / announced : I found in the parlor M. Calderon de la Barca : he had two letters / for Mr. Irving; one from Prescott, + the other from Everett in London; and expressed / great regret that he had arrived a day too late to see him _ I had just been / reading a very favorable review of his wife’s book [^ in the Edinburgh] and was very glad to see / him in order to hear about Prescott; whose new work : “The conquest of Mexico”, Mr. Calderon has in sheets _ at 3 I set out to call upon the lady and drove / to ‘D'Albuquerque’s on my way : honest José wished to accompany me, but / while I was waiting for him, in came Mr. Aston for a farewell visit : he sat / talking until %; and as I was to dine with him at that hour precisely / the Calderon’s were passed postponed ‘till the Ev’g, and I had a not pursuit / after the English minister across the city; dressed; + arrived just in time for / dinner : At 9 Mr. & Md Albuqueque + [mysen?] made our visit _ We found / Mad’e Calderon and a gigantic scotch niece; whose country [^ origin] could not have / been mistaken anywhere _ Mad’e C. appeared to me like her sister; your young / “etherial” friend, whose cavalier I was for the nonce; and talked very plea - / santly _ she asked after you + Angel _ spoke of your playing +c +c _ In the / absence of Mr. I. to whom they come so strongly recommended, I have placed / myself at her disposal, to supply the loss, to the best of my ability :
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The accepted my offers with a civil speech about knowing me so well through / my sisters, or “words to that effect” as lawyers say _ here again you see as in other / cases, an acquaintance with you, proves my best recommendation;
Barcelona is again in a disturbed state : I have letters from / our Consul to the 4th at 7 A.m. on that day, 2000 men took possession of a large / square and a fire commenced between them and the citadel, by which many / lives were lost and many persons wounded; among the rest some unfortunate / “verduleras”, or huckster women; as it appears the contest took place near a / market _ the present row is got up by the ultra exaltados or republicans, who / are disgusted at the union between the moderate men of their party, and the / “moderados” or friend of Christina _ As a specimen of the sudden changes which / take place here, as in a pantomime, I will mention that Col’o Prim, the leader of / the insurrection against Espartero in Catalonia; and who clamored most loudly / against the bombardment, having returned to Barcelona as Governor and “Conde” / now directs the fire of grape + musketry against his former friends + associates : / from the Citadel _ Two short months have change the agitator + rebel, into an / office of high trust; the defender of order + tranqulity _ in as many days [wax seal/torn] / career me-[page torn] be cut short altogether; the republicans being incensed against him for [wax seal/torn] / desertion, + acceptance of a title + those now in this city openly declaring that [wax seal/torn] / will not escape _ nous verrons, as Ritchie used to say _ In the mean time the greater / part of the population of Barcelona are flying from the ??? twon, for the third or / fourth time this summer!; pleasant residence for quiet people _ good night _
Saturday Ev’g Sept 9th - The City is in an uneasy state and the news from / Barcelona + other quarters does not contribute to quiet the public mind _ notice / was given of a ceremony at the Lyceum [^ tonight] at which the Queen was to have been / present; the Corps diplomatique being invited _ it has just been countermanded / on the plea of her majesty’s illness, which I rather think is a pretence only.
I called again on Mad’ Calderon this morning and am / still more pleased with her on my second visit _ I am to be her chaperon to the / Picture Gallery on Monday and have placed my self [+ Mr. Irving’s carriage] at her disposal + happily / with best of my ability the older ??? of Mr. Irving the Scotch niece is terrific / and looks larger by day light than in the Evening, which is quite unnecessary :
I wrote to [Lecky?] about Mr. Sumner and how he had / bored Uncle Geoffrey : I have thought since he may be a friend of the Bowdoin’s / through his brother Charles _ keep that part of the letter quietly to yourselves
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Don Arturo is off tomorrow morning and is in high glee as the / time approaches _ he predicts all sorts of rows in a few days and says he / takes advantage of a “lull” to make his escape.
[Lecky?] gives me no later news of Miss Angelico, but George / says the public voice encourages seems to encourage my hopes, which is more / than I do for myself. Mrs. Loundes asked me for two sets of the little silver / ornaments of Andalusia and Im convinced one is for the little lady _ for fear of /
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Accidents, I shall, after the approved fashion of “Lovyers” send a kiss with / each :
All the letters are silent about mama’s ankle from which I / imagine she is entirely recovered :
You will receive this letter on a bright October day, / while you are enjoying the season of our year : I look forward hopingly to be / with you before another comes : Two years of absence are quite enough + / I look to the interval which remains with anxiety.
Farewell : much love to all your affectionate / A. H.
[ADDRESS]
Steamer
19th Sept’r
James A. Hamilton Esq.
9for Miss M. H.)
Nevis
Westchester County
New York
[POSTMARK - red ink]
SHIP
DELIVERY
[POSTMARK 2]
NEW YORK
OCT 8
[REVERSE OF ADDRESS]
7th September
Madrid
1843Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
