{"admin":{"added":1592997946000,"created":1558093762000,"flag":"Standard Record","id":"object-110005522","indexed":1747159852111,"modified":1681743438000,"processed":1747159409017,"source":"adlib","stream":"fitz-online","uid":"adlib-object-110005522","uri":"https:\/\/data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/id\/object\/110005522","uuid":"e79990c2-3182-340e-ad00-5e6dc930311d","version":5},"agents":[{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-192551","uid":"adlib-agent-192551","uuid":"b494e74a-20ec-3ce9-be5f-3267eaba4253"},"summary_title":"Seward, Anna"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-198683","uid":"adlib-agent-198683","uuid":"7e8947bd-8aa7-3fbc-8d50-d176e429f260"},"summary_title":"Long, William FRS, FSA"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-199377","uid":"adlib-agent-199377","uuid":"0845d9ca-46ad-376b-aea0-948cdfe0189c"},"summary_title":"Blower, Elizabeth"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-199378","uid":"adlib-agent-199378","uuid":"49f382e5-68b7-3c6e-a121-c8c1feefbf0d"},"summary_title":"Brooke, Frances"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-116992","uid":"adlib-agent-116992","uuid":"ef3205d8-6794-3a6e-aae6-922ee555a7fb"},"summary_title":"Romney, George"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-45771","uid":"adlib-agent-45771","uuid":"b9e1e92c-edf1-3a4c-a4eb-f5fbaae070a3"},"summary_title":"Flaxman, John"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-198502","uid":"adlib-agent-198502","uuid":"b67bd5fa-4f2a-302b-afaa-81f4c4f45ec8"},"summary_title":"Hayley, Eliza"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-199379","uid":"adlib-agent-199379","uuid":"c374c2bb-6dc6-3b1a-99de-4b645681ea38"},"summary_title":"Pennington, Sophia (nee Weston)"}],"content":{"description":[{"type":"content description","value":"Hayley writes that he \"could not bear the Idea of disfiguring\" the manuscript of \"Louisa\" that Seward sent him for critique, and so will send his \"few remarks ... on a separate Sheet\" via William Long, along with \"your dissentient Letter to that daring Critic\" (presumably Long had critiqu;ed another of Seward's works). He continues \"I presume not to give any opinion on the difference between such sublime Spirits; but I will venture to say, that his obervations are always worth your hearing, & for that reason, as well as the pleasure it will afford Him, I am sure you will not disapprove my introducing Eugenio to his acquaintance ---\" (this suggests Hayley intends to send Long the novel's \"Second Epistle\".\n\nHe next writes \"Apropos of Introductions as you stand at the Head of female Authors, & may be considered as a kind of President in that engaging Academy, allow me to introduce to yr notice a young Novelist who has a double claim to yr regard -- a female Genius under the Pressure of Misfortune\". Hayley described how he has come to meet Elizabeth Blower, the author of George Bateman who \"is the daughter of a Tradesman in a country Town, who, with the Burthen of a large Family, fail'd in Business, & was reduced to extreme Indigence. In this situation the Girl much under twenty & without any advantages of Education wrote a little novel for the sole purpose of obtaining Bread for her parents -- she fortunately gain'd 17 Guineas for her first production whose Title I have not learnt - She has since produced a work in 3 volumes entitled George Bateman, which I am now reading, & considering her peculiar circumstances, it appears to me of infinite merit\". \n\nHayley continues describing how Blower has also \"tried her Fortune on the Irish Stage, & has some thoughts of the London Theatre, but as she has neither Majesty of Person, nor Beauty of Feature, I fear she will find it very difficult to derive much Emolument from that line of Life, tho her voice is delightfully mellow & melodious...\"\n\nHe writes that Blower is \"at present under the protection of a very singular character, a benevolent little sculptor [Flaxman - see Hayley's Memoirs, vol 1 p309] engaged in making a chimney-piece for my new Library\". Hayley tells Seward that plans to ask Long to send her \"a few copies of her [Blower's] proposals\" for her next novel, \"as I am sure you will be happy to add as many Names as you conveniently can to her list of Subscribers.\" He continues \"if I could obtain such advantage without the sacrifice of her reputation, I should wishe her to live with me as a domestic secretary, as my Eyes want such relief, & the situation I think would be more comfortable to the poor Novelist than a precarious Subsistence from her Pen\".\n\nHayley asks Seward to read George Bateman and writes that Seward's friend Frances Brooke's novel \"The Excursion\" \"pleased me highly\" and that \"it is a Book that I often see in the Hand of Eliza, no trifling Proof of its Merit as her Taste is uncommonly delicate!\""}]},"identifier":[{"accession_number":"Hayley\/XII\/36","primary":true,"type":"accession number","value":"Hayley\/XII\/36"},{"priref":"110005522","type":"priref","value":"110005522"},{"type":"uri","uri":"https:\/\/data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/id\/object\/110005522","value":"https:\/\/data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/id\/object\/110005522"}],"institutions":[{"@link":{"type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-149638","uid":"adlib-agent-149638","uuid":"7376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8"},"summary_title":"The Fitzwilliam Museum"}],"lifecycle":{"creation":[{"maker":[{"@link":{"type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-198487","uid":"adlib-agent-198487","uuid":"4dbae6db-a725-3bfd-b34e-5d215b1a85e6"},"summary_title":"Hayley, William"}]}]},"measurements":{"dimensions":[{"value":"1 sheet, folded."}]},"summary_title":"William Hayley to Anna Seward: letter","title":[{"value":"William Hayley to Anna Seward: letter"}],"type":{"base":"object","type":"OBJECT"}}