Letter from Anne Evans to her nephew, Arthur Phelps.  Transcribed from a scan of the original in June 2013 by Penelope Forrest, born Phelps, great granddaughter of Arthur.

 

                                                                        Abbots Hill  Oct 19th 1855

 

My dear Arthur,

            I have been apparently a neglectful Aunt to you in the way of correspondence, & I cannot promise much amendment in this particular for the future, for I am grown old & it is a greater effort to exercise my pen now than it used to be, but your Sister Fanny has room for another half sheet in her cover & I am glad of the opportunity to assure you that you are as dear to my affections as you ever were, & that I watch with unabated interest for every intelligence of your well doing – and that my satisfaction at hearing of every circumstance that redounds to your credit or advancement, is enhanced by the remembrance of how greatly your beloved Uncle would have rejoiced in it, & how really you were to him as a son. I pray that God may bless you with health to carry out your highest & best aspirations, & that he will give you strength & humility of mind to avoid & overcome temptations to sin or presumption, or indolence. This will I hope find you preparing to reap the reward of your well directed studies in the College in the active business of your profession. Wherever they may lead you my prayers & best wishes will be yours.

            Of my own party I can give a tolerably good report. My son John & family took a house at Cowes in the Isle of Wight for a month to which they kindly invited us & Mrs Cope sent Nellie & Manie with their maid Maria to give Nellie the benefit of the Sea. They were in a separate lodging. But Nellie caught cold & did not derive so much benefit as was hoped though she is pretty well now. They went down with Anne & me for the last fortnight of Jack's sojourn. Em had been with them from the beginning so she brought up the Copes, & Harriet with little Arthur & Norman (the baby) went to spend a week with Mrs Barlow at Brighton en route home, & Fanny Phelps & Kate Hayward (who had joined us) Anne & I all repaired to Ventnor in the S of the Island when the Cowes party broke up, taking little Lewis with us. Here we spent a pleasant fortnight, surrounded by a most picturesque beautiful country wh Fanny allowed was very like Madeira. She & I & Lewis are now come away but we have left Anne with Kate Hayward still there, & I am glad to add that Anne is visibly improved in strength by her sojourn there.

            Emma is now at the Jacks, & Mr Hubbard managed to spend Wednesday with her on wh occasion he was introduced to your At John D who had not before seen him. She received him kindly & expressed herself pleased with "the outer man" – & I do hope & believe that the inner one is worthy of all confidence and that he deserves Emma which from me is high praise. Her departure will cause a woeful blank in my home scenery – but I suppose that I must make up my mind to part with her before very long – & if I delayed for years I should feel no more inclined to give her up. I think she still finds time to write to you occasionally so I need not enlarge on her plans.

            Bassy is pretty well, but not robust. He is not busy in his office at present as all the leading men are out of town now so B is hoping to get a few days holiday down at Ventnor. John Dn is at Paris – so what business there is all devolves on B. I wish that his path in life were as clearly defined as your own, with a permanent & progressive prospect of adequate remuneration. This his present vocation does not afford, & the want of it keeps his mind anxious.

            We like our house & neighbourhood, & your Father seemed to approve of our house & repeatedly spent a day there during his late sojourn in England. I thought him particularly well, both in spirits & appearance. We have been happy in hearing of his safe arrival in Madeira & he must have been rejoiced in finding your sister Harriet proceeding well, & the happy Mother of a very fine boy. You are now doubly an Uncle, & we hear that the little Bayman is a child that all his belongings may be proud of. Mr Crompton is not the same kind of man that Mr Bayman is – but he seems very fond of his wife & child, so we must hope that they will form a happy family after their own fashion.

            Poor Janie has lost her friend & companion Miss Nutter, who is returned to her friends – & Janie does not enjoy her comparative solitude. Bassy saw her on Tuesday when she was pretty well but she is longing for emancipation from Frejago – where however dullness is about all that she has really to complain of, as they are kind & attentive, & Mrs Jago cultivates her mind to a certain extent.

            Your dear Uncle's friends have been subscribing for an obituary window to commemorate his virtues, & Mr Cope has about £180 in his hands to carry out this design. I rather think that the East Window of the S Aisle will be the one fixed on, & the rest of the money be applied to the clearstory windows on the S side – but nothing is quite settled yet.

            I had a letter from Aunt Charlotte a few days since. Captn Thorp is on half pay & he & his wife think of making their principal home at Cadeby. Mr Bailey is I believe going to leave.

            Goodbye dear Arthur. Believe me always your affte Aunt

                        Anne Evans

Your dear Aunt Kitty1 remains in the same state. She suffers little bodily pain now, & is happy & tranquil in her hopes for the future. The Genl is unremitting in his attentions to her.

 

 

1. Kitty Dickinson, wife of General Thomas D, died in December.

 

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