Dover
Monday morning

March
1803

My dear Madame Pastoret,

I am sure that when you hear the wind blow as it does this morning
you will think of us. We are all safe and well - we had an excellent
passage; the wind fair, but not violent, the sea quite calm, in short
just such a passage as we hope you may have when you venture across
the sea to pay us a visit. M. Pastoret spoke with certainty of this
visit & you I hope will fortify him in his good resolutions. In
quitting you, and so many kind friends at Paris, we had really need
of the hope of a visit from them to comfort us for all we abandoned.

Believe me, dear Madame Pastoret we are all impressed with a sense
of your kindness, which can never be effaced from our memory. I am
afraid that we return to our own country with too strong a taste for
the elegance, & facility of French society. We are not, I hope, by any
means inclined to give ourselves traveller's airs; but without
affectation we may sometimes be forced to make comparisons highly
advantageous to the manners & politeness of our Parisian friends.
Politeness naturally recalls the idea of your truly polite & amiable
uncle. Will you remember us to M. de L'Etang in the kindest manner; may
he long be the delight & happiness of his family! Assure M. Pastoret
of our sincere esteem & gratitude - kiss your little Maurice for each
of us, & believe me

dear Madame Pastoret

Your obliged & grateful

[signed] Maria Edgeworth

[R.L.E.'s letter]

My dear Mon! Pastoret

Maria shall not make her court to Madame Pastoret
without my adding one line to assure you of my sincere respect and
regard - from your kindness I received much pleasure, from your
learning much information, & from your experience many useful lessons
of prudent conduct.

I have seen many persons of merit emerge whilst I was at Paris.
- I shall soon hear that you, my dear Sir are again in a situation
where your abilities & virtue can serve & adorn your country

your friend

[signed] Rich. Lovell Edgeworth

[It is addressed on the verso of the second sheet, in M. E.'s hand,
as follows]:

A Madame,
Madame Pastoret
Place Concorde
à Paris

COPY

Nov 10th 1817

I reproach myself my dear Madame de Pastoret, when I see the date of your letter and of my own. But believe me I am not ungrateful for the kind interest you feel for me and the regard you have retained through so many years of absence. Your kindness has soothed and gratified my heart in the midst of my bitter affliction. The loss I have sustained is indeed irreparable and I cannot say that I yet feel the sense of it lessened even by the tender consolations of the excellent friends, who have done all that friendship could do for me. But it is in vain to think or speak on that subject. Mrs. Edgeworth sets me an example of resignation fortitude & useful exertion which I endeavor to follow.

We are in good health & have been with her 6 children for this last month at her father's & mother's. At least enjoying in a union of pursuits, interests & duties, all that can remain to us of domestic happiness. Thank you my dear friends for wishing to see us again amongst you. Not at present. But it is not impossible that hereafter I may indulge myself in that pleasure. I cannot now however look forward with certainty to any thing beyond the ensuing year which must be devoted to the settling my little brother Francis (9 years old) at some English school & preparing him for it.

Next summer I believe my brother Sneyd and his wife will if her health permits, visit Paris, and if you will allow me I shall present them to you. I am truly sensible of the attentions you have paid to all whom I have favored with an introduction to you. You give me great satisfaction by the distinction you make in our favor between the travellers, who have, and those who have not been properly grateful and mindful of the rights and tacit promises of Society. My father was himself so delicate upon this subject, even if we had not been aware of what was honorable and proper, he would have put us upon our guard. Now he is gone, his spirit guides, and will ever guide us; and I may venture to say that tho' his daughter is an authoress & though his son Sneyd, who is going to you is an author, - (formidable dangerous characters!!) yet you will never have cause to repent receiving them into your intimate society.

