Miss Eden's Letters

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Eden Emily. Miss Eden's Letters

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I. 1814-1819

CHAPTER II. 1819-1820

CHAPTER III. 1820-1825

CHAPTER IV. 1825-1827

CHAPTER V. 1827-1828

CHAPTER VI. 1828-1829

CHAPTER VII. 1829-1830

CHAPTER VIII. 1830-1831

CHAPTER IX. 1831-1835

CHAPTER X. 1835-1837

CHAPTER XI. 1837-1840

CHAPTER XII. 1840-1842

CHAPTER XIII. 1842-1849

CHAPTER XIV. 1849-1863

Отрывок из книги

IN the autumn of 1913 a Life of Lord Clarendon1 was published, and among many of his letters were a few written to him by an old friend, Miss Eden. It was thought that a further selection of Emily Eden’s letters might be of interest.

She was a keen politician of the Whig order, clever, amusing, critical, an excellent friend and a devoted sister. Her father, William Eden,2 was the third son of Sir Robert Eden, Bart., of West Auckland, Durham, and he married in 1776 Eleanor Elliot, a sister of the 1st Earl of Minto.3 Two years later, Eden went as a Commissioner to America. He was Chief Secretary in Ireland under Lord Carlisle; Minister-Plenipotentiary in 1785 to the Court of Versailles; in 1788 Ambassador to Spain, and in the following year Ambassador to Holland; he was given a peerage in 1789 (Baron Auckland). Mrs. Eden, from her own account, was evidently a first-rate traveller; she took great interest in her husband’s work, and she had a child, often amidst much discomfort, in every country to which they were sent.

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That is the style she must now adopt. Ever your affect. sister,

MY DEAREST SISTER, The reason I am in such a state of ignorance about the letter is, that Mama and Louisa61 went to meet them in their way to London; that we were behind them in the poney-cart; and George behind us in the gig. We all fell in with each other and the letters in the middle of Penge Common, where we each took what belonged to us. I met immediately with the dreadful intelligence that you were going actually to take May Place, and on our recommendation, which dreadful intelligence I communicated to George, who immediately fainted away, and was driven off by his servant. I fainted away, and was driven off by Mary, and Mama and Louisa went on in hysterics to London. I really am quite in a fright about it, and cannot think what beauties I ever saw in it. The house is nothing but a pile of old bricks, the rooms cold, damp, dirty, inconvenient cells, the view cheerless and bleak, the offices large and decaying, the garden unproductive and expensive, the neighbours impertinent and intrusive, the gardener impudent, the housemaids idle, the landlord exacting, and the tenant in a terrible scrape indeed – and so is the tenant’s sister too, as far as I can make out… The only thing I know for certain is that I am to send our bricklayer there early to-morrow to look at the house, and to meet George, who goes there at break of day; and if I can bribe him, as he is a very clever person, to pull the whole thing down, I will. It is past letter-time, and I have not time to read over what nonsense I have written. Lady Byron62 and her child come here the 27th. Most affectionately yours,

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