1807.] 
for their own peculiar duties, and was in 
general unfavourable to their eftablith- 
ment in life, and obferved with great dif- 
approbation this turn of mind, and the 
pation of her niece for reading, and pro- 
hibited her from io employing her time, 
without hewever taking any effectual 
meaure to prevent her gratifying this 
taite; fo that fhe had always the power 
of carrying on her contraband ftudies, 
wad every book that came in her way, 
fhe devoured with avidity, and with little 
difcrimination. By this means fhe ac- 
quired a mafs of detultory knowledge, 
which, by exciting her curiofity, led her 
on at a fubfequent period im purfuit of 
more pericét information. Her. father, 
having fold his Sarry ettates, divided his 
tume between his houfe in Suffex and one 
he took in London; and his daughter was 
early introduced into fociety, partook of 
all the amufement and diffipation her fa- 
ther and aunt engaged in, and entered 
ito them with that eagernefs natural to 
a young perfon; and as her very fine 
form had attained the ftature of a woman, 
flie wore the drefs of one, and it has been 
faid that ber father received propofals for 
her, at the early age of thirteen, from a 
gentleman who had feen her at a public 
allembly, and was ftruck with the charms 
of her figure—an offer which was declined 
on account of her extreme youth. It had, 
heen happy, had a reafon fo fubftantial 
operated a few years longer; but before 
fhe was fixteen, fhe was married to the 
younger fon of Richard Smith, efg., who 
was a Weit India merchant of much emi- 
nence, and this fon was affociated in the 
father’s butinefs. After having been ac- 
cuftomed to the moft boundlefs indul- 
geuce from her own family, (and to her 
aunt every with and caprice of hers was 
x law,) fhe was fuddenly involved in 
houthold cares, tranfplanted into a foil 
totally ungenial to her habits, and repug- 
naut to her tafte, and became fubject to 
the will of a man who, far from poffefling 
the power of regulating the conduét of a 
wife fearcely emerged from childhood, 
knew not how to govern himfelf. From 
this fatal marriage, which had been 
brought about by the officioufnefs of 
friends, and which was by no means the 
effect of attachment on either fide, as both 
appeared to have been talked into it by 
the intermeddling of thofe fhort-fighted po- 
liticians, all the future misfortunes of the 
fubject of thefe pages orivinated : an un- 
cle of Mrs. Smith was the only perfon 
of the family who feemed to have had 
common fenfe on this occafion; he faw, 
Monturx Mac, No. 155, 
Memoirs of Mrs. Charlotte Smith. 
245 
aud foretold all the mifery that would 
infallibly refult from an union, in which 
neither the habits, nor the temper of the 
parties had been confidered; when net 
ther were arrived at/a time of life, to af- 
certain or appreciate the character of 
each other; but moft unfortunately he 
had not futhcient weight to induce thofe, 
who faw this connection in a different 
view, to break off the negociation. Mr. 
Turner was on the point of marrying a 
fecond wife, who, although fhe exacted 
much coniideration m confequence of 
her large fortune, had little claim to it 
from her perfonal qualities, aud whote 
authority a grown-up daughter, who had 
never been accultomed to controul, would 
moft probably have refifted: he confe- 
quently felt no reluctance in clofing with 
-propofals, which relieved him from the 
apprehentions he entertained, and this 
marriage took place on the 22d. of Fe- 
bruary, 1765! The refidence of the 
young people was in a very difgufting 
part of the city, from whence they remo- 
ved in the courfe of two years; the death 
of their firft child, and the effect this firft 
affliétion had on a young mother, fo en- 
dangered her health, and that of her fe- 
cond child, whom fhe nurfed, and who 
was born on the fame day its brother ex- 
pired, that it was found abfolutely necet= 
fary to remove them to purer air and a 
lefs melancholy abode. The village of 
Southgate was chofen for this purpofe, 
where Mrs. Smith’s excellent conftitution 
enabled her to recover from her idiipo- 
fition; and her underftandmg in tine 
fubdued the forrow which the had firft 
given way to, with an excefs natural to a 
mind of: fuch acute fentibility; in this 
quiet fpot, the had now more command 
of her time, and the ufe of a good library, 
and the power, from being much alone, 
of following thofe purfuits to which fhe 
was attached, enabled her to form her 
tafte and devote her thoughts to intellec- 
tual improvement: but this produced one 
unfortunate refult, it opened her eyes to 
thofe defeéts the had hitherto been un- 
willing to fee; yet, although fhe could no 
longer be blind to them herfelf, fhe en- 
deavoured to conceal them from the ob- 
fervation of others, and, in her own 
behaviour towards ber hufband, tried to 
give him that confequence, which fhe 
was confcious he was little entitled to. 
His inattention to bafincfs was extreme- 
ly difpleafing to his father, and the in- 
creafe of the family making a larger houte 
neceflary, their next refidence was within 
five miles of London; and it was hoped 
gr the 
