I saw Tennyson, when I was in London, several times.  He is decidedly the first of our living poets, and I hope will live to give the world still better things.  You will be pleased to hear that he expressed in the strongest terms his gratitude to my writings.  To this I was far from indifferent, though persuaded that he is not much in sympathy with what I should myself most value in my attempts, viz. the spirituality with which I have endeavoured to invest the material universe, and the moral relations under which I have wished to exhibit its most ordinary appearances.  I ought not to conclude this first portion of my letter without telling you that I have now under my roof a cousin, who some time ago was introduced, improperly, I think, she being then a child, to the notice of the public, as one of the English poetesses, in an article of the Quarterly so entitled.  Her name is Emmeline Fisher, and her mother is my first cousin.  