BIB_ID
426755
Accession number
MA 2602.3
Creator
Gell, William, Sir, 1777-1836.
Display Date
London, 1807?.
Credit line
Purchased, 1968.
Description
1 item (4 pages, with address) ; 22.0 x 18.3 cm
Notes
Docketed.
Jane Milnes Smith was William Gell's aunt, the sister of Gell's mother Dorothy Milnes Gell and the wife of the Rev. John Smith.
Address panel with postmarks to "Mrs. Smith / Aldercar Park / near / Nottingham."
The year of writing is not provided however "The Geography and Antiquities of Ithaca" was published in London by Longman in 1807. It appears from the content of the letter that the book had been recently published. Gell dates the letter "Sunday 23". The 23rd was on a Sunday in August 1807.
Jane Milnes Smith was William Gell's aunt, the sister of Gell's mother Dorothy Milnes Gell and the wife of the Rev. John Smith.
Address panel with postmarks to "Mrs. Smith / Aldercar Park / near / Nottingham."
The year of writing is not provided however "The Geography and Antiquities of Ithaca" was published in London by Longman in 1807. It appears from the content of the letter that the book had been recently published. Gell dates the letter "Sunday 23". The 23rd was on a Sunday in August 1807.
Provenance
Purchased from W.A. Myers, Ltd., 1968.
Summary
Quoting, at length, the review by Lady Louise Stewart of his book on Ithaca which appeared in the Edinburgh; saying of the review "I hope you will think this very witty for I do. She is going to review one Virgil in the same way when she has time - I am here at Strawberry hill, Mrs. Damer's, a place you know very well, imagining I write... but not having touched my work since my arrival & indeed there are so many things to do & to see that I don't think I shall write much here, though there are two very good libraries in the house & it is to me as if it were my own, by Mrs. Damer's goodness;" adding "Probably you have heard that I was going to be married. It must have appeared so to every one but myself for a lady of fortune certainly made love to me for three months till having made me love her by kindness & attention she thought better of it, so I blew her up, but she will not quarrel with me notwithstanding my conduct. There is a love scene for you."
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