Letter from Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox to his sister Lady Louisa Conolly,
1798 July 26.
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| Contributors: | |
| Summary: | Letter from the Duke of Richmond in Goodwood to his sister Lady Louisa Conolly in Ireland. He refers to the need to rely on Divine providence in times of difficulty - ‘I have no doubt but that your conduct and character as well as that of Conolly [her husband, Thomas Conolly] have in this wrek [sic] of wretchedness done much good and saved much bloodshed.’ He remarks on Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s weakness of character ‘which at the same time that it is amiable in its manners and affections is liable to draw into great errors and equally does mischief with what proceeds from bad principles. He had no steadiness to resist where he could be persuaded that friendship intervened and those consequences which prudence should have persuaded him to dread became the greater incentives if any personal danger to himself was attached to them. It was these sentiments that led him to join [?] opposition after he had allowed me to tell the King and Mr Pitt that he had determined not to be any more concerned in it and that he would not take his seat in the House wherein he had been chosen contrary to his express request and while he was in America and that he meant for the future to stick wholly to his profession. But the idea of abandoning his friends and party got the better of the other alternative of breaking his word, … at bottom we knew his intentions, however misled they might have been, to be good. I will not say that in one sense I regret his loss because I am convinced that had he lived, he had got so entangled with the people he was connected with and his head was so turned by them that he would have soon elapsed into similar errors and sooner or later have brought misery and disgrace to his family, which indeed his death alone has I fear now prevented.’ His mother has been spared the suffering of his trial and probable execution. He refers to the states of mind of Emily, Duchess of Leinster and Lady Pamela Fitzgerald [Lord Edward's widow] who plans to return to Hamburg and refers to the health of other family members and their activities. He advises that Lady Louisa and Thomas Conolly should stay at Castletown, Co. Kildare and suggests that they might visit England when things are quieter in Ireland. Includes a copy of that part of the former item expressing Duke’s views on Divine providence. |
| In collection: | Conolly-Napier papers, 1783-1840. |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Notes: | Physical description: 1 letter (10 pp.). |
| Arrangement: | Item |
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Letter from Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox to his sister Lady Louisa Conolly,
1798 July 26.
| In Collection: | Conolly-Napier papers, 1783-1840. |
|---|---|
| Description: | Letter from the Duke of Richmond in Goodwood to his sister Lady Louisa Conolly in Ireland. He refers to the need to rely on Divine providence in times of difficulty - ‘I have no doubt but that your conduct and character as well as that of Conolly [her husband, Thomas Conolly] have in this wrek [sic] of wretchedness done much good and saved much bloodshed.’ He remarks on Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s weakness of character ‘which at the same time that it is amiable in its manners and affections is liable to draw into great errors and equally does mischief with what proceeds from bad principles. He had no steadiness to resist where he could be persuaded that friendship intervened and those consequences which prudence should have persuaded him to dread became the greater incentives if any personal danger to himself was attached to them. It was these sentiments that led him to join [?] opposition after he had allowed me to tell the King and Mr Pitt that he had determined not to be any more concerned in it and that he would not take his seat in the House wherein he had been chosen contrary to his express request and while he was in America and that he meant for the future to stick wholly to his profession. But the idea of abandoning his friends and party got the better of the other alternative of breaking his word, … at bottom we knew his intentions, however misled they might have been, to be good. I will not say that in one sense I regret his loss because I am convinced that had he lived, he had got so entangled with the people he was connected with and his head was so turned by them that he would have soon elapsed into similar errors and sooner or later have brought misery and disgrace to his family, which indeed his death alone has I fear now prevented.’ His mother has been spared the suffering of his trial and probable execution. He refers to the states of mind of Emily, Duchess of Leinster and Lady Pamela Fitzgerald [Lord Edward's widow] who plans to return to Hamburg and refers to the health of other family members and their activities. He advises that Lady Louisa and Thomas Conolly should stay at Castletown, Co. Kildare and suggests that they might visit England when things are quieter in Ireland. Includes a copy of that part of the former item expressing Duke’s views on Divine providence. |
| Main Creator: | |
| Language: | English |
| Extent: | 1 letter (10 pp.). |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Call Number: |
MS 34,922/11
(Manuscripts Reading Room) |
| Rights: | Reproduction rights owned by the National Library of Ireland. |