Letter from Emma Evans to her cousin Arthur Phelps.
Transcribed from a scan of the original in January 2013 by Penelope
Forrest, born Phelps, great granddaughter of Arthur.
Bosworth
Decr 28th
[1851?]
Dear Pumpion
Here are you costing me a mint of money by
your abominable carelessness. Of course the Sonnets you left behind have
disappeared – so of course I have to send you one of my 5, to say nothing of the
4d postage, when you know I am over head & ears in debt.
Well, having done my scolding (which I don't
suppose will do any good for if I remember right I gave you one for doing
precisely the same thing with the
mouseley[?]the day before) how have you enjoyed your Xmas? Our's here
was a happier one than it has been for several years I think & I wished you
could have been here to hear Collington singing like the most beautiful of
double basses. Bassy & Jack both went this morning much to our sorrow. Jack has
left the small boy behind him (not by accident however as some friends of our's
wd have done) which is some consolation. Julia Evans1 is
coming today – not Lewis though.
Jenny sent me a tract of Kingsley's the
other day, "Cheap Clothes & Nasty",
containing the facts on wh much of
Alton Locke is founded. Read it if
you can. Everyone should for it shews up a horrible state of things. Talk
of slavery!
But I won't write to you. I have written one
long letter & want to write 3 more & Charley Merewether is here, that is he is
just gone to Osbastone now. Mind you give my love to the Miss Lawrences
when you see them & remember me kindly to Mrs & the Miss Peytons, or
rather, how do you do it? 2 which looks like Arabic.
Goodbye dear Pump – a fine man of business
you'd make would not you.
Ever your aff (which perhaps stands for
affronted) Coz Emma
1. Lewis Evans is a son of Dr Evans's brother, Thomas. Julia is his wife.
2. Emma copies Arthur's way of writing 'Peyton'.
I suggest the date of this letter must be December 1851. Although Bassy's
sonnets were published by Macmillan in 1852 (at his own expense) he may have
obtained some advance copies. Kingsley's tract and novel were published in 1850.
In December 1852 Jack had typhoid and was nursed at home. Though he did go to
Bosworth afterwards to convalesce, (Time
& Chance page 84) this seems to have been after Christmas, and it is
surprising that Emma does not mention his having been ill.
Also in Emma's letter of 30 December 1852, she complains of not knowing
how to address Arthur in Birmingham which does not make sense if she had written
two days earlier.
1850 is too early as Jack's 'small boy' was born in July 1851.
1853 is too late as Arthur had already left for India.