The Mary Hamilton Papers : Letter from Francis Napier, 8th Lord Napier, to Mary Hamilton

Napier, Francis Scott, 8th Lord

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Francis Napier, 8th Lord Napier, to Mary Hamilton, concerning the General Election. Napier writes in confidence to Hamilton that he is indifferent to election matters for a couple of reasons. One is that he is not entirely convinced that a seat in the House of Lords will be of much advantage to ‘such a Beggar as myself’. He also thinks it is quite likely that he will be elected. He calculates ‘there cannot be more than Sixty Three Voters, out of which Opposition cannot have more than Twenty Eight’. Napier lists how he believes the votes will be divided and how each Peer will vote. There are twenty-nine candidates at the moment. Lady Stormont has written to Napier three times asking him to support Lord Stormont, whilst Napier reports that Lord Stormont has behaved to him in ‘his usual manner [...] with great insincerity’. He has informed Lady Stormont that he will be willing to exchange a vote with Stormont ‘if he does not involve publicity to support me’ and that ‘she must not be offended if I give my Suffrages to such Lords as will’.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Napier continues the letter with news of family and friends. He has heard nothing and cares little of Jane, Duchess of Atholl. She never called on Lady Napier after her marriage and Napier would not allow his wife to make the first advance.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at Wilton Lodge, [Roxburghshire].</p>