| Disgrifiad | General family news, very affectionately written. He has begun to subscribe to Pritchard's Library at Chester; Kitty's dilatoriness in the matter of writing home; much about "Baby's" progress; J J's plans to purchase "land at the Rossell"; Minnie's poor spelling; he is pleased that they are engaged in a charitable project to help poor Jews; his wife's indifferent health; she and he have visited Wynn Hall to see Mrs Kenrick, whose youngest child Hamilton has been ill with a fever; they have visited Rosell in the Phaeton; "poor Mr Pearce" has been arrested for debt and is languishing in Ruthin gaol; has heard a sermon given by John Roberts of Ruthin, "a Son of an old friend of mine - one of the excellent old Welsh Ministers who were contemporaries of Old Wms of Wem and John Elias"; goes to Leamington to convalesce, where the waters have not agreed with him; is impressed with the town and its environs; the disposal of Mr Pearce's estate [vide supra]; has visited the aqueduct near Llangollen [Froncysyllte?] with his wife and Kitty (temporarily living at home after a cough), and was "gratified by seeing one of the Swift passenger boats from the Railway to Llangollen pass over while we were there"; the building of this house at Rossell has still not started; greetings for Minnie's 17th birthday (1 August 1853); his wife's persistent ailing; has been busy attending to railway matters; particularly those to do with the projected Wrexham to Ruthin Railway; saw "the Comet" while on his way from Ruthin "the other evening" [letter written 26 August 1853]; and saw its tail distinctly"; has heard from Minnie in French; has visited Manchester, and attended a "full dress concert in the Concert Hall", in which he particularly liked Mr Chas. Halle's piano-playing; his wife "feels the gloom of Wrexham sadly after the bustle and liveliness of Manchester"; "Baby" is teething; a homily against salvaging an unfranked stamp for re-use on another letter; the birth of a baby daughter; a new Wesleyan chapel is to be built "near to the end of King Street"; the house [at Rossell] proceeds apace; progress reports on the new baby; etc. |