Revised Jun 6 2021

No. 44. Miss N. Heywood to Mr. P. Heywood

Isle of Man – July 31st – 1792

We had the Happiness my beloved Brother of your three Letters on Sunday last by a Boat from Whitehaven; as the Packet is not yet repaired Mr. Wood continues to send our Letters by any safe Opportunity, & fortunately we have received them with great regularity — you will by this Post receive a Number of Letters — Mama, Mary, Eliza, & myself are all scribbling at this Moment & James desires me to say he wou'd do so too, but he has hurt his right Hand, & cannot hold a Pen. — You mention in some of your Letters an Apprehension (which I assure you my Love is unnecessary) of displeasing my Uncle Heywood by not writing to him — he sees every Letter we receive from you, & is entirely satisfied with your whole Conduct: not a single Step has been taken respecting you without his express Concurrence & Approbation, & he interests himself strongly in your Welfare, which believe me is no inconsiderable Proof of your great Merit. — his natural Prudence & cool reason, will never suffer him to bestow his Attention on any but a worthy Object — that Object, he has with Pleasure found in my dearest Peter. — Why my ever-lov'd Brother did you make an Apology to me for the Uneasiness you felt on receipt of my Letter to Mr. Heywood's Care? — how very, very unnecessary was that to me, how sincerely am I grieved it was ever sent you! — Yet, thank Heaven you will not, cannot, suffer much longer those unpleasant sensations which a situation of undeserved Confinement must produce, for soon, very soon, I hope will every thing terminate to our most sanguine Wishes. — 'Tis I my Love who ought to apologize for having suffered even a single Word to escape me, that cou'd give you a Moments pain. Alas! how studiously on the Contrary wou'd I seek to give you pleasure. Mr. Bligh most certainly has branded my amiable Brother with the vile Appellation of Mutineer, but he has not dared to charge you with any Crime that cou'd have authorized such an Epithet; on the Contrary, he has declared under his own Hand, that he had the highest Esteem for you till the fatal Moment of the Mutiny, & that your Conduct during the whole Course of the Voyage, was such as gave him the greatest Pleasure & Satisfaction — so high indeed was the Opinion he had of your Character & Attachment to him, that he told Mr. Wilson in Conversation, his greatest Hopes of Assistance in suppressing the Mutiny, were from his Dependance on your forming a Party in his favor — & here I must observe that his Confidence in his other Officers must have been very small when (without making any Effort himself except by Words even when he was in the Boat & his Hands at Liberty) he depended on a Boy of seventeen, to be his Defender! — His Cruelty & Barbarity in loading you with so opprobrious an Epithet is therefore the more unpardonable & will; so far from injuring you my dear Peter, recoil upon himself; & if he has any Feeling must distress him much.

The report which you have heard respecting my Grandfather Speddings Death is very true — he died in August 1788 & wou'd you believe it — notwithstanding he confessed & even boasted to the latest Moment of his Existence that my Mama (once his only & beloved Child, & that for a Period of thirty six years) had never during her whole Life in the most trifling Instance offended him, he had the Cruelty not even to mention his [her?] Name is his Will! — he died immensly rich & left his whole Fortune (except £90000 for his eldest Son) to his present Wife & her Heirs for ever — even this was surely unkind to his other Children — the Event has verified the Conjecture, for two Years ago she married Doctor Hamilton, who however insisted that her Fortune shou'd first be settled upon the Children. — Thus by a fatal second Marriage was a worthy Woman with a large Family deprived not only of a Parent's Affection, but of the Inheritance to which by Nature, & by her own exemplary Conduct she was justly entitled! — Adieu my best, my dearest Brother — may the Almighty God guard & preserve you till you are again restored to be the Joy, & Happiness of

your most faithful

  & fondly aff't. Sister

    Nessy Heywood