WELLINGTON DUKE OF: (1769-1852)

WELLINGTON DUKE OF: (1769-1852) Anglo-Irish Field Marshal, the victor of Waterloo. British Prime Minister 1828-30, 1834. A poignant A.L.S., Wn, three pages, 4to, London, 23rd February 1829, to 'My dearest Betsy'. Wellington commences his letter by writing 'You are in good health and moreover you are a reasonable woman, and I therefore select you as the person to whom I ought to announce a very terrible event of which I heard yesterday evening' and warns 'You must summon to your aid all your fortitude and your sense of religion; as you must be aware that you have not only to bear this misfortune yourself; but by your exhortations & example to induce others to bear it of whom one is ill and the other but little accustomed to to govern her first impulses in anything'. Wellington continues to explain 'You are aware that your uncle Genl. Harper has long been afflicted by a disorder in the circulation near his heart called an ossification of one of the vessels. It appears that he was sitting at breakfast lately with his family and got up to talk over with his son some arrangement connected with the marriage of the latter, when he suddenly dropped down dead! The person from whom I had the intelligence was Mr. Rush who dined with me yesterday. He had received the account direct at the end of last week. He had no doubt of the fact' and concludes the letter 'I had the pleasure of being acquainted with General Harper; and for his sake, for that of his family and for yours & your dear sisters, I cannot express to you what pain this event has given me'. One neat split to the central right edge of the first page, only very slightly affecting a couple of words of text, otherwise VG