Hayley-XXI-65

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Derby July 22^d 1792

My dear H

I expected indeed with great impatience an account of your visit to Cowper which must have been very interesting, & I shall continue to do so; but as I know you seldom like writing letters but on a sunday I must request you to direct your next to me at Thomas Hattrell’s Esq^.re Newcastle Staffordshire where I mean to arrive on Tuesday se’ennight & to spend three nights in my road to Park-gate. I hope M.^r Wedgewood & his daughter will be at home but if they are not I suppose I can see the house as well as the Pottery as they are social neighbours to the Hattrells & I had a most cordial invitation to Etruria from the whole family whom I spent an evening with this winter at D.^r Darwins, as I believe I told you

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The Doctor very obligingly sent me your letter to him & the verses which have been seen & admired by all his esprit acquaintance who I am told greatly give the preference to yours, as the Doctor has probably informed you. You had omitted giving me your opinion of the epitaph on M.^rs French which however I doubted not of your admiring. Her prosaic friends in Derby who are unacquainted with poetical licences marvel a little at the great accomplishm^ts given her by the Doctor but the poem will be read out of Derby & I believe Mr. French now thinks it justly her due. He has great reason to respect her memory & he really has felt more for her loss than many would give so volatile a character credit for. his own health is in a very precarious state & M^rs. Nicholas who is

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sanguine thinks he will hardly survive another seizure like the last.

I have not seen poor M.^r Wright lately I called a few days ago & he was out, but I shall call again before I go. his Sister tells me he was (as I knew he would be) greatly affected by the death of M.^rs Beridge. She & her husband spent a few days with M^rs Twigge just before Tom’s visit to me when at her Entreaty he undertook to copy a portrait of D.^r Len from a miniature of Meyers. [sic] he had not painted of many months & was so timid that M^.rs Beridge with difficulty persuaded him to take charge of the picture which he requested should be left with M.^rs Twigge. No says M.^rs B you may feel disposed to paint & think it too great an effort to send to my Sister’s for it. She was right He finished it on a sudden. I think (& M.^r French says) it is the best portrait he ever painted – but M.^rs B after a residence at Buxton died at Stalling [Stubbing?] just as the picture arrived in Lincolnshire. In the midst of my first sorrow for M.^rs B I thought of poor M.^r

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Wright whom I have not seen since. I had carried him messages about the picture from M.^rs Gladwin & having been absent at Bowbridge her death was rather a surprize to me as I had hoped she was getting better a fortnight before

Wm Hayley Esq.^re
Eartham
Near
Chichester

Tell Tom with my love his good natured friend M.^r Roe is coming to drink tea with me to have another look at his Picture now the days are longer. I feel quite indebted to his taste for this most pleasing acquaintance, who is esteemed as he deserves. I am I have just read the life of Chatterton which has interested me extremely – how do you like it?