Give the enclosed to Dr. Parsons.  You know what I have always thought of his genius.  In my mind no poems ever crossed the Atlantic which approached his stanzas on Dante and on the death of Webster, and yet you have great poets too.  Think how glad and proud I am to hear of the honor he has done me.  I wish you had transcribed the verses.

God bless you, my beloved friend!  Say everything for me to all my dear friends, to Dr. Parsons, to Dr. Holmes, to Mr. Whittier, to Professor Longfellow, to Mr. Taylor, to Mr. Stoddard, to Mrs. Sparks, and above all to the excellent Mr. Ticknor and the dear W——­s.

    Ever yours, M.R.M.

    Swallowfield, July 28, 1854.

My Very Dear Friend:  This is a sort of postscript to my last, written instantly on the receipt of yours and sent through Mr. ——.  I hope you received it, for he is so impetuous that I always a little doubt his care; at least it was when sent through him that the loss of letters to and fro took place.  However, I enjoined him to be careful this time, and he assured me that he was so.

The purport of this is to add the name of my friend, Mr. Willmott, to the authors who wish for the advantage of your firm as their American publishers.  I have begged him to write to you himself, and I hope he has done so, or that he will do so.  But he is staying at Richmond with sick relatives, and I am not sure.  You know his works, of course.  They are becoming more and more popular in England, and he is writing better and better.  The best critical articles in The Times are by him.  He is eminently a scholar, and yet full of anecdote of the most amusing sort, with a memory like Scott, and a charming habit of applying his knowledge.  His writings become more and more like his talk, and I am confident that you would find his works not only most creditable, but most profitable.  I would not recommend you to each other if it were not for your mutual advantage, so far as my poor judgment goes.  On the 25th my Dramatic Works are to be published here.  I hope they have sent you the sheets.

I have not heard yet from any American friend, except your delightful letter and one from Grace Greenwood, but I hope I shall.  I prize the good word of such persons as Drs. Parsons and Holmes and Professor Longfellow and John Whittier and many others.  I am still very ill.

The Brownings remain this year in Italy.  If it be very hot, they will go for a month or two to the Baths of Lucca, but their home is Florence.  She has taken a fancy to an American female sculptor,—­a girl of twenty-two,—­a pupil of Gibson’s, who goes with the rest of the fraternity of the studio to breakfast and dine at a cafe, and yet keeps her character.  Also she believes in all your rappings.

    God be with you, my very dear friend.  I trust you are quite
    recovered.