Diplomatic Text
Abbey July 26 1773
My Dear Miʃs Hamiltons very obligeing Letter found
me at Schaw Park[1] as did yours to yr Guardian
at the same place -- I'm sorry to tell you what has
prevented me & still does him, from thanking you for
them. He was taken very ill, at Buxton -- as soon as
he durst travel came down here & got to Schaw Park
at the same time that the account of his Ilneʃs arrived
to Us there -- : he has ever since been greatly an
Invallid -- for some hours a Week ago he was in great
danger & we, obliged to call in another Physician to
aʃsist the one we comonly employ thank God their
Endevours succeeded & he is now not only out of danger
[b]ut getting gradually well -- only not yet able to write
[L]etters, or make Visitts. as we knew yr. goodness & Mrs
[H]amiltons would lead you to be Anxious I give you
[t]his Intelligence the first day I am able to write &
give you the prefferance to many who have great title
to expect it. Buxton raised the Gouty Matter & sett
it affloat: but not being powerful enough to fix it in
the Extreamity's: it has tormented him in different
shapes. What shall I say to you My Dear Madam or
to Mrs Hamilton for all yr kind attentions to him
or for the fire Screen you were so good as to send me
I prize it greatly as it deserves for its beauty but
Infinatly more so for being yr Work & heartily
wish I might have the Oportunity to show it
you here -- . Our Races are just over & have
I bellieve been very Briliant but as my Ld
was confined till the very last day of them
I never was there till that day when he
was able to take the Air that lenth wt me
yr Cousins from Schaw Park were here with
My Br: to share the Amusements of the time
& were very much aproven[2] of -- they are all
well & desire to be remembred with Affection
to you & Mrs Hamilton whenever I write.
My Lord & yr Young friends here join in the
same request & I am ever My Dear Miʃs
Hamiltons very Affectionate & much Obliged ------
M A Napier
My best respects
to Mrs Hamilton
my Ld will write
whenever he is able -- mean time
be as easy about him as his
Physicians now are.[3]
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)
Notes
1. Schaw Park, Sauchi, Clackmannanshire was the home of Mary Ann Napier's brother, Lord Cathcart.
2. The verb appreve is ‘[n]ow obsolete, except in later past participle approven [...] which is regarded merely as a Scots variant of approved’ (OED s.v. †appreve, v. Accessed 22-01-2023).
3. This postscript begins to the left of the signature.
Normalised Text
Abbey July 26 1773
My Dear Miss Hamiltons very obliging Letter found
me at Schaw Park as did yours to your Guardian
at the same place -- I'm sorry to tell you what has
prevented me & still does him, from thanking you for
them. He was taken very ill, at Buxton -- as soon as
he durst travel came down here & got to Schaw Park
at the same time that the account of his Illness arrived
to Us there -- : he has ever since been greatly an
Invalid -- for some hours a Week ago he was in great
danger & we, obliged to call in another Physician to
assist the one we commonly employ thank God their
Endeavours succeeded & he is now not only out of danger
but getting gradually well -- only not yet able to write
Letters, or make Visits. as we knew your goodness & Mrs
Hamiltons would lead you to be Anxious I give you
this Intelligence the first day I am able to write &
give you the preference to many who have great title
to expect it. Buxton raised the Gouty Matter & set
it afloat: but not being powerful enough to fix it in
the Extremity's: it has tormented him in different
shapes. What shall I say to you My Dear Madam or
to Mrs Hamilton for all your kind attentions to him
or for the fire Screen you were so good as to send me
I prize it greatly as it deserves for its beauty but
Infinitely more so for being your Work & heartily
wish I might have the Opportunity to show it
you here -- . Our Races are just over & have
I believe been very Brilliant but as my Lord
was confined till the very last day of them
I never was there till that day when he
was able to take the Air that length with me
your Cousins from Schaw Park were here with
My Brother to share the Amusements of the time
& were very much approved of -- they are all
well & desire to be remembered with Affection
to you & Mrs Hamilton whenever I write.
My Lord & your Young friends here join in the
same request & I am ever My Dear Miss
Hamiltons very Affectionate & much Obliged ------
Mary Anne Napier
My best respects
to Mrs Hamilton
my Lord will write
whenever he is able -- mean time
be as easy about him as his
Physicians now are.
quotations, spellings, uncorrected forms, split words, abbreviations, formatting)
Notes
Metadata
Library References
Repository: John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester
Archive: Mary Hamilton Papers
Item title: Letter from Lady Mary Anne Napier to Mary Hamilton
Shelfmark: HAM/1/19/52
Correspondence Details
Sender: Lady Mary Anne Napier (née Cathcart)
Place sent: Edinburgh
Addressee: Mary Hamilton
Place received: unknown
Date sent: 26 July 1773
Letter Description
Summary: Letter from Lady Mary Anne Napier to Mary Hamilton. She informs Hamilton
that her guardian [William Napier] was taken ill at Buxton and as soon as he
felt able to travel he made his way home. He has been an invalid ever since
and was for a time in great danger. Napier continues her letter on her
husband's health.
Dated at the Abbey [Edinburgh].
Length: 1 sheet, 413 words
Transliteration Information
Editorial declaration: First edited in the project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers' (Hannah Barker, Sophie Coulombeau, David Denison, Tino Oudesluijs, Cassandra Ulph, Christine Wallis & Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, 2019-2023).
All quotation marks are retained in the text and are represented by appropriate Unicode characters. Words split across two lines may have a hyphen on the first, the second or both fragments (reco-|ver, imperfect|-ly, satisfacti-|-on); or a double hyphen (pur=|port, dan|=ger, qua=|=litys); or none (respect|ing). Any point in abbreviations with superscripted letter(s) is placed last, regardless of relative left-right orientation in the original. Thus, Mrs. or Mrs may occur, but M.rs or Mr.s do not.
Acknowledgements: Transcription and XML version created as part of project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers', funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council under grant AH/S007121/1.
Transliterator: Cassandra Ulph, editorial team (completed 21 August 2020)
Cataloguer: Lisa Crawley, Archivist, The John Rylands Library
Cataloguer: John Hodgson, Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Research Institute and Library
Copyright: Transcriptions, notes and TEI/XML © the editors
Revision date: 2 November 2021