The electronic version of this text has been created as a part of the "Publishing in Irish America: 1820-1922" project that is being undertaken by the CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies, Center for the Preservation of Irish-American Publications. Project: Publishing in IA Date Created: 08/23/07 ObjectlD: 00000143 Object Name: Maria Edgeworth Life & Lellers I Author: Augustus J.e. Hare. ed. Dale Published: 1895 Publisher: Houghton. Mimin & Co. Donor: City College Library Funding: Metropolitan New York Library Council l,JRRARY TIHC~;COLLElGE OJo' TJ:CE C11I''T OF ITE'W -irD.RJK THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF MARIA EDGEWORTH EDITED BY AUGUSTUSJ.C.HARE AUTHOR OF "MEMORIALS OF A QUIET LIFE," H THE STORY OF TWO NOBLE LIVES" IN TWO VOLUMES VOLUME I. BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AXD CO:\IPANY ~be lliu£tSibe ll're!i;, i/I:ambrJblle 1895 Copyright, 1894, By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. All rights reserved. The River.ride Pres .•, Cambridge, flEaS3., U. S. A. Electrotyped and Printed hy H. O. Houghton and Company • .. PREFACE IN her later years Miss Edgeworth was often asked to write a biographical preface to her novels. She refused. "As a woman," she said, "my life, whoIly domestic, can offer nothing of interest to the public." Incidents indeed, in that quiet happy home existence, there were none to narrate, nothing but the ordinary joys and sor- rows which attend every human life. Yet the letters of one so clear - sighted and sagacious - one whom Macaulay comidered to be the second woman of her age - are valuable, not only as a record of her times, and of many who were prominent figures in them, but from the picture they naturally give of a simple, honest, gen- erous, high-minded character, filled from youth to age with love and goodwill to her feIlow-creatures, and a desire for their highest good. An admirable collection of Miss Edgeworth's letters was printed after her death by her stepmother and life- long friend, but only for private circulation. As all her generation has long since passed away, her family now permit that these letters should be read beyond the limits of their own circle. An editor has had little more to do than to make a selection, and to write such a thread of biography as might unite the links of the chain. AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE. CONTENTS VOLUME I. 1767-1787. Childhood of Maria Edgeworth - Death of her mother, and mar- riage of her father to Miss Honora Sneyd - Death of Mrs. Honora Edgeworth, and marriage of Mr. Edgeworth to Miss Elizabeth Sneyd - Life at Edgeworthstown 0 ••••• pp.5-14 1787-1793. Letters from Maria Edgeworth, from Edgeworthstown, Clifton, and London, to Miss Charlotte Slleyd, Mr. and Mrs. Ruxton, and Miss Sophy Ruxton. Journey to Clifton - Dr. Darwin, Mrs. Yearsly, and Hannah More - Visit to Mrs. Charles Hoare - Dr. Beddoes - Return to Ireland •••••••••• 0 • 0 • 14-33 1793-1795. Letters from Edgeworthstown to Miss Sophy Ruxton, Mrs. Ruxton, Mrs. Elizabeth Edgeworth. Literary occupations of Maria Edgeworth: "Letters for Literary Ladies," " Practical Education" - Disturbances in Ireland: Lord Granard, The White Tooths, General Crosby's Adventure. 33-42 179;;-1798. Letters from Edgeworthstown to Mrs. Ruxton, Miss Sophy Ruxton, Miss Beaufort. Publication of "Letters for Literary Ladies" and" The Parent's Assistant" -Mr. Edgeworth's election to the Irish Parliament- VI CO~TEXTS Literary work and stndy: "Moral Tales," " Irish Bulls" - Ma- dame Roland's Memoirs - Death of Mrs. Edgeworth, and ma:rriage of Mr. Edgeworth to Miss Beanfort .