The Mary Hamilton Papers : Letter from Lady Catherine Herries (née Foote) to Mary Hamilton

Herries (née Foote), Catherine

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Lady Catherine Herries to Mary Hamilton. The letter is concerned with the death of Miss Handcock, the King's recovery from illness, the delivery to Hamilton of an important package and, briefly, literature.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Herries writes in some detail on the process of forwarding Hamilton a package by wagon and of her relief that Hamilton has at last received the package safely. She informs Hamilton that Mrs Carter has given her £10, and from this she has taken £3.6.4 as payment to herself for the 'disbursement' for Hamilton and the remainder has been given to Anna Maria Clarke as requested.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Herries knows that Hamilton will be shocked by the death of Miss Handcock, as she herself was, but 'I daily see reason not to lament her departure - Her Change is no doubt blessed & there was no more hope of human comfort[,] for the friend of her soul [Mrs Vesey] was worse than dead to her'. Mrs Vesey continues to ask for her and misses her greatly but she no longer has the 'recollection & faculties' to understand her loss. Herries notes that 'we all see' her from time to time, and Vesey's relation, Lady Cremorne, she believes sees her daily.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The letter continues on the 'joyful' news of the recovery of the health of the King, on the promised item that Herries will forward to her friend and of a parody she has read of <i><i>Macbeth</i></i> which she thinks is 'clever', and she ends her letter asking if Hamilton's uncle, Sir William Hamilton, is to come.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at St James's Street, [London].</p>