From Mrs. Fairlie. "MY DEAREST dear Aunt, 66 -1843. "I was glad you were where I fain would have been yesterday; you were mistaken in thinking I wished to deprive you wholly of the dear little note. I return it. I only wanted it yesterday; the day week it was written. I have borne this wonderfully; but God promises his strength, and he gives it. "I am not so well as I have been; but still, no one could expect me to be half so well as I am. "Auckland tells me he wanted to attend the funeral, and was at the church, but missed the hour, which we understand, as you were there an hour or more behind time. "How I bless God for the loan of that precious child, and for his aid in enabling me to train her in the ways of piety. How boldly she ever rebuked sin. Do you remember how it pained her that you should, in any way, profane the Lord's day by visitors, or driving out? At her baptism, she was signed with the cross, in token that she should not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, but manfully fight under his banner against the devil, the world, and sin, and continue his faithful soldier and servant unto death.' She did so continue, God be praised!!! "If Johnnie comes this week, could you spare dear Elly for a few days? Her address I enclose. That will be but a very short visit, but then, perhaps, Maggie will come and visit me. I am very tired now, so end all in a hurry. "Your own fond and most anxious "LOUISA." "I hope you will read the book I sent by White." The note of the dear child referred to in the preceding letter of Mrs. Fairlie : "MY DEAR Aunt, "I am so pain in my breast, and cough a deal. I thank you for a barley sugar and large cake. Papa gave me a flower paper. I am writing in bed, at night: how kind you are to bring what I want. Mamma send me large round barley-sugar, not like you give me. Give my love to Alfred, Margery, I. L. F." Ellen, from ENDORSED. "Written by my blessed grand-niece, Isabella Louisa Fairlie, on Saturday night, the 28th of January, 1843. She expired on the 31st, at twenty minutes before eight in the evening, resigning her pure spirit without a groan or struggle. M. B." "Old man, thou art poor, and thy house of clay No friend who will cheer thy gloom?" It will last beyond the tomb." "Then why does he never thy cottage cheer? Does he give thee fire or food?" "Oh, lady, my friend is iny constant guest; "If I eat his food I shall never die, And in his blest abode A place is prepared for me, and I long "Old man, it now is made plain to me, The cheerful look amidst pain. I'll call on this friend, I will seek the Lord"- L. F., May 12, 1842. Mrs. Fairlie died at Cheveley, near Newmarket, in April, 1843, after a protracted illness. She survived her beautiful and interesting child little more than two months. That sweet child had gone before her angelic mother, to a fitting home on high, the 31st of January, 1843. No. III. COPY OF MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE OF LADY BLESSINGTON WITH CAPTAIN MAURICE FARMER. Obtained by R. R. MADDEN from MR. LEGGE, Parish Clerk and Registrar of Marriages in Clonmel, the 8th August, 1854. 1804. MARRIAGE solemnized at the PARISH CHURCH, in the PARISH OF CLONMEL, in the COUNTY OF TIPPERARY. Married in the Parish Church, according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the United Church of England and Ireland, by licence, by me, No. IV. CAPTAIN MAURICE FARMER. REFERENCE has been made in the Introduction, to a letter published in a Dublin newspaper by a brother of Captain Farmer, denying certain statements made in a Memoir of Lady Blessington respecting Captain Maurice St. Leger Farmer. In fairness to the friends of that gentleman, I feel myself bound to insert the letter at length, without any omissions whatsoever; although, without calling in question in the slightest degree the veracity of the writer, I must observe, there are several statements in that communication, of opinions which are entirely at variance with my impressions of facts, and some, I may add, at variance with the impressions of a gentleman who was present at the marriage of Captain Farmer with Miss Power. It is very natural for the brother of that gentleman, actuated as he must be by feelings of fraternal regard and affection, to form favourable opinions of one so nearly connected with him, and to entertain unfavourable sentiments regarding one whose relatives have publicly expressed sentiments which cannot be otherwise than disagreeable, and, in his opinion, unjust to the memory of his relative. But in all matters of this unfortunate kind, it is not from the immediate friends of the persons who have been disunited, that we ought to expect a fair and full statement of both sides of the question at issue-one that would do equal justice to each party, to the views of each, and the merits of the case on either side. I feel once more bound to state my conviction that the following statement is not one which answers the expectations I have just referred to; and that if I felt myself at liberty to appeal to the recollections of two very distinguished per sonages who were present at that marriage, and well acquainted with the parties-one of those persons now Commander-in-Chief of the British army, and the other lately commander of the forces in Ireland-that conviction would be confirmed. TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING PACKET. "SIR, : "I will gratefully feel your kindness, if you will give, in your paper, insertion to the accompanying reply to Miss Power's misstatements, in her opening review of Lady Blessington's life, as connected with my brother, the late Captain Farmer, 47th Foot, her first husband. "SIR, "WALTER FARMER, "3, Heytesbury Street, "I have seen in your paper of the 11th instant, a statement, taken from a Memoir of the Countess of Blessington, contributed in the Preface to Country Quarters,' by her niece, Miss Power, in which, to exculpate sundry matters in the conduct of her Ladyship, gross misrepresentations are made respecting her first husband, Captain Farmer. As the brother of that gentleman, I hope I may be allowed to state my contradictions, as follows, and that you will kindly give them equal publicity :— "So far as my brother and Captain Murray having both paid their addresses to the lady, I believe to be true; but that she preferred my brother is an undoubted fact, inasmuch as that it was in every sense a love-match between them, no settlement being made or promised by my brother or his family; for my father, having seven other sons, considered that in the purchase of all his steps he had received his share, but the lady's father promised his daughter a fortune of £1000, a shilling of which was never paid; but, counting on it, the young couple contracted debts, and Captain Farmer, finding his inability to meet them, was obliged to sell his commission to pay said debts. He subsequently accepted a commission in the East India Company's |