1799.] 4dr. Southey’s Statement of Faéis relative to Chatterton. 77 
to invite the public attention to thofe cir- 
‘cumstances which render this aét of juftice 
neceflary. 
Tt might have been fuppofed that the 
intereft which the fate of Chatterton ex- 
cited in the public mind, would, in fome 
meafure, have fupplied his lofs to his fa- 
mily, by procuring for them active and 
benevolent friends. 
at that time have fecured to them the 
comforts of life. Your readers, Sir, will 
probably learn with furprize, that the 
whole fum they have ever received from the 
profits of his produétions, amounts only - 
to feventeen guineas and fix pence. In 
this I do not include the voluntary affift- 
ance of thoft individuals on whofe juftice 
they had noclaim... They remember with 
gratitude the kindnefs of Dr. Glynn, of 
Mr. Bryant, above all of Mifs Hannah 
More and her fifters. 
The papers and poems attributed to 
Rowley, had been procured from Chatter- 
ton, during his life time, chiefly by Mr. 
Barrett and Mr. Catcott ; from the latter, 
the poems were purchafed for fifty pounds, 
of which fix guineas were given to the mo- 
ther and fifter. A great part _of Mr. 
Barrett’s Hiftory 6f Briftol is compofed 
of Chatterton’s communications ; the only 
return the family ever received trom him 
was his furgical afliftance, gratuitoufly at- 
forded to the filter, Mrs. Newton, once in 
a complaint of the breaft, once in curing a 
whitlow on her finger. 
~ When Chatterton was more particularly 
the object of public curiofity, a clergy- 
man called upon his fifter, prefented her 
half a guinea, and requefled to fee what- 
ever letters of her brother the had preferv- 
ed. She produced them. He then begged 
permiffion to take them away for one hour, 
affigning as'a reafon, that it would be tco 
painful to his feelings to read them in the 
prefence of that fifter, to whom they were 
addrefled, On the fame pretéxt he pro- 
cured the letters in Mrs. Chatterton’s pof- 
feffion, who lived feparately from her 
daughter ; thefe alfo, he promi/ed io retura 
tz an hour, and the prefent of a guinea, 
and the language of confolatory friendfhip 
prevented’ all fufpicion ; indeed, fo confo- 
latory-and fo full of religion was his lan- 
guage to the mother, that fhe faid fhe al- 
moit looked upon him as a guardian 
angel. 
Av fortnight elapfed, the letters had not 
been returned, and they knew not the name 
ef the perfon to whom they had entrnfted 
them. At the end of the fortnight Mrs, 
o 
Chatterton received a letter from that pers 
* 
The publication of | 
all his works -for their emcolument, would - 
fon, Mr. H— C—. ** Be not alarmed, Mrs, 
Chatterton,’’ he faid, ‘ all the little trea- 
fure fhall be faithfully returned to you 
again ;°” with the originals he promifed to 
fend tranfcripts of all the letters, with 
which the curiofity cf ftvangers might be 
gratified, while the hand- writing of Chat- 
terton fhould be preferved. He again con- 
foled Mrs. Chatterton for the fate of her 
fon. “ Perhaps,” faid he, ‘* he now beholds 
with pleafure the deferved progrefs his re- 
putation is making every day, and the 
friends and the affiftances which his name 
brings to you and to his fifter :* the date 
of the letter was Lincoln’s-Inn, July 27th 
1778. 
In a fecond letter, Augut 24th 1778, 
Mr. C requefted the {ifter to write ta 
him, whatever fhe and her mother could 
recollect, concerning Chatterton. ‘* Be- 
lieve me you are writing to one who re- 

' fpects his memory, "and wifhes you both 
the promile of returning the letters, 
? 
well ; 
and magazines containing Chatterton’s 
pieces, which he had borrowed at the fame 
time, were repeated; and-in the courle of 
the Autumn they were accordingly re- 
turned. Nothing more was heard till, in 
the following July, to the aftonifhment of 
the family, Mr. C publifhed the let- 

ters, and the information he had obtained 
from Mrs. Newton, in his Love and Mad- 
nefs. The mother wrote to him, and up- 
braided him for duplicity ; he replied, by 
fending ten pounds, to be divided between 
her and her ‘daughter ; again profefling 
friend {hip for them, and faying, ‘‘ Be affured 
the family of Thomas Chatterton fhall 
never be forgotten by H. C ai 
Four months afterwards he again wrete 
to juftify himfelf, and wfed thefe expref- 
fions, ** What has been done was with 2 
view to pave the way for feryices to your 
family ; and I hope, fooner than you think, 
to be of more fervice to you than any per- 
fon who has hitherto enquired about your 
fon, for I have a true regard for his me- 
mory.”” 
In November 1780, he wrote a fifth let- 
ter, defiring Mrs. Newton would fend him 
a particular account of her circumftances, 


as he was about to promote a public fub- | 
{cription for her ; and in April 178>, they. 
received a note from him, requiring an 
acknowledgment of the ten pounds. - 
Here Mr. C dropt his ccrrefpon- 
dence with the family; they heard no more 
of the future fervices and the public fub- 
fcription. His Love and Madneis had a 
great and rapid fale, undoubtedly in a 

confiderable degree owing to the letters — 
of Chatterton; and his purpofe was ferved. 
Luckily 

QS bole lk. mE EES SS Oe 
sai ea Oe 
ET a 
ere: Se 
—ee_——— 
—— 
