13 July 1753

41. Mercy “Cleora” Doddridge, Northampton, to Mary “Belinda” Doddridge, [St Albans, recently at Hackney], 13 July 1753. [f. 74]

Northⁿ July y^e 12 ^13^ 1753

Friday Night half an Hour after

10 oClock

My Dearest Sister

Nothing could have given me greater pleasure than the receipt of your perfectly kind & obliging Letter I began indeed to be vastly impatient for the pleasure of hearing from you but pirmit me my Dearest before I proceed any Farther to Congratulate you & myself on your safe arival at S^t Albans indeed it gives me great Joy to think of your being more than 20 Miles nearer me as it seems to be an aproach towards coming home, & I flatter my self our St Albans friends will be so Considrate of our impatience to see you, as not to Desire to Detaine you long thair it apears to me a most prodgious time since I had the Happiness of any Personal Conversation w^h you I have a Thousan things to aske you w^ch I cannot write, & allmost as many to write to you about had I time but that has long been with me a very Choice Commodity, it is now late & I am very sleepy & their apears some Danger of my falling into some profound Slumber or reverie. I therefore most advisable to inform you of the most material things I have to write while I have any means of understanding I therefore begin my Dear w^h telling you that we receivd the box & M^rs Holmses Gownd safe that Lady thinks herself gratley obligd to you for the Trouble you have given yourself to procure it for her, & beg’d of me when I wrote to give her Compliments & thanks to you on the occasion the Neclace & Ribons she has also taken & like very well,

I will if I possibly can write the Receipt [recipe] for the Carrend [Carrot] Wine for M^rs Tozer & send it by next post as you Desire. You must give me leave in the next place to thank you very sincerly for your very k^i^nd Letter w^h gave me much more pleasure than my sleepy Pen can now tell you,

I dont wonder you are so much pleasd with Hackney; by all accounts it is a more Charming place, & M^rs Hunt I think a most Friendly agreeable Woman. I cant imagine what reasonable objection Miss Ekins could have to Continuing thair, but what is any place how ever agreeable without a Friend & when the only Friend was at Northⁿ no wonder Hackney had no Charmes for her.¹ These too [sic] only Friends have pickd up 2 more Friends as I suppose for thair has been 2 Ladys at M^rs Ch [Churchill] this Fortnight thay are Both aquaintance their Names are Hudson & thay keep House in London, this is as I believe all that our 2 Ladies know of them I don’t find that thay have any extrodainary accomplishments, tho Doubtless the[ir] Mood be singuarly good naturd & obliging that on so short an aquaintance thay would so soon take the Trouble of coming to visit Miss E. & M^rs C. but this is not all thair is a very smart sea Captⁿ who us’d to squire our 2 Ladies about to all publick places ^at Bath^ he has got a very rich uncle from whome he has great expactations this account I have you to guess what [paper torn] added that it was expected he would [accompany] his Cousons for so the 2 Ladies are it seems, but he [was] pervented giving himself that Honour by some engagments with his uncle w^h are to turn greatly to his advantage there for you my Dear

but to be a little more serious poor M^rs Phill Isted was taken very Ill yesterday w^h her old complaint the Stone I am sure you will be very sorry to hear it as was I. Captain Hardy of Dilipore was ^is^ married to Miss Bond an old aquaintance of Miss Molly Isteds an agreeable Lady with a large fortain, we are all well here thank God & very glad to here you are so mamma Celia & Brother send their Love to you and all want much to see you but adieu my Dearest Belinda

believe me to be with the affections

Your Cleora

Address: Miss Doddridge

Postmark: none

Note on Address Page: July 13 1753

¹ Another reference to the ongoing courtship of Dr. James Stonhouse and Sarah Ekins; they will marry the following year.