1792-1800] 4 Ball at Ramsgate 9 



lishment, which we find very comfortable. . . . We have 

 been at two balls, one at Margate, the other at Ramsgate, 

 the last was a very genteel one, where we saw a multitude 

 of pretty women, the first was infinitely vulgar. At Margate, 

 Ocky danced with an Officer who looked very like her friend 

 Capt. Scourfield at a distance, but fell very short when he 

 came near, having but one eye. Some relations of Mr 

 Mackintosh's introduced us all to partners, such as they were, 

 but it must be confessed they were but very so-so. When 

 we went to Eamsgate, the Master of the Ceremonies asked 

 us all to dance, but Jessie and I were too delicate or too 

 proud to like to commission him to solicit the hand of 

 anybody, and chose to sit still. Kitty and Ocky's love of 

 dancing was stronger than their delicate feelings on this 

 subject, and he brought up a couple of partners to them. 

 Ocky's was tolerably genteel, but Kitty's not quite so much 

 so, being rather more upon the establishment of a boy than 

 suits her taste. Ocky's partner, however, had like to have 

 paid dear for the pleasure of dancing with her, for when we 

 came to tea, she undertook to make it, and the urn being 

 what we call very tripless, 1 she pulled it over and scalded 

 her poor beau's leg; however, I don't believe he was very 

 hurt, as he danced two or three dances afterwards, and 

 Ocky recovered of her fright enough to dance another set 

 with him. We came away in very good time, and I don't 

 think she is at all the worse for it this morning. There is to 

 be a very grand Ball at Guildford on account of Nelson's 

 victory, the 25th [Oct.], and we are all going. 2 . . . 



Jessie Allen appears to have spent a whole year away 

 from Cresselly, passing many months with the Josiah 

 Wedgwoods. On her return to Cresselly she wrote to her 

 sister Bessy (June 10, 1799): "One thing I do entreat, 

 which is that you take the greatest possible care of your dear 

 self. Get rid if you can of some of the superabundant 

 affection and feeling you have for your own family. At 



1 "Tripless," according to the English Dialect Dictionary, is a 

 Pembrokeshire word, and means unsteady, rickety. 



3 When they return, that is, to Stoke d'Abernon. The Battle of 

 the Nile was on August 1st this year. 



