My dearest Sister
I should have written to you earlier than my promise if I could have given you more satisfactory reports; I am afraid was but a melancholy letter and I am sorry to say the present will not be much more cheerful. Alice indeed is a little better; though she still is nearly confined to her dressing room, yet she is dressed, and looks more happy. Miss Bachhouse has just invited her to spend a week with her in the country, and I hope she will accept of the invitation. In my home the measles have had their course; we were rejoicing that Elizabeth and Tommy had got so well through them, but the former has had a relapse and is in bed with si. leeches, and a bad cough. Tommy also coughs a little, and his sisters example will induce us to be very cautious how we expose him to cold. Baby also appears to have caught the same and her constitutional weakness renders it more alarming. Her emption is not come out and it shows itself in an inflammatory action of the chest. In two days we have been afraid of losing her; though is still little improved, yet from the nature of the complaint continuance without getting worse gives grounds for hopes. She is such an endearing little thing, and has wound herself so closely around our hearts that it would be a great grief to part with her, though if God wills it so, it may perhaps be in mercy, rather than she should up to an imperfect and unhappy existence; if she recovers, I shall look upon it as a presumption, that there is nothing essentially wrong in her organisation, and shall expect her defects will disappear, as she grows up. She is very fond of foreign grapes, which are now brought over most excellent, and are very reasonable. Harriet was up with her all last night, and indeed never leaves her. She is very good but very much petted and lies altogether on the knee or at the heart. My brother has been most kind and constant in his attendance. I ought to apologize for troubling you with domestic details, did I not know you have at heart in the right place and that it is the intelligence you expect to receive. Harriet has been much shocked with the death [of] a cousin at Gibraltar, who was highly respected there, and has left a widow a most charming and accomplished woman with five children but ill provided for; she is niece to Dr Parkinson, the Chancellor, and my principal at Chester. I continue my visits every fortnight to that ancient city and have constantly very curious and important cases to decide. You would perhaps see one of them, which was reported at great length in the London Papers; the evidence was given nearly in full, but the judgment, which took me nearly an hour to deliver, was very imperfect. I have at present amongst others two divorce causes upon my hands. The Bishops family are much better and are gone up to town. I have just been reading Blacks Life of Iapo which I have long possessed but never yet perused. Formerly he was not so great a favorite with me as he ch..soes I believe my opinion more in a great measure from the unpleasant type of the Lilipution edition in Italian characters, in which I read; you will probably remember the book. Still I cannot place him in the same rank with my favorite Arriosto. Your stay in Italy has contributed to turn my attention again to the literature of that country. Your time appears very wisely to be more occupied with the living than the dead, which latter may be concerned with nearly as well upon your return with your memory still full of the scenes they describe. We have had fine clear weather, but too cold and chill for sickly children. You seem to be well acquainted with all our political events. We are not well satisfied with our representative [hul i papiret] certainly was expected he would not join the present mini[hul i papiret] without some guarantee of their measures. His explanation in the house has only relieved him from one difficulty to plunge him in another; he is like aman [sic] in a bog, who is obliged to jump from one tuft to another, least he should sink by remain stationary upon any one. His speech on the motion for the repeal of corporation and test acts is a most miserable failure, and what is worse it is impossible to believe in his sincerity. I suppose you have the earliest intelligence from Greece. It is said we are to have fifteen thousand troups there. Baby is certainly better tonight. With but love to your husband and con, believe me though distant in space yet near in affection
Ever your attached Brother
I A Brandreth
Liverpool
4 March 1828