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Description
Long letter in which Macfarlane discusses a number of Chase's English friends and relates her future travel plans as well as a box she plans to send to Chase containing items from a number of his friends.
Date
6-18-1826
Keywords
Mr. Wiggin, Miss Smith, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Walker, Dr. H., London, Lady Rosse, Nayland, Dr. Ward, Bishop of Salisbury, G.W. Marriott, Eliza Wiggin, Dr. Patrick, Great Horkesley, Colchester, Philander Jr., Mrs. Chase
Recommended Citation
Macfarlane, Duff, "Letter to Philander Chase" (1826). Philander Chase Letters. 631.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/chase_letters/631
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Transcript
Gestingthrope [sic] June 18th 1826
Right Rev’d & very dear Sir,
I do not know if you will immediately recollect what this place is [for] its [home]; only that having rec’d my last letter from Mr Wiggins in London, [wh] I hope you will have done [?] you have this you will be [prepared] to have this from the daughter [residence], of that most excellent of men Mr Jones. Miss Smith & I have now been here a week & I’d not tell you how often I have wished that you were here, for it has been as often as any thing has interested & pleased me [wh] has been the case many times every day. This you will likely believe, when I say that Mrs Walker has shown me many & [?] papers in Mr J of her Fathers’ that have not been published & all so perfectly his that no one who knows his style & manner of thinking & instructing cd mistake them. Seeing them in his own handwriting certainly adds to the interest and this I am happy to think you will see for Mrs. Walker is to give me a sermon of his & a letter from herself to forward to yr Rev’r. She rather wishes them to go separate than in Dr [Hands] box, so I am to take them with me to London & give them to Mr Wiggin. The treatise on music is to be reprinted forthwith by subscription. Lady Rosse desired I might have her name put down for 2 copies, and if you have not one otherwise I shall beg that one of them go. [?] I am sure she will like – the manuscripts here, are a great many sermons. More than I have been able to [?] Rev. I have read some & looked thro’ others & some of these former strike me as quite equal if not exceeding those printed one [past]. I am sure you wd par’y like. The text is “Behold the Lamb of God” it is quite in his own style & par’y delightful – the one Mrs W. is to send is also so – but I hope that a volume or two will be published, or else I s’d beg some to copy for yr Rev. Miss Smith & I are copying other things as much as we can from his common place book of Oh there are three and a quarter vol: in manuscript of hopes upon the Hebrew language. Which I s’d think exceedingly valuable but how for it would be well received even by those who might be inclined to study Hebrew. May I fear be a question as it takes as good [will] I suppose the [Hutchinson] view of the Blessed Trinity. Our Blessed Saviours character & teaching &c – if I could think I s’d like to print it I mean be at the expense of it – I fear it [w’d] cost a good deal – and altho’ I am happy to fund Mrs Walker in very comfortable circumstances & surrounded by all that a reasonable person could desire of temporal good things, her fortune w’d not allow of her doing anything at her own expense – I think that it may be better that the sermons as well as the treatise upon music be printed by subscription because I think that it gives oppor’y to circulate a work more extensively, for people more readily allow their name be put down to a sub’n than buy a book Oh is odd, but certainly true & proceeding probably from a sort of indolence, that is so common. The one being a less troublesome thing than the other – there is a little piece of great value I think “an Essay towards Explaining the Appearance of Melchizekec [sic]” you will imagine how he treats it – it is more satisfactory than any I have seen I think in proving that it was our Blessed Saviour, in the form he afterwards assumed that so blessed Abraham – from something in the End of the Essay. There may be a doubt as to Mr Jones wishing it published, wh may possibly [operate] ag’nst it being so – if it s’d be so I shall ask Mrs W. java to send you a copy. Which I am sure she will most readily give, for nothing can exceed her desire to oblige you or send any thing that you would value, as she never ceases to regret not seeing you when in England – and it was certainly very trying – tho’ the argument you use in your letter to her & family sd suppress all regret from whatever cause. I must tell you something of her or tho’ it must add to your regret of not seeing her, yet it will please you to know that is so perfectly all that you would expect & wish Mr Jones daughter to be. There is a delightful picture of her revered Father here, which she says is the most perfect likeness she ever saw – the print in the works was taken from it, but is a sadly bad one, & by no means conveys the idea that the portrait does, for it was very injudiciously altered with the idea of making it more like what he was in later life, but it gives in fact a harsh & rather unpleasant expression, wh the painting has nothing of, but quite the reverse, sensible calm & thoughtful. Mrs Walker is a strong likeness of it, as she is in reality of her Father & her mind I s’d think equally resembling his – inheriting all his sound & invaluable principles as to Doctrine, the church & practical piety – she is indeed a most delightful person the most perfectly simple in manners. [little] profession but the most extreme kindness – there is delightful expression in her eyes that seems to tell how affectionate & tender is her heart – but at the same time great good sense & firmness of character she reminds me of different persons, Dear Lady Rosse & others whom I much love & admire, but she has some points peculiarly her own. She might have been more heard of perhaps had she not married very early & been the most devoted of wives & Mothers & living so much in retirement – this is a very pretty & very