| Description | Transcripts of letters from Sophia FitzClarence to Miss Turner [Miss Dorothea Turner?], mostly written in Paris.
f.2r: writing from St James' before leaving for a vacation in Paris with Mrs Arbuthnot.
f.3r-5r: Paris, 17th September. Sophia writes about her first days in Paris and where she has been visiting. She complains about the bad smell in the city and the absence of society; about the latter, the Duke of Wellington says that Napoleon wanted this in order to put an end to [uneasy] conversations. She mentions having been at Talleyrand's house [Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord] but she did not like him. She remarks that 'Paris is filled with English'.
ff. 6r-8r: 3rd October. Sophia's holiday is coming to an end and she reflects on the time spent in Paris and on the state of the country - dwelling, in particular, on the disaffection of the French for the monarchy.
ff. 9r-11r: October 1815. Although Sophia will soon be back to England where she will soon see Miss Turner, she wants to comment further on aspects of the French society and her own experience of social life in Paris. She dwells on events and details mentioned in previous letters; she tells of the many men, often important like the Prince Royal of Bavaria [Ludwig I of Bavaria], who courted her, but often in an unpleasant way. She says to have been disgusted, for instance, by the Prince's court which she believes was the court of a madman [the text in the original is incomplete see GEO/ADD/44/19].
ff. 12r-14r: Paris, 19th October. As Sophia tells about her longing to come back to England, she makes some consideration about her past experience in Paris. She tells about a recent event which scandalised everyone in Paris: the affair between General [Sir Peregrine] Maitland and Lady Sarah Lennox which was uncovered so that the two had to marry [the text in the original is incomplete see GEO/ADD/44/20]
ff. 15r-17r: 20th October. Sophia makes her excuses for her previous letter, that might have never reached Miss Turner, in which Sophia was being rude to her. She writes about the wedding of General Maitland and Sarah Lennox, which was properly officiated at the house of the Duke of Wellington. The Duchess of Wellington will be in Paris on Monday accompanied by Caroline FitzRoy who is quite hated among the Duchess's staff. She adds other frivolous comments because she does not have any facts to report [the text in the original is incomplete and hardly legible see GEO/ADD/44/21].
ff. 18r-20r: communicating the arrangements for her departure from Paris and arrival in Dover. |