BCARS
Add MSS 412 Box 1 File 18
Telegraphic Address
Naval & Military Club
c/o “Rag”
Piccadilly London
Army & Navy Club
Pall Mall. S.W.
Sept. 25th [1892]
My dear Mrs. O’Reilly
Thank you so much for your letter which I received a few days ago down in Hampshire where I went for 4 days partridge shooting & stayed 10 but they are such old friends of mine. Purefoy Fitzgerald by name – he has a family of 5 daughters, the youngest of whom sees that I am provided with buttonholes, & that I look all right generally, before I go out shooting. I hope your bazaar was a success & did’nt tire your out – no-one has favoured me with a letter yet from the ship but I dont growl, as I am one of the worst correspondents myself – if at any time you might be expecting to hear from me, please dont expect, as it takes me days sometimes before I can write a letter. When a few have accumulated, I dash at them in a kind of despair – but I think they might have written to me about Mr. Graham. I’m afraid his wife will have to support him, as I dont think he has anything beyond his pay – ar’nt naval officers an impecunious tribe?
About leaving the Navy, there seems to be a dearth of officers. so much so that they wont let one retire. it would be possible, of course, to resign, but that means giving up retired pay which I regret to say I cannot afford – so at present I can safely say I shall have to stick to the Navy. I hope I shall hear from Mr. O’Reilly soon. in the letter I wrote him from Banff I told him I was quite satisfied about his daughter’s affection for me. I’m afraid I was rather counting my chickens before hatched. You told me in your letter that Kitty “feels frightened at being bound to me as she knows so little of me” – I want her to clearly understand that I do not ask her to consider herself bound to me in any way. I have no right to ask it from her (much as I regret wish it were possible for me to make it so) – I was offered by Lord Houghton, the new Lord Lieutenant to go as his Naval ADC in Ireland, my brother was very anxious I should take it as Houghton is a great friend of his – but after consideration I refused – there is no naval work of any kind attached to it & I should only bore myself horridly at a job not at all in my line, & I found the life of amusement & finding something to do was too expensive to be worth it. Please do not mention this to anyone, Naval or otherwise – I hope you will get your parcel all right from Mr. Williamson. I told him to give it to Jack. I hope you are all well, & I wish the train would take me to Point Ellice tomorrow instead of Scotland
Yours very sincerely
Harry Stanhope
Back to 1892 Correspondence
This collection of letters has been digitized from an earlier transcription project and is for informational purposes only. This transcription has not been verified against the originals. Researchers interested in these letters should consult the original documents housed at the BC Archives.