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This letter was written when Pendlebury was still in Liverpool although he was in the process of moving, in the letter he talks of letting his house. The Roscoes mentioned in this letter could well be the Liverpool Roscoes who married into the Caldwell family (Linley Wood). The letter is addressed to Mary Houghton at "Mr Lewis Cooper's Magdalen Street Norwich". Lewis Cooper is the same Lewis Cooper who sent the letter with the job offer dated 1811.
The spelling is as per the letter. Note the arcane use of the f style s where there is a double ss as in addrefs. I cannot replicate this on the computer.
Friday Nov 1st 1822
My dear Mary
As the morning is drizzly, & I have had
the American author and Martin, with his Letemata till past 12, I shall employ
the remainder of it by giving you in return for your Norfolk scenery, my diary
for the week - Sunday, dined at the Hunter's, who has been for weeks, under a
regular occulist, taking powerful medicines, and using painful washes for eyes -
James Foster by two drefsings, as I did not fail to let the Hunters know, was
restored from a much worse state - but, poor man, the first use he made of his
recovered sight was to lose his too susceptible heart, without, at present any
prospect of return - from Yates's inexorable Cook. Monday & Tuesday called
at the Jevons's, Anderson's, Parry's & Roscoe's - The 3 first will give every
afsistce to Yates during my abence Yates himself will undertake to
get for himself what help is necefsary - Jevons engages for the 15th & 22 Dec.
My visit to the Roscoe's was to introduce a fine pheasant which the Downards had
sent on Tuesday morning. Mrs W. R. looks better than ever - the Londoners
are all gone home the rest of the party to Southport - She desired her love to
you - as did Mifs Miriam Roscoe, whom I met yesterday, whith the most placid
smile on the park road - Wednesday dined at Richard Yates's with his
father & family - Thursday walked to Martin's & on returning, called at Mifs
Melifsarle Nicholson's who is so poorly that Mifs Arabella Senr is banished into
some rural retreat - but Mifs Arabella Junr having strained her ancle is
stretched on another sofa near her aunt - Mrs Joseph is there and particularly
inquired after you & desired me to get up to the invalids - Soon after I got
home Fanny called for a direction to you, as she had been writing a letter - Mrs
Martin was exceeding importunate for your return to Liverpool - She read me a
letter from Lady Smith who with Sir James is now at Holcomb describing the
present Mrs Cokes profusion of flaxen or rather silken ringlets that decorate
rose - Martin's children also Mifs Coke with an engaging young nobleman to whom
she is going to be united are all blooming the youngest a very fine one indeed -
He thinks a paragon almost equal to Letemata - yesterday while I was out called
Mrs H & Corfe - Mrs H waits for the escort of John a little longer - I have put
on the window "To be Let" - Fanny has heard of somebody who wishes to take the
house furnished for a month or six weeks - this might be a security during my
absence - the Landlord who was here the other night says there is no doubt of
getting a tenant by the end of March my kind Remembces to the Coopers
and our Norwich fds. You shd always date yr letter for the sake of habit.
Saturday Mrs H. and Corfe callled just as I was going out - both desired to be
kindly remembered to you - to the latter I generally administer a glafs of f
red wine and a spunge cake, to the former a glafs of my own Saccharrifsa Melifsa,
which she thinks the most exquisite she has ever tasted - and both seem the
better for it. On my return from Everton met with the Nicholsons who
invited me to dinner - but as I could not today - tomorrow - as soon as I get
home a lady and her daughter came to inquire about the house - which however
they wd not want till March or April - I hear Mr Harris has paid off
James Forster and Henry Taylor and Hargreaves - Mr Hincks is to preach his first
sermon tomorrow. And now, I am beginning to look forward Wednesday -
Farewell my dear child May all that the world can give and ten thousand times
more be thine - Between the 8th and 15th Dec I hope to b e with you again.
Yates would let me come before but I rather wish to protract my stay on the
other side of Xmas than before it and I Rarch will probably e the last of all -
What shd we take into Norfolk - you may consider what will be worth while - I am
yr
most affecte father
PHoughton