What a prodigious loss your Society at Paris must have felt of Madame de Stael and of M. Suard! Both so highly distinguished and so different in their talents and their influence on literature and on conversation. M. Suard, fastidious in taste & judgment analysing every thing, rejecting all that was not according to literary precedent and proceeding always step by step in the safe path. Madame de Stael, of vivid imagination & original genius, seizing eagerly on every thing that seemed grand or new - soaring to the seventh heaven and often lost in the clouds, - dropping again suddenly to earth - sometimes alas! sinking far below us! - Exciting alternately our admiration and our regret! - I shall never cease to deplore that I did not become acquainted with this extraordinary woman when she was in England. I might have heard her eloquence. No description I am persuaded nor even Corinne can give me an adequate idea of it. Your account of her death is just what I should have expected from her sort of mind and habits of life. The public are however just to her; and her character now she is dead is treated with the candor and generosity which living she felt, and shewed towards even her rivals, and her enemies. Excepting by a few wretched hireling party-writers who live by detraction & nasty scurrility Madame de Stael's memory has been honored in England. All have been eager to acknowledge the superiority of her genius and magnanimity of her character.

-2-

If Lord Carrington who transmits this to you can find means to convey along with it a little print of Madame de Stael, accept it from me. I daresay it will make you smile from its being totally unlike her - at least you will see that more than justice has been done to her personal charms. This portrait was prefixed to a new "British lady's magazine": a work of no merit or I would send it to you. This number contained a notice of Madame de Stémore commonplace - with nothing new & very little that is true - It is however complimentary. I am very glad that some authentic Memoirs of her are to be published by her son. In the meantime you would oblige me much if you could send me any print which might give me a true idea of her. I cannot quit the subject without mentioning that I have lately seen letters from some English friends of ours who have within the last fortnight seen Madame de Broglio at Paris & who speak in the most grateful manner of her kindness and sympathise in her affliction. They know how to pity her being in sorrow themselves. If you see Madame de Broglio mention to her Mrs. Moutray and M. de Lacey. They not only admired Madame de Stéuls genius but really loved her, for her goodness of heart and for the sympathy she shewed them during Mrs. de Lacey's illness at Florence. M. de Lacey was the person who married the duke & duchess de Broglio. In their letters I have seen better & stronger & more amiable representations of Madame de Stael than I ever saw in the many letters I have seen from English travellers. Madame de Broglio will I am sure be glad to hear that M. de Lacey and Mrs. Moutray have arrived safely in their own country & at their homes. I have not yet seen them. I know that the moment Mrs. Moutray is mentioned to Madame de Broglio she will shew you that it is no indifferent subject to her.
No one of half Madame de Broglio's kindness of heart was acquainted with my friend Mrs. Moutray without feeling interested for her. Tell Madame de B. that Mrs. Moutray returns her sympathy with perfect sincerity. I fear her health will sink under the loss of her daughter- a daughter that was everything to her in this life. Why should I say I fear. Mrs. Moutray's best friends can hardly wish that her life should be long. It can only be a constant suffering & trial of fortitude.

When you write mention Madame de Broglio to me. From all I have heard from you & Madame Gautier & Mrs. Moutray & M. Dumont & Lady Lansdowne & many others I am warmly interested about her.

Poor Madame Suard! That is all I can feel about her. I will beg from you a print of M. Suard.

My dear Madame Pastoret I fear that I have omitted to thank you & your son M. Pastoret for the valuable tracts you sent me - proofs of his ability & of your regard for me. I read them to my dear father & he rejoiced with me that you & M. de Pastoret have a son so worthy of his parents so certain of permanently contributing to their honor & to their happiness - two objects that are not always found united. - Mrs. Edgeworth desires to offer her kind respects to you & to M. Pastoret and -
At this moment my pen is stopped by the news of the death of our young Princess Charlotte & of her child! - Every body is shocked by this publick calamity! - as if it were a private misfortune to each! - What a year of dreadful deaths!

Adieu my dear friend. Tell Madame Gautier I was going to write to her - but cannot at this moment - With much esteem gratitude & affection I am always yr

[signed] Maria Edgeworth

Among this years deaths of public characters & celebrated people Dupont de Nemours could not but strike us. If Madame Dupont de Nemours is with in your reach speak for me to her in your sweet voice & tell her I remember her gratefully.