CHARACTERS. 



785 



Lichfield. Various observations, 

 sio;ncd Lichfield botanical society, 

 were sent to the periodical publica- 

 tions, and it -vvas amusing to hear 

 scientific travellers, on their transit 

 over Lichfield, enquiring after tlie 

 state of the botanical society there. 



In tiiG spring of the jear 1778 

 the children of colonel and Mrs. 

 Pole,* of Uadburn, in Derbyshire, 

 had been injured by a dangerous 

 quantity of the ciciita, injudiciously 

 administered to the:n in the hoop- 

 ing-cough, by a physician of the 

 neighbourhood. Mrs. Pole brought 

 them to the house of Dr. Darwin, in 

 Lichlield, remaining with them there 

 a few weeks, till, by hisart^ the poi- 

 son was expelled from their con- 

 stitutions, and their health restored. 



About the summer 1778, the 

 countess of Northeslc rested at one 

 of the inns in Lichfield, on her May 

 to Scotland, by the shortest possible 

 stages. She had been a year ^in 

 Enaland, for the benefit of her 

 health, wasting rapidly by haemorr- 

 hage. Ineflectually had the most 

 eminent physicians of London and 

 Bath endeavoured to check the pro- 

 gress of her disease, llcr youngest 

 daughter, lady Marianne Carnegie, 

 then an amiable girl of thirteen, 

 now, alas ! no more, and their 

 friend, Mrs. (fscott, were thecoinpa- 

 nions of lady Northesk's journey. 

 Her ladyship told the mistress of 

 the inn that she was going home to 

 die, the physicians having confessed 

 that art could do no more in her 

 case. The person replied, " I wish, 

 madam, that you would send for our 

 doctor, he is so famous." Lady 

 Norfhesk consented. 



W'hun Dr. Darwiu came, he ob- 



served that he could do little on 

 transient observation, where the 

 disea'^e was so obstinate, and of 

 such long continuance ; pressed her 

 to remove with her daughter and 

 friend to his house, and that they 

 would remain his guests for a fort- 

 night. The invitation was accepted. 

 lie requested the author of these 

 memoirs frequently to visit his new 

 patient, contribute to amuse her, 

 and abate the inevitable injury of 

 perpetual self-attention. 



Miss Seward felt herself extremely 

 interested in this lady, and anxious 

 to see those sufferings relieved which 

 were so patiently sustained. Lady 

 Northesk lay on a couch, through 

 the day, in Dr. Darwin's parlour, 

 drawing with difficulty that breath 

 which seemed often on the point of 

 final evaporation. 5he was thiji, 

 even to transparency; her cheeks 

 sufiused at tim.es with a flush, beau- 

 tiful, though hectic. Her eyes w'ere 

 remarkably lucid and full of intel- 

 ligence. If the langour of disease 

 frequently overshadowed them, they 

 were always re-!umined by every 

 observation to which she listened, 

 on lettered excellence, on the pow- 

 ers of science, or the ingenuity of 

 art. Her language, in the high 

 Scotch accent, had every happiness 

 of perspicuity, and always expres- 

 sed rectitude of heart and suscepti- 

 bility of taste. 



Whenever her great and friendly 

 physician perceived his patient's at- 

 tention engaged by the conversation 

 of the rest of the circle, he sat con- 

 sidering her in meditative silence, 

 with looks that expressed — " You 

 shall not die thus prematurely, if 

 my eflorts can prevent it." 



• 'I'liis was the object of his Felrarchian attachment during the life of her 

 husband. 



Vol. XLVI. 



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One 