• 43-55 1708-1700. Letters from Edgeworthstown, Longford, and Dublin to Miss Sophy Ruxton, Mrs. Ruxton, :MissCharlotte Sneyd. The Irish Rebellion: Lord Cornwallis, Lady Anne Fox - Flight from Edgeworthstown to Longford - Return to Edgeworthstown - Publication of "Practical Education" - Theatricals: "'Vhim for Whim" - At Dublin 55-68 1799-1802. Letters from Clifton, Edgeworthstown, and Loughborongh to Mrs. Ruxton, Miss Ruxton. At Clifton: Sir Humphry Davy, Dr. Beddoes, Mrs. Barbauld- Death of Dr. Darwin - Literary work at Edgeworthstown: "Castle Rackrent," "Belinda,"" Early Lessons," .. 1\101'alTales," "Essay on Irish Bulls" - Visits of Mr. Chenevix and Professor Pictet - Journey to London .• 68-84 1802-18o:l. Letters from London, Brussels, Chantilly, Paris, Calais, Edinburgh, to Miss Sneyd, Miss Sophy Huxton, Miss Mary Sneyd, Mrs. Rux- ton, C. S. Edgeworth. A visit to Miss 1Vatts at Leicester - Journey to Paris: Calais, Dnnkirk, Bruges, Ghent -Madame Talma in "Anrlromaqne" at Brussels - Palace of Chantilly - Paris: Madame Delessert, l\Ia- dame Gautier, Madame de Pastoret, M. Dumont, Abbe Morellet, M. Suard, Marquis of Lansdowne, M. Degerando, M. Camille Jordan, Madame Campan, Madame Hecamier, Baron de Prony, Rogers, M. Pictet, Kosciusko - Monsieur Edelcrantz proposes to Maria Edge- worth; her feelings towards him - Buonaparte - ~IadaIJle d 'Oudi. tot and Rousseau -Rumors of war-The Edgeworths return to England - Account of a visit to Madame de GenIis • 84-142 1803-1809. Letters from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Black Castle, Edgeworthstown, Rosstrevor, Allenstown, Pakenham Hall, to Mrs. Ruxton, Miss CONTENTS vii Honora Edgeworth, Miss Charlotte Sneyd, Miss Ruxton, Henry Edgeworth, C. Sneyd Edgeworth, Miss Margaret Ruxton, Mrs. Edgeworth. Visit to Lindley Murray at Newcastle - Dugald Stewart at Edinburgh - Return to Edgeworthstown - Literary work: "Pop- ular Tales," "Leonora," "Griselda" - Marriage of Miss Paken- ham to Sir Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington) - Death of Dr. Beddoes .••• " 142-173 1809-1813. Letters from Edgeworthstown, Black Castle, Bangor Ferry, Liver- pool, Derby, Cambridge, London, to Miss Rnxton, Miss Honora Edgeworth, Mrs. Rnxton, C. Sneyd Edgeworth, Miss Sneyd, Miss Margaret Ruxton, Mrs. Edgeworth. Publicatiou of "Tales of Fashionable Life": Madame de Statn, Lord Dudley, Lord Jeffrey, upon - Life at Edgeworthstown: Mr. Chenevix, Miss Lydia White, Sir Henry Holland, Mrs. Inchbald, Mrs. Barbauld, Hannah More, Lady \Vellington - Marriage of Sir Humphry Davy - Literary pursuits: Byron's "Euglish Bards," Scott's" Lady of the Lake" and" Rokeby," Campbell; "Patron- age," "Tales of Fashionable Life" (second series), "The Absen- tee" - Balloon asceut of Sadler - Journey to London: Roscoe, Dr. Ferrier, Sir Henry Holland- Visit to Cambridge and to Dr. Clarke at Trumpiugton .