sweet place – with [?] [?] fields trees &c &c – but the neighbourhood is not very close & they have never mixed much with it nor with the world in any way. You will suppose that we have visited the “Oaks” under which the exquisite lines were written on solitude they are about a mile from the house, and just a place to inspire in such a mind as Mr Jones’ such ideas. I thought when there how much you Rev’d w’d enjoy the spot & I cannot but hope that you may [?] be in it – & dear Mrs Walker – we did not think to delay so long when we came, but she has [pressed] our stay in such a way as made it impossible to refuse, and we shall depart with much regret, and sooner than we would were it not that both Miss. I have engagements that college as to go. This place is about 18 miles from Nayland you will believe [that] we desire to see it. And I have rec’d a most kind letter from Dr Ward inviting us to visit them & to go & see Nayland. We propose being there next Thursday 5 days hence & I shall not finish this until we get there that I may tell of them being at Nayland &c. I have to thank yr Rev’d I doubt not chiefly for the kind things & favorable opinion that Dr Ward expresses in his letter to me. I must not omit to mention that Mrs Walker wishes much to know what you wish done with the little sum of money that she has made up for Ohio. She calls it a mile, but whatever it is you will value it for the sake of the donor & the feelings that dictate it. I think it very probable that you [?] it to be laid out in something that will commemorate the giver as Mr Jones’s daughter, and have said to her that I think she better keep it until she hear from you concerning it. She will I doubt not mention it herself & I am sure that you will write as soon as you can after receiving her letter. I have [?] [?] letters that Mr Wiggin gave me from yr Rev’d from London &c I mean that he gave me to read & thinking that they would be very interesting to Mrs Walker I [beseeched] him to allow me bring them here, as I shall take all books to him. I have shown her all the papers relating to Ohio I have. We all whish [sic] she is greatly or fully interested. She wishes to have some appeals & statements which I am to send from London – her Father’s works & some other books I am to take to London & I think they may go in the box with the organ. The things I take less in Dr Wards box, are
The Drawing from the Bishop of Salisbury
A parcel from Mr [Mather] & Mr Stowe Greenwich
Parcel, small book & letter from Mr Marriott
Letter, from Mr Marriott
Letter from Eliza Wiggin
Bp [Jebbs] sermons, which I have bought with some money of Lady Rosse’s, knowing she will approve – & not having as much myself at present as I could make use of, but I [?] desire to send these sermons as I think you will be delighted with them.
This letter & a small book from myself
Oh seems [?] good. Dr Patricks advice to a friend. Mr D[?] have it to Mr Marriott & recommended it much – I had not heard of it before.
An extract from Dr [Stounands] commentary on the vision of Zachariah – written out by Miss Smith.
I must not forget to mention that Mr Jones organ is here, a very excellent one on which he played much often several times a day. When he came in from his garden, or to relax from study. The keys are nearly worn out, from its being so much played on – he used to play at all times of the day. When he came in from his garden, after reading &c &c.
Great Horkesley, June 24th – I am now here and you will imagine some of what we have talked of – it seems really curious to me how many people I have seen & now visited where the Ohio cause has been the leading subject of interest, with it you will also imagine Rt Rev’d Dear Sir that in this neighborhood how much there is also of Nayland or rather its Sainted Pastor. I have not yet seen his church or grave or house having [?] passed through the village in my way to this place – but I am going in [?] hence, with Dr Ward to see all. I fear I shall not be able to write after my return as I am to return to Gestingthrope this evening, so I must finish this letter now. Miss Smith was not well & not able to come here with me, so we were obliged to change our [?] a little, and instead of going to Colchester from this place & on to London from there I must return to Gestingthorpe, and to return to London as we [?] to return there is what I am delighted to do, for I could not tell how very much I love & delight in Mrs Walker I should have liked much to have been able to stay a little longer here where you will believe I have not so much kindness. Know the family as you do [?] go into particulars. Little Mary Ohio is not the least interesting altho’ her sister Charlotte is so [much]. I went to Colchester yest’y with the friends who brought me here, a [?] family friends [?] Walker. There was a meeting there at the Botanical gardens, where I saw many people and among others yr good friend [Mr] March, of whom I sd have liked to have seen more. I was introduced to Mr [?] & we talked of you. I came here from Colchester with Dr [Han] & he told me much of dear excellent Dr Jones which I was most eager to hear and today at Breakfast I heard more of him from a gentleman [?] here who was a great deal with him in the last months of his life one thing I must tell you, he found him [reading] one [?] as he generally did a small [?] Bible full of [writing] in the [morgue] – whic by the bye he says he thinks Mrs Walker must have & I shall ask when. Mr Jones said, [?] us Mr Harrold. I can depend entirely on nothing but what I find here “raising his hand & pulling it down with great strength upon the Bible. Must now finish [&] tell of Nayland & in my last letter. I am to take a parcel from Mrs Walker to be forwarded by Mr Wiggin [?] and the books will go. I think [?] [?] am in great hopes of finding there has been later accts. of [?] dear little Philander when I get to London. We go to [?] on Monday. With best & kindest regards to dear Mrs Chase I am ever [?] dear Sir yr much truly & afft attached,
Duff Macfarlane
I hope [?] is doing well & giving satisfaction – give him my kind remembrances and that I hope & trust he will do all you wish.