Letter to <persName ref="#Talfourd_Thos">Thomas Noon Talfourd</persName>, November 30, 1821 Mary Russell Mitford Lisa M. Wilson Mary Russell Mitford Society: Digital Mitford Project University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Elisa Beshero-Bondar Transcription and coding by Lisa M. Wilson Julie G. Fish Date last checked: 2017-09-06 Proofing and corrections by Lisa M. Wilson First digital edition in TEI, date: . P5. Edition made with help from photos taken by Digital Mitford editors Digital Mitford photo files: DSCF6126.jpg, DSCF6127.jpg, DSCF6128.jpg Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Greensburg, PA, USA 2013

Courtesy of The University of Manchester.

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Digital Mitford Letters: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive John Rylands Library Mitford-Talfourd Correspondence: Letters from Mary Russell Mitford to Thomas Noon Talfourd: vol. 665 JRL English MS 665 (R69047) no. 10; Coles no. 25 Letter from Mary Russell Mitford to Thomas Noon Talfourd, 1821 November 30. Postmarked December 1, 1821 and letter headed "Friday night." November 30, 1821 was a Friday.

Paper, four surfaces photographed. Folded in half, then in thirds.

Address leaf bearing black circular mileage postmark, partially illegible, reading READING . Second postmark is red double circle Duty stamp reading B 1 DE 1 1821 . A large 2 denoting the posting fee has been written in black ink by the postal service across the address leaf.

Sheet (pages three and four) torn on top right edge; more than half of the top edge missing, measuring 8 cm long and 1.5 to 2 cm deep.

Red wax seal, partial, adhered to page four.-->

 Someone, apparently other than Mitford, perhaps cataloging letters and describing them, who left grey pencil marks on her letters now in the The John Rylands Library collection. This letter is numbered "10" in the top left of the first leaf.

Mitford’s spelling and punctuation are retained, except where a word is split at the end of a line and the beginning of the next in the manuscript. Where Mitford’s spelling and hyphenation of words deviates from the standard, in order to facilitate searching we are using the TEI elements “choice," “sic," and “reg" to encode both Mitford’s spelling and the regular international standard of Oxford English spelling, following the first listed spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary. The long s and ligatured forms are not encoded.
10 Three Mile Cross Friday Night.

Thank you very much very much, my dear Sir, for your kind letter of preparation. Ah you need not fear that I should be too sanguine--Those happy days are passed with me long long ago. I am now perfectly resigned to either of the two other Catastrophes that await me & Foscari, the being rejected on the one hand or wretchedly acted on the other. Neither calamity can alter the sincere & ardent gratitude that I shall always feel to you, my Kindest friend--though I am heartily sorry to have engaged so much of your valuable time on so worthless a subject.--No, we shall not I think gain any thing by speaking to Mr. Milman--It was not to me but to my father that he made the speech which I reported to you verbatim--on returning the Play, he again said that he was sorry his hands were tied--he seemed rather luke warm then my Father says--which I have no doubt resulted from his not greatly liking the Piece, indeed the little merit that it has is of quite an opposite nature to that which he admires--I cannot think that the Tragedy now in the Theater is his--He could not have said & repeated that he was sorry he had not known of mine before recommending another if it were. No gentleman could do such a thing. But we had better say nothing to him. It might do harm.--Mr. Robins is, my father thinks, worth trying. We are sure of his kindness, & some time ago he had a coniderable sum of money in the concern--whether that continues or not we do not exactly know--if it does he must have influence, if not he probably has no other interest than that of mere personal intimacy with Mr. Harris--which I agree with you in rating very low--he is also intimate with Mr. Fawcett & Mr. Young--Would that do any good? At all events my father thinks Mr. Robins's interest so well worth trying that he proposes to go to Town on Sunday to see him. He will take care to steer clear of Mr. Taylor--& will of course report to you his success with Mr. Robins. Mr. Quayle seems so completely have vanished from the scene that there is no use in running after him.

Do you think it would do any good to get Miss James to call on Mr. Young or write to him? I don't know that she would--for ever since the unlucky affair of the rejected alterations she has maintained a dignified silence--that is to say that she is in a thorough fit of the sullens. Nevertheless I know so well the E excellence & kindness of her heart, that I am quite sure she would be most ready & willing to do any good office to even to to a friend in disgrace--& you know the opportunity of a conferring a favor is a glorious come off for an angry lady, who happens to be rather romantic. I am quite sure of her dear soul--but I would not engage her in a troublesome solicitation unless it were likely to avail--& I am very much afraid that with the present Catastrophe it is quite in vain to expect >Mr. Young to play the Doge--though she (Miss James) had the strange notion that his was the first character. Shall I write to her? You must tell by my father if I should.

We are delighted to hear that you require no advice--Take care of yourself nevertheless--Kindest regards from all--

Ever most gratefully & affectionately your's yours M. R. Mitford.

I hope you have made my most grateful thanks to Mr. Macready. I wish Foscari were more worthy of him!
To T. N. Talfourd Esqre No. 1 Pump Court Temple London
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