Italy
To Lady Olivia Sparrow, [March 1820]
A kind, agreeable, long and interesting letter from dear Miss Sparrow should be answered directly but that I am in deep arrears to your Ladyship. Nothing can be more obliging than her little details, than which nothing makes letters so pleasant. Public events are just now of so complicated & overwhelming a nature that even to touch upon /them/ would fill my paper and occupy your time to little purpose. I truly pity the K–* How surely does God at one time or other visit our errors and bring our sins to remembrance! How he will get extricated the wisest seem not to know. I have just got a letter from a friend whose habits lay open much information to him. He tells me that a Gentleman of his acquaintance on whom the firmest reliance may be placed is lately come from the Continent. Passing through a small town in Italy he stopped at an Inn and desired to see a good bed. On being shown one, he said it was not large enough for him and his Wife –"Not large enough," said the Mistress of the Inn, "why the Princess of Wales and the Baron her Chamberlain Slept in it last week, and so they have done twenty times before and they never complained that it was too small." You don’t mean that they slept together said the gentleman? Yes replied the woman I do, as they have always done." One or two such testimonies woud be proof positive. But then in what a distracted state would it place this poor country.* – I fear we are emulating in all its parricidal horrors! What a Providential escape of the Ministers I grieve to think what a flood of drunkenness, idleness and perjury this premature Parliamentary election will introduce, – A propos. I am desired to request your vote and interest for Lord John Russel who is canvassing . I know nothing of him, but that I fear he is what I call, on the wrong side. They speak well of his talents*
To Lady Olivia Sparrow, 28 May 1823
What a chain of Providences, especially when one considers every connecting link, may be traced from the conversion of the Vice Consul at Villa France, to the erection of the Church by that dear glorious, rational, Enthusiast, (if I may couple Epithets never meant to meet) to your bestowing on the fine little boy an English Christian education. May the Almighty confirm the important work, of which the consecutive events are so striking! He who has graciously overrated your bitter trials in that Popish land, will not fail to bless a scheme so calculated to promote his glory.*
To Lady Olivia Sparrow, [20? October 1816]
I hope you have seen a little poem called ‘Emigration’.* It is written by a young Clerical friend of mine, but is Anonymous. It is a Subject very important to the religious, moral, and patrio[tic] [tear] interests of this Country. The great and Opulent are flying from their own country to . They have turned their numerous Servants upon the world to beg or to rob. They injure Government by escaping the Taxes, and starve the poor for want of labour. Lord Darlington who draws £6000 a year from this Parish has never given it a guinea while we little people are drained.* I have a large School in two adjoining parishes, the inhabitants are all /poor/ Miners, not one able to give a farthing and trade is so bad they cannot sell a single bag of Ore, they are near perishing.* In the mean time our very Curates are living at . It really makes my heart Ach. I have several Correspondents on the Continent, all describe our Ladies as notoriously violating the Sabbath, this is not Mr. Marriott’s fault* The Pope himself expressed his disappointment at the character of the English ladies at and the gayest Sunday assemblies are held by our Country women. Is it not making Religion a Geographical distinction to do in France or Italy what they would not do in ? If still with you thank the Bishop for his kind letter. I greatly love and esteem Mrs. Ryder