1592997946000 1558093762000 Standard Record object-110005522 1747159852111 1681743438000 1747159409017 adlib fitz-online adlib-object-110005522 https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110005522 e79990c2-3182-340e-ad00-5e6dc930311d 5 person reference agent-192551 adlib-agent-192551 b494e74a-20ec-3ce9-be5f-3267eaba4253 Seward, Anna person reference agent-198683 adlib-agent-198683 7e8947bd-8aa7-3fbc-8d50-d176e429f260 Long, William FRS, FSA person reference agent-199377 adlib-agent-199377 0845d9ca-46ad-376b-aea0-948cdfe0189c Blower, Elizabeth person reference agent-199378 adlib-agent-199378 49f382e5-68b7-3c6e-a121-c8c1feefbf0d Brooke, Frances person reference agent-116992 adlib-agent-116992 ef3205d8-6794-3a6e-aae6-922ee555a7fb Romney, George person reference agent-45771 adlib-agent-45771 b9e1e92c-edf1-3a4c-a4eb-f5fbaae070a3 Flaxman, John person reference agent-198502 adlib-agent-198502 b67bd5fa-4f2a-302b-afaa-81f4c4f45ec8 Hayley, Eliza person reference agent-199379 adlib-agent-199379 c374c2bb-6dc6-3b1a-99de-4b645681ea38 Pennington, Sophia (nee Weston) content description 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". He 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". Hayley 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..." He 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". Hayley 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!" Hayley/XII/36 1 accession number Hayley/XII/36 110005522 priref 110005522 uri https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110005522 https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110005522 reference agent-149638 adlib-agent-149638 7376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8 The Fitzwilliam Museum reference agent-198487 adlib-agent-198487 4dbae6db-a725-3bfd-b34e-5d215b1a85e6 Hayley, William 1 sheet, folded. William Hayley to Anna Seward: letter object OBJECT