•••••• 173-218 1813-1817. Letters from London, Malvern Links, Ross, Edgeworthstown, Dub- lin, Black Castle, to Miss Ruxtou, Mrs. Ruxton, ~liss Sneyd, Sir Walter Scott, C. S. Edgeworth. Visit to London: Madame de Stael, Davy, Byron, ~liss Berry's, Lord Lansdowne, Lady "'ellington, Mrs. Siddons. The Prince Regent. Lady Elizabeth l\lonk, Dukes of Kent and Sussex, Sir James l\lackiutosh, Dumont, Sir Samuel Romilly, Dr. Parr. :\Ialthus, l\ladame d' Arblay, Rogers - Heturn to and life at Edgeworthstown: "Early Lessons," "Popular Plays." ., Harrington," "Ormond"- "\Vaverley" - illness and death of :\11'.Edgeworth 21&-;;.;8 1817-18;;0. Letters from Edgeworthstown, l\Iouut Kennedy, Rowood. Epping-, Hampstead, Ryrkely Lodge, Tetsworth, London. Dublin. Heath- viii CONTENTS field, Canterbury, to Mrs. Ruxton, Mrs. Stark, Mrs. Edgeworth, Miss Ruxton, Miss 'V aller, Miss Lucy Edgeworth, Miss Honora Edgeworth. Literary pursuits at Edgeworthstown: Miss Austen - Visits to Bowood: Lord Lansdowne, Dumont, Lord Grenville, Mr. Hare, Dugald Stewart - Deatb of Sir Samuel Romilly - Joanna Baillie, Watt, Campbell-London: Mill, Wilberforce, Dnke and Duchess of 'Vellington, Lord Palmerston - Visit to Ireland - Journey to Paris .•••••••••.••• 258-291 1820. Letters from Paris, La Celle, Passy, Geneva, Pregny, Berne, to Mrs. Edgeworth, Misses Mary and Charlotte Sneyd, Mrs. Ruxton, Miss Ruxton, Miss Lucy Edgeworth, Miss Honora Edgeworth. Paris: Duchesse de Broglie, Madame Recamier, Camille .Jor- dan, Cuvier - Prony's anecdotes of Buonaparte - Visit to M. de Vinde's country house - A visit to the Duke of Orleans at Neuilly - Duchesse d'Angouleme, Casimir Perrier, Duchesse d'Uzes, Humboldt, Malthus - Journey through Switzerland: Dumont, M. de Stael •.••••••••••• 2U2-339 LIFE AND LETTERS OF l\fARIA EDGEWORTH IN the flats of the featureless county of Longford stands the large and handsome but unpretentious house of Edgeworthstown. The scenery here has few natural attractions, but the loving care of several generations has gradually beautified the surroundings of the house, and few homes have been more valued or more the cen- tre round which a large family circle has gathered in unusual sympathy and love. In his "Memoirs," Mr. Edgeworth tells us how his family, which had given a name to Edgeworth, now Edgeware, near London, came to settle in Ireland more than three hundred years ago. Roger Edgeworth, a monk, having taken advantage of the religious changes under Henry VIII., had married and left two sons, who, about 1583, established them- selves in Ireland. Of these, Edward, the elder, became Bishop of Down and Connor, and died without children; but the younger, Francis, became the founder of the family of Edgeworthstown. Always intensely Protes- tant, often intensely extravagant, each generation of the Edgeworth family afterwards had its own picturesque story, till Richard Edgeworth repaired the broken for- tunes of his house, partly by success as a lawyer, partly by his marriage, in 17.32, with .Jane LOYf'll, (laughter of a W"lsh judg". 6 MARIA EDGEWORTH Their eldest son, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, was born in 1744, and educated in his boyhood at Drogheda School and Duhlin University. Strong, handsome, clever, ingenious, and devoted to sports of every kind, he was a general favorite. But his high spirits often led him into scrapes; the most serious of these occurred during the festivities attendant on his eldest sister's mar- riage with Mr. Fox of Fox Hall, at which he played at being married to a young lady who was present, by one of the guests dressed up in a white cloak, with a door-key for a ring. This foolish escapade would not deserve the faintest notice, if it had not been seriously treated as an actual marriage by a writer in the" Quarterly Review." In 1761 Richard Edgeworth was removed from Dub- lin to Corpus Christi College at Oxford.