Mercy “Cleora” Doddridge, Northampton, to Mary “Belinda” Doddridge, [St. Albans, recently at Hackney], 13 July 1753. 

Northn July ye 12 ^13^ 1753

Friday Night half an Hour after

10 oClock

My Dearest Sister

             Nothing could have given me greater pleasure than the receipt of your perfectly kind & obliging Letter I began indeed to be vastly impatient for the pleasure of hearing from you but pirmit me my Dearest before I proceed any Farther to Congratulate you & myself on your safe arival at St Albans indeed it gives me great Joy to think of your being more than 20 Miles nearer me as it seems to be an aproach towards coming home, & I flatter my self our St Albans friends will be so Considrate of our impatience to see you, as not to Desire to Detaine you long thair it apears to me a most prodgious time since I had the Happiness of any Personal Conversation wh you I have a Thousan things to aske you wch I cannot write, & allmost as many to write to you about had I time but that has long been with me a very Choice Commodity, it is now late & I am very sleepy & their apears some Danger of my falling into some profound Slumber or reverie. I therefore most advisable to inform you of the most material things I have to write while I have any means of understanding I therefore begin my Dear wh telling you that we receivd the box & Mrs Holmses Gownd safe that Lady thinks herself gratley obligd to you for the Trouble you have given yourself to procure it for her, & beg’d of me when I wrote to give her Compliments & thanks to you on the occasion  the Neclace & Ribons she has also taken & like very well,

            I will if I possibly can write the Receipt [recipe] for the Carrend [Carrot] Wine for Mrs Tozer & send it by next post as you Desire. You must give me leave in the next place to thank you very sincerly for your very k^i^nd Letter wh gave me much more pleasure than my sleepy Pen can now tell you,

             I dont wonder you are so much pleasd with Hackney; by all accounts it is a more Charming place, & Mrs Hunt I think a most Friendly agreeable Woman. I cant imagine what reasonable objection Miss Ekins could have to Continuing thair, but what is any place how ever agreeable without a Friend & when the only Friend was at Northn no wonder Hackney had no Charmes for her.1 These too [sic] only Friends have pickd up 2 more Friends as I suppose for thair has been 2 Ladys at Mrs Ch [Churchill] this Fortnight thay are Both aquaintance their Names are Hudson & thay keep House in London, this is as I believe all that our 2 Ladies know of them I don’t find that thay have any extrodainary accomplishments, tho Doubtless the[ir] Mood be singuarly good naturd & obliging that on so short an aquaintance thay would so soon take the Trouble of coming to visit Miss E. & Mrs C. but this is not all thair is a very smart sea Captn who us’d to squire our 2 Ladies about to all publick places ^at Bath^ he has got a very rich uncle from whome he has great expactations this account I have you to guess what [paper torn] added that it was expected he would [accompany] his Cousons for so the 2 Ladies are it seems, but he [was] pervented giving himself that Honour by some engagments with his uncle wh are to turn greatly to his advantage there for you my Dear

             but to be a little more serious poor Mrs Phill Isted was taken very Ill yesterday wh her old complaint the Stone I am sure you will be very sorry to hear it as was I. Captain Hardy of Dilipore was ^is^ married to Miss Bond an old aquaintance of Miss Molly Isteds an agreeable Lady with a large fortain, we are all well here thank God & very glad to here you are so mamma Celia & Brother send their Love to you and all want much to see you but adieu my Dearest Belinda

                                     believe me to be with the affections

Your Cleora

Address: Miss Doddridge

Postmark:  none

Note on Address Page: July 13 1753

Text: Crew MS 50, fol. 74, Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge. Another reference to the ongoing courtship of Dr. James Stonhouse and Sarah Ekins; they will marry the following year.