1847-1848] Tom Poole and Kitty Wedgwood 109 



prejudice. He thought him on the whole very veracious. 

 He is a man of bad or no taste (I forget which), which is 

 observable in his history, or indeed in whatever he writes. . . . 



Fanny Allen to her sister Madame Sismondi. 



HARTFIELD, Oct. 3rd [1847]. 



... I am very glad to hear that you are going to Oesselly 

 for the christening, and that you have a smart bonnet to 

 wear there. Pick up every word of Kitty's and if you could 

 send a scrap of her in every letter what treasures they would 

 be ! It is indeed a privilege to have such a child as that. 

 Happy parents ! 



I have been deep in the old letters of the family for these 

 last ten days poor Tom's 1 letters are very melancholy and 

 touching, and some of Jos's answers very beautiful. What 

 two men they were ! and their attachment to each other so 

 perfect. I have copied off half a sheet of Tom's written 

 from Cote in 1804, desiring Jos not to come there on his 

 account, and giving a character of himself and Jos so true 

 and beautiful both, that it is a pity it should not be more 

 known. It was a cruel blight that passed over the life of 

 a person of such rare excellence. There are a great number 

 of Coleridge's letters, very clever and amusing in one a 

 very kind message to " Miss Aliens, Fanny and Emma," 

 and how pleasant the recollection he had of his stay at 

 Cresselly. Tom Poole's letters are interesting. I never 

 cease regretting that Kitty [Wedgwood] did not accept him. 

 How different would have been her life, to that absurd and 

 ridiculous attachment which bound her to Miss Morgan. 

 Among the mass of letters his are among the most affec- 

 tionate and from the most healthful mind. There are also 

 [letters] from Wordsworth, Godwin, Campbell, all equally 

 struck by the beauty of Tom's character, and expressive of 

 the deepest attachment to him. He was a " man made to 

 be loved " like Fox. 



1 Tom Wedgwood, brother of Josiah. Wedgwood of Maer. 



