The Mary Hamilton Papers : Letter from Henry Hamilton to Mary Hamilton

Hamilton, Henry

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Henry Hamilton to Mary Hamilton. He is happy to hear that John Dickenson's health is improving. When he reflects that he is so far away from those he loves his 'first impulse is that of regret' but then he remembers that he is not entirely forgotten and he had much pleasure in receiving letters and finds that his 'European friends' have much news and information to part and hence are able to write long letters which must be interesting to one so isolated.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Hamilton writes of when he was at University in Oxford with one of his Cousins who was to become a Dean in Tuan? Ireland [Frederick Hamilton?] and of ridiculing his card playing aunts. His cousin 'with a long grave face [...] [said] we should never laugh at our relations'. Hamilton noted that he believed his relations to be 'fair game'. [Hamilton repeats the same story in HAM/1/4/6/4]. Hamilton describes himself as an Irish Patriot, with England as 'his Foster Country'.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The letter continues with news on acquaintances and on the subject of flowers and plants that he has grown in Bermuda. He then notes that he will turn to a subject that is very familiar to him, 'that dear delightful creature myself' and continues to write on his thoughts and that he wishes to see England again where so many of his friends are.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at St Georges [Bermuda].</p>