[1] 6. Portland Place
London
Novr 28th 1827
Sir,
I have at Mr Colebrooke’s request undertaken the melancholy task of informing you of an event which he feels himself quite unable to enlarge upon at present, & for which I am sure you will lament as cordially as any of his friends, having known the object of his grief more intimately perhaps than any of them did. – I allude to the sudden death of his son John on the 31st of Octr of an apoplectic fit, which as he was in good health we can only attribute to the overturn of the Diligence in which he was travelling on the 27th: the circumstance was rendered still more painful by its having taken place in a Hotel at Paris without a single friend or even acquaintance to perform the last sad offices for him. He was anxious to improve himself in French & by way of relaxation from his law studies his Father had consented to gratify his wish of passing three months in a Pension near Paris, for which place he was on the point of setting out, when the people of the Hotel found him in his travelling dress stretched lifeless on a Sofa. – You can imagine the loneliness this blow has cast over his poor father’s present & future life. – He had been for the last 18 months & was likely to remain his constant companion – one too of whom he had conceived the fondest hopes, destined alas! to be all crushed in the bud.
– I will not apologize for intruding on your time while I indulge myself in dwelling on the treasure that has been snatched away from us: the affection of a cousin to whom he was dear as a brother must plead my excuse for that, & for the liberty which I & my sisters took about three [2] months ago while travelling through Bonn, of calling at your house, and requesting the permission which was so politely granted to see the rooms in which John had spent so many happy hours, & had so frequently talked to us of. He had eagerly wished to procure us the pleasure of an introduction to you, but when he found you were absent he refrained from writing, nor would I leave my name, as the simple fact that Miss Smith had called, would, without farther explanation have appeared merely an act of impertinent curiosity. – I wish you could have seen him what he was a month ago – exceedingly grown, and improved in every respect – in manners & appearance a perfect gentleman, & in character such as to interest & attach all around him. His talents seemed daily to develope themselves; those who shared in his law studies said that what they acquired by tedious labor came as it were by inspiration to him. He led the most retired life, devoting his leisure hours to his father’s pursuits in Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, & general science, & diligently keeping up his knowledge of German – I often availed myself of his assistance in reading your fascinating but difficult language, & when discussing the subject his thoughts constantly reverted to his life in Germany, & more especially to that kind friend who had acted a father’s part towards him there. I am sure you could not have listened without emotion to the enthusiasm with which he used to speak of you, of the delight your society afforded him, of your kindness to him, the regard he believed you had entertained for him, & his reluctance in leaving Bonn at a time when he thought you peculiarly alone, & that he might have contributed to cheer and comfort you – The very last day I saw him he said to me „There is but [3] one thing that always vexes me, and that is the idea of Mr Schlegel’s being displeased with me, which I am sure he must be, for he promised to write to me, and though I have written to him repeatedly he has never answered one of my letters.“ I could only assure him that if it were in your power to read his grateful heart it would be impossible for you to retain any anger against him. – The premature removal of an object so interesting is only another proof of the inscrutability of the ways of Providence – We who remain to mourn his loss endeavor to submit to it with proper resignation knowing that „the Lord doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men“. – and I try further to reconcile myself to the separation which I earnestly trust is not eternal, by the idea that his feelings were too keen on all points, too sensitive to anything like slight or disappointment, & his habits of thinking too much unlike those of the world in gene[ral] to have promised him a happy life. How much I should like to know your opinion of his disposition & talents, & whether your observation of them would have led you at all to coincide in our anticipations for him! – To his brothers it is a very severe blow; their attachment to each other was peculiarly strong, & his father cannot summon sufficient fortitude to write on the subject, or he would himself have communicated this sad event to one from whom he is secure of meeting with a friendly sympathy. – He is at this moment tolerably well in health, but afflictions & illness have within the last two years made a great alteration in him. – I will not longer detain you Sir than to beg you will believe me with every sentiment of respect,
Yours &c &c
Augusta Smith –
[4] à Monsieur
Monsieur A. W. von Schlegel
Bonn sur Rhin
en Allemagne.
Londres
Novr 30e
London
Novr 28th 1827
Sir,
I have at Mr Colebrooke’s request undertaken the melancholy task of informing you of an event which he feels himself quite unable to enlarge upon at present, & for which I am sure you will lament as cordially as any of his friends, having known the object of his grief more intimately perhaps than any of them did. – I allude to the sudden death of his son John on the 31st of Octr of an apoplectic fit, which as he was in good health we can only attribute to the overturn of the Diligence in which he was travelling on the 27th: the circumstance was rendered still more painful by its having taken place in a Hotel at Paris without a single friend or even acquaintance to perform the last sad offices for him. He was anxious to improve himself in French & by way of relaxation from his law studies his Father had consented to gratify his wish of passing three months in a Pension near Paris, for which place he was on the point of setting out, when the people of the Hotel found him in his travelling dress stretched lifeless on a Sofa. – You can imagine the loneliness this blow has cast over his poor father’s present & future life. – He had been for the last 18 months & was likely to remain his constant companion – one too of whom he had conceived the fondest hopes, destined alas! to be all crushed in the bud.
– I will not apologize for intruding on your time while I indulge myself in dwelling on the treasure that has been snatched away from us: the affection of a cousin to whom he was dear as a brother must plead my excuse for that, & for the liberty which I & my sisters took about three [2] months ago while travelling through Bonn, of calling at your house, and requesting the permission which was so politely granted to see the rooms in which John had spent so many happy hours, & had so frequently talked to us of. He had eagerly wished to procure us the pleasure of an introduction to you, but when he found you were absent he refrained from writing, nor would I leave my name, as the simple fact that Miss Smith had called, would, without farther explanation have appeared merely an act of impertinent curiosity. – I wish you could have seen him what he was a month ago – exceedingly grown, and improved in every respect – in manners & appearance a perfect gentleman, & in character such as to interest & attach all around him. His talents seemed daily to develope themselves; those who shared in his law studies said that what they acquired by tedious labor came as it were by inspiration to him. He led the most retired life, devoting his leisure hours to his father’s pursuits in Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, & general science, & diligently keeping up his knowledge of German – I often availed myself of his assistance in reading your fascinating but difficult language, & when discussing the subject his thoughts constantly reverted to his life in Germany, & more especially to that kind friend who had acted a father’s part towards him there. I am sure you could not have listened without emotion to the enthusiasm with which he used to speak of you, of the delight your society afforded him, of your kindness to him, the regard he believed you had entertained for him, & his reluctance in leaving Bonn at a time when he thought you peculiarly alone, & that he might have contributed to cheer and comfort you – The very last day I saw him he said to me „There is but [3] one thing that always vexes me, and that is the idea of Mr Schlegel’s being displeased with me, which I am sure he must be, for he promised to write to me, and though I have written to him repeatedly he has never answered one of my letters.“ I could only assure him that if it were in your power to read his grateful heart it would be impossible for you to retain any anger against him. – The premature removal of an object so interesting is only another proof of the inscrutability of the ways of Providence – We who remain to mourn his loss endeavor to submit to it with proper resignation knowing that „the Lord doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men“. – and I try further to reconcile myself to the separation which I earnestly trust is not eternal, by the idea that his feelings were too keen on all points, too sensitive to anything like slight or disappointment, & his habits of thinking too much unlike those of the world in gene[ral] to have promised him a happy life. How much I should like to know your opinion of his disposition & talents, & whether your observation of them would have led you at all to coincide in our anticipations for him! – To his brothers it is a very severe blow; their attachment to each other was peculiarly strong, & his father cannot summon sufficient fortitude to write on the subject, or he would himself have communicated this sad event to one from whom he is secure of meeting with a friendly sympathy. – He is at this moment tolerably well in health, but afflictions & illness have within the last two years made a great alteration in him. – I will not longer detain you Sir than to beg you will believe me with every sentiment of respect,
Yours &c &c
Augusta Smith –
[4] à Monsieur
Monsieur A. W. von Schlegel
Bonn sur Rhin
en Allemagne.
Londres
Novr 30e
