1827-1830] Cannings Death 207 



Mrs Josiah Wedgwood to her sister Madame Sismondi. 



MAER, Monday, Aug. 27, 1827. 



Mackintosh is come home after attending poor Canning's 

 funeral. Alas ! what a loss he is to all Europe. There were 

 many at the funeral (M. said), who could not control their 

 grief. ... M. had a long conversation with Dr Holland 

 about Canning's illness. It was his misfortune, and every- 

 body's misfortune, that he was so pressed by circumstances, 

 that he had not time to be ill. When Dr Holland came to 

 him the first day, Canning said to him, ' Dr, I have been 

 struggling with illness these three months, and it has now 

 conquered me." He had had shivering fits for four days, 

 during which he had been giving dinners, and attending to 

 his business. Dr Holland had no hope of him from the 

 first day. On one of these days when he was so ill, he had 

 his Secretary with him at his bedside for three hours over 

 accounts. After he had done he said, " Now let's have a 

 tug at Portugal." ' No, sir," said the Secretary, " you 

 have done enough, you must take repose," and he took his 

 advice and fell asleep. 



Mackintosh is in very agreeable spirits. I think he finds 

 himself comfortable here, and he is a great acquisition to us 

 in point of society. He generally sits a good while con- 

 versing after breakfast, then he goes up to his room for the 

 morning, and we don't see him till dinner. He has his horse 

 here, and rides every day before dinner. He has his own 

 books, and he is established in the middle room upstairs for 

 his study, and he sleeps in the next. In the evening he joins 

 us at tea, and if we have no other company he is very 

 obliging in reading anything we like to us, and he reads so 

 well that it is a great treat. Kitty is also very comfortable ; 

 she spends almost all day in her own room and is very busy 

 at her studies, amongst which the newspapers have their 

 usual share, but always on the side of benevolence and 

 humanity. 



You take so much interest in my inmost feelings that 



