Metadata
Title
Elizabeth F. Ellet to Sarah Josepha Hale
Creator
Ellet, E. F. (Elizabeth Fries), 1818-1877
Date
1848-02-27
February 27, 1848
Subject
Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879
Medium
Manuscripts
Language
eng
Type
text
Collection
Sarah Josepha Hale Collection, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Identifier
46-M-068
Rights
http://www.philaathenaeum.org/rights.html
Text
Columbia So. Ca. Feb. 27th
1848
My dear Mrs Hale
Well pleased was
I last night to see once more your handwriting -
and hear from you - after so long an
interval of silence. I did not know
your whereabouts exactly - or I
should have claimed a place in your
recollection ere now. You have been
very loco motive for some years past
at least so I was informed - and so
all my communications to the Lady's
Book were addressed to the laconic
Mr Godey. I am happy to hear you are
stationary in Phila. and promise
myself the pleasure of spending some
days there in the early part of the
summer. It will indeed be delightful
to listen to your plans - and talk over
various matters of interest: - besides seeing
you again - and my dear friend Mrs
Davenport - the sister of the sweetest aunt I
have in the world.
With regard to the object of your
letter - it will give me great pleasure
to contribute to any annual edited by
you - and as soon as my muse is
propitious - I will send you some verses.
Just at present I have nothing written
except a translation of Lamartine's
"Mother's Grave" - and Baranger's
"Shooting Stars." I suppose you would
rather have something original - even
of inferior merit! The weather just
now is not very favorable to poetic
inspiration - or I would essay today -
I wish you had given me a
subject.
Mrs Gilman writes [me?] she
is preparing another volume of Oracles
from the Poets - with new questions
I am here so far out of the way of
the current stream of literature, that
I can never catch even a sparkle: and
hear nothing of what is going on at the
north - except by the slight notices in
the newspapers. Have you any thing
in press or in petto?
There is an [aspirant?]
after literary rewards - of the solid kind
in Columbia - whom I should like to
recommend to your kind aid - as you
see the publishers of periodicals frequently
I suppose. It is Marie, baroness von
Hassell - or Mrs Hassell - as she calls her
self here - teacher of a French school in this
place. She has followed the fortunes,
or rather misfortunes, of her husband
to this country - where they have to toil
for daily bread - after having been
used all her life to the [highs] of society
in Germany. She is in correspondence
with a reigning duchess - and several
of the nobility - but bakes - brews -
scours and teaches music as if she
had been born to them all. She has
translated some tales and sketches
into English: (which I have correcte)
some have been published in the
Democratic Review - and others are on
hand. One account of "A Royal Marriage"
from ms. letters of her friends in the service
of the Duchess d'Orleans - I sent to
Mr Godey - who handed it to Mr Peterson.
I have not heard if he has
accepted it. If you could dispose
of any mss. for her - you would be
doing a charity to a very deserving
person. The Phila. weeklies perhaps
would like her articles
A Mrs Rose from New York has bee
here a few days - and intends lecturing
on Education. She brought letters to
the venerable College President, Mr
Preston - but he is just now in
Washington - and another lady, to
whose politeness she is consigned
came for me yesterday to call
upon her. She is a Pole by birth -
evidently possessing talents for lecturing
highly educated - and "darkly -
deeply, blue." I am told
she is a natural clairvoyant - and
can judge of letters by feeling the paper -
but have as yet been no specimens of
her powers. Apropos des bottes -
is your sober city inclined to receive
mesmerism? We have had a professor
of the science - Dr Webster - here all
winter - who has been performing
the most wonderful cures - exhibiting
miracles of clairvoyance - and
teaching all who were zealous of
knowledge to the amount of ten dollars
to do likewise. All who receive his
lessons are bound by a written
pledge of secrecy. He claims to have
gone deeper into the matter than any
one else - and to have rivalled Harvey
in his discoveries.
I am somewhat
hurried this morning - and must deny
myself the pleasure of a longer chat -
Adieu - my dear Mrs Hale - believe me
ever your affectionate friend
E.F. Ellet
please send the enclosed
late valentine to the
Post office.
1848
My dear Mrs Hale
Well pleased was
I last night to see once more your handwriting -
and hear from you - after so long an
interval of silence. I did not know
your whereabouts exactly - or I
should have claimed a place in your
recollection ere now. You have been
very loco motive for some years past
at least so I was informed - and so
all my communications to the Lady's
Book were addressed to the laconic
Mr Godey. I am happy to hear you are
stationary in Phila. and promise
myself the pleasure of spending some
days there in the early part of the
summer. It will indeed be delightful
to listen to your plans - and talk over
various matters of interest: - besides seeing
you again - and my dear friend Mrs
Davenport - the sister of the sweetest aunt I
have in the world.
With regard to the object of your
letter - it will give me great pleasure
to contribute to any annual edited by
you - and as soon as my muse is
propitious - I will send you some verses.
Just at present I have nothing written
except a translation of Lamartine's
"Mother's Grave" - and Baranger's
"Shooting Stars." I suppose you would
rather have something original - even
of inferior merit! The weather just
now is not very favorable to poetic
inspiration - or I would essay today -
I wish you had given me a
subject.
Mrs Gilman writes [me?] she
is preparing another volume of Oracles
from the Poets - with new questions
I am here so far out of the way of
the current stream of literature, that
I can never catch even a sparkle: and
hear nothing of what is going on at the
north - except by the slight notices in
the newspapers. Have you any thing
in press or in petto?
There is an [aspirant?]
after literary rewards - of the solid kind
in Columbia - whom I should like to
recommend to your kind aid - as you
see the publishers of periodicals frequently
I suppose. It is Marie, baroness von
Hassell - or Mrs Hassell - as she calls her
self here - teacher of a French school in this
place. She has followed the fortunes,
or rather misfortunes, of her husband
to this country - where they have to toil
for daily bread - after having been
used all her life to the [highs] of society
in Germany. She is in correspondence
with a reigning duchess - and several
of the nobility - but bakes - brews -
scours and teaches music as if she
had been born to them all. She has
translated some tales and sketches
into English: (which I have correcte)
some have been published in the
Democratic Review - and others are on
hand. One account of "A Royal Marriage"
from ms. letters of her friends in the service
of the Duchess d'Orleans - I sent to
Mr Godey - who handed it to Mr Peterson.
I have not heard if he has
accepted it. If you could dispose
of any mss. for her - you would be
doing a charity to a very deserving
person. The Phila. weeklies perhaps
would like her articles
A Mrs Rose from New York has bee
here a few days - and intends lecturing
on Education. She brought letters to
the venerable College President, Mr
Preston - but he is just now in
Washington - and another lady, to
whose politeness she is consigned
came for me yesterday to call
upon her. She is a Pole by birth -
evidently possessing talents for lecturing
highly educated - and "darkly -
deeply, blue." I am told
she is a natural clairvoyant - and
can judge of letters by feeling the paper -
but have as yet been no specimens of
her powers. Apropos des bottes -
is your sober city inclined to receive
mesmerism? We have had a professor
of the science - Dr Webster - here all
winter - who has been performing
the most wonderful cures - exhibiting
miracles of clairvoyance - and
teaching all who were zealous of
knowledge to the amount of ten dollars
to do likewise. All who receive his
lessons are bound by a written
pledge of secrecy. He claims to have
gone deeper into the matter than any
one else - and to have rivalled Harvey
in his discoveries.
I am somewhat
hurried this morning - and must deny
myself the pleasure of a longer chat -
Adieu - my dear Mrs Hale - believe me
ever your affectionate friend
E.F. Ellet
please send the enclosed
late valentine to the
Post office.