Apr., 1890. 
CONSTANCE C. W. NADEN. 
83 
Pakenliam House, Edgbaston, June 29th, 1887. 
Dear Mr. Hughes, 
Thank you very much for your kind review of my book. It is 
much more than kind, because it emphasises those aspects of my 
writing which I have more especially at heart. 
Thank you also for your sympathy. I can scarcely as yet realise all 
that this loss means to me.* I shall travel for some time, and finally 
settle in London ; but I do not mean to let this change of abode sever 
any of my old friendships and interests. I shall always feel grateful 
to the Sociological Section and to its President. 
With very kind regards to Mrs. Hughes and to yourself, 
Believe me, yours sincerely, 
CONSTANCE C. W. NADEN. 
*The loss alluded to was the death of her grandmother, Mrs. J. C. 
Woodhill, June 21st, 1887. Her grandfather died December 27th, 
1881.—W. R. H. 
Both books contain a few translations from the German 
and Italian, the most noteworthy of which are the “ Frag¬ 
ments from Faust,” in her second volume. 
The Birmingham Weekly Mercury for January 25th, 1890, 
printed some unpublished verses of Miss Naden's, entitled 
“Night” and “Morning,” from a MS. collection entitled 
“ Songs of the Heart and Mind,” written eleven years ago, 
when the authoress was scarcely twenty-one. 
In a survey of the “ British Poetry of the Nineteenth 
Century,” published in the second number of The Speaker 
for January 11, 1890, that distinguished critic the Right Hon. 
Mr. Gladstone, M.P., places the name of Miss Naden seventh 
in a list of eight leading poetesses having claims to high dis¬ 
tinction, Mrs. Barrett Browning being placed first, while he 
denies the title of “ Poet” to George Eliot, to Mrs. Hemans, 
Joanna Baillie, and indeed all prior to Mrs. Browning, and 
thus concludes a very comprehensive article :—“ Upon the 
whole it may perhaps be allowable to say not only that the 
British poetesses of the last sixty years have developed in 
numerous instances splendid powers, but even that they are 
as a whole without a parallel in literary history.” It is a very 
high compliment coming from such an authority, but from 
subsequent evidence it is probable that Mr. Gladstone had not 
had under his notice Miss Naden’s second volume, which, as 
before stated, is a marked advance on her first publication. 
She ceased to write poems in 1887, but, after all, poetry was 
mere amusement to her, for she had, as we know, deeper and 
more exalted work for her intellectual powers. 
(To be concluded .) 
