 | Letters of Mrs. Adams, |  |
TO MRS. CRANCH.
Your kind letters of July and August are before
me. I thank you most sincerely for the particular
manner in which you write. I go along with you,
those I love; and I enjoy more pleasure from
those imaginary scenes than I do from the drawing-room
at St. James's. In one, I feel myself your
friend and equal. In the other, I know I am looked
down upon with a sovereign pride, and the smile of
royalty is bestowed as a mighty boon. As such,
however, I cannot receive it. I know it is due to
my country, and I consider myself as complimenting
the power before which I appear as much as I am
complimented by being noticed by it. With these
ideas, you may be sure my countenance will never
wear that suppliant appearance, which begs for notice.
Consequently, I never expect to be a Court favorite.
Nor would I ever again set my foot there, if the
etiquette of my country did not require it. But,
whilst I am in a public character, I must submit to the
penalty; for such I shall ever esteem it.
You will naturally suppose that I have lately been
much fatigued. This is very true. I attended the
drawing-room last week, upon the anniversary of
the coronation of their Majesties. The company
were very brilliant, and her Majesty was stiff with
diamonds; the three eldest Princesses and the Prince
of Wales were present. His Highness looked much
better than when I saw him before. He is a stout,
well-made man, and would look very well if he had
not sacrificed so much to Bacchus. The Princess
Elizabeth I never saw before. She is about fifteen;
a short, clumsy miss, and would not be thought handsome
if she was not a princess. The whole family
corpulent. I should know them in any part of the
world. Notwithstanding the English boast so much
of their beauties, I do not think they have really so
much of it as you will, find amongst the same proportion
of people in America. It is true that their
complexions are undoubtedly fairer than the French,
and in general their figure is good. Of this they
make the best; but I have not seen a lady in England
who can bear a comparison with Mrs. Bingham,
Mrs. Platt, and a Miss Hamilton, who is a Philadelphia
young lady. Amongst the most celebrated of their
beauties stands the Duchess of Devonshire, who is
masculine in her appearance. Lady Salisbury is
small and genteel, but her complexion is bad; and
Lady Talbot is not a Mrs. Bingham, who, taken
altogether, is the finest woman I ever saw. The intelligence
of her countenance, or rather, I ought to
say, animation, the elegance of her form, and the
affability of her manners, convert you into admiration;
and one has only to lament too much dissipation and
frivolity of amusement, which have weaned her from
her native country, and given her a passion and thirst
after all the luxuries of Europe.
The finest English woman I have seen is the
eldest daughter of Mr. Dana, brother to our Mr.
Dana; he resides in the country, but was in London
with two of his daughters, when I first came here.
I saw her first at Ranelagh. I was struck with her
appearance, and endeavoured to find who she was;
for she appeared like Calypso amongst her nymphs,
the crowd, as a stranger. I had not long admired
her, before she was brought by her father and introduced
to me, after which she made me a visit, with
her sister, who was much out of health. At the
same time that she has the best title of any English
woman I have seen to the rank of a divinity, I would
not have it forgotten that her father is an American,
and, as he was remarkably handsome, no doubt she
owes a large share of her beauty to him.
I dread to hear from my dear aunt, lest melancholy
tidings should reach me with respect to her.
She is at the same critical period of life which
proved fatal to Mrs. B. I will, however, hope that
she may yet be spared to her friends. Though her
health would never permit her to engage in the
active business of her family, she was attentive to
the interest and welfare of every individual of it.
Like Sarah, she was always to be found in her tent.
A more benevolent heart never inhabited a human
breast. It was well-matched and seconded in a
partner equally benevolent and humane, who has
shared with us our former griefs, and will find us
equally sympathetic towards himself, should so great
a misfortune attend him as I fear. Indeed, I know
not how to take my pen to write to him. I do not
wonder that your heart was affected, or your spirits
low, under the apprehension of losing one so deservedly
dear to us all. Should this ornament be
broken from the original building, it will be another
memento to us of the frailty of the whole, and that
desire to stand, the last naked pillar of the whole?
I believe our social affections strengthen by age;
as those objects and amusements which gratified our
youthful years lose their relish, the social converse
and society of friends becomes more necessary.
To social man true relish of himself."
But I must close, as I am going to dine to-day
with my friend Mrs. Rogers, where I have given
myself an invitation, the occasion of which I will
reserve for the subject of another letter, and subscribe
myself affectionately yours,
| Letters of Mrs. Adams, | |