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

Foote (née Herries), Nina, Herries (née Foote), Catherine

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Nina Herries and Lady Catherine Herries to Mary Hamilton. The letter is in two parts: the first part written by Nina Herries, the second part by Lady Catherine Herries. The letter relates to the situation in France and to news of friends.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Nina Herries writes with general news, on Lady Herries's health and on the situation in France. Nina is happy to hear from Hamilton that she and her husband had benefited from bathing and that they are to come to town. Nina reports that she and Lady Herries have spent time in the country three or four times for a day or two the last month and enjoyed their time there. Lady Herries 'has begun her Sunday Evening parties' and Mrs Hunter also holds a party on Wednesday evenings, which they usually go to. Nina then turns to politics and to the situation in the Low Countries (see HAM/1/17/135). Almost 'all the Low Countries have declared against the Emperor & it is generally thought they will be acknowledged as independent as they have all asserted their liberty'. Moving on to France she notes that there are no more planned visits to France and she hears that the King is in 'some sort of a prison' and French people are arriving here each day 'of both parties I believe, but particularly of the King's'. She notes that they 'complain much about the National Assembly that they are dilatory of their reform of government'. She concludes that the revolutions in both France and the Low Countries are 'astonishing' and writes of patriotic collections of silver such as thimbles and buckles.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Lady Herries writes of Hamilton's friend, Miss Gunning (see <a target='_blank' class='externalLink uom-purple' href='https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/manchesteruniversity/data/gb133-ham/ham/1/15'>HAM/1/15</a>, Charlotte Gunning), who has now married [Colonel Hon. Stephen Digby]. She hopes that it will be a happy marriage, as both husband and wife have long known each other.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at St James's Street, [London].</p>