The Mary Hamilton Papers : Letter from Henry Hamilton to John Dickenson and Mary Hamilton

Hamilton, Henry

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Henry Hamilton to John Dickenson and Mary Hamilton. The letter contains general news and Hamilton’s views on life. He wishes he could accept Mary's invitation to visit Derbyshire, which is an area that he is attached to. The letter continues on his memories of some of the landscape of Derbyshire. He asks if Louisa plays alone or whether she now has a brother or sister. Hamilton is now 57 years old and 'not half so happy as if I had a companion of the right sort', and he cares little about what people say or think. He describes himself as a great admirer of all that is commendable, for instance 'the harmonies of Nature in general delight me, but Woman makes me devout'. He recurs to the topic of women throughout the letter, knowing that he is an old bachelor facing a possible lonely decline into old age. But there are comforts, including a fine garden, servants of long standing, and some pleasant society which remind him of times past. The views of the Islands are beautiful and singular but do not make him wish to draw the landscapes as he did when he was in Dovedale and Matlock. He suggests areas for Hamilton to visit in Derbyshire and describes Chatsworth as 'a tiresome piece of old dignity and bad taste'.</p>