The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the LatterWellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of
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The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the Latter
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852 -- Correspondence
However, there is an end of this matter. I hope that your writing
to me will never be disturbed again by any checks or
difficulties; or expressions which I assure you can never be
intended to convey any meaning but one of kindness towards you,
and of admiration of your Talents, your character and your
Devotion to what is good. Believe me Ever Yours most sincerely
W.
Of the following letters Miss J. gives extracts in her Diary. There are
few of his epistles in which the Duke fails to express his thanks to
Miss J. for her kindness in writing to him. However gratifying this may
have been to her, the constant repetition becomes monotonous to the
indifferent reader. Miss J. writes:--
"The next letter from His Grace is dated July 11th, 1835, in which
he writes--'You are mistaken in thinking that I at all disapprove
of the independence of character and conduct which I had observed.
I hope that you may never feel otherwise towards me than in the
State of Independence to say and write to me whatever your mind may
suggest.'
"In his letter of July 18th the Duke writes--'I thank you for your
Letter received this morning. What I meant by reflection was not to
call your attention to anything particularly passing in the world,
but to the impressions made upon your own mind by any circumstance
you might have observed.----You will tell me that God will direct
you. So He will. But He has given us a Mind, the power of comparing
and reflecting, of deciding what is true and what is false and He
requires us to exercise our judgment in Matters on which He has
given us the capability of forming judgment. You'll tell me that I
am acting your part and teaching you instead of attending to you.
But I beg you observe it is only in explanation of what I wrote to
you in a former letter upon the subject of your change of opinion
respecting an individual at Ramsgate.'
"The Duke here refers to a Preacher who had spoken in the open air
at Ramsgate of whom I had previously written."
"The Duke's next letter implies that he understood I was about to
return to Town, inducing him to express an intention of calling on
me but such was not the will of The Lord of Lords, therefore I did
not accede to it, but proceeded expeditiously from Ramsgate to
Harrowgate. Here His Grace's letters followed me."
LONDON, July 24th, 1835.
MY DEAR MISS J.,--I received your Letter by the Post written on
Wednesday; and have this day received that written in London to
inform me that you was about to go to Harrowgate. I am much
obliged to you for both.
It is true that I am in the habit of writing Answers to all
Letters. But I feel great satisfaction in writing to some; to
those in particular from whom I am desirous of receiving Letters;
and who express a Desire to hear from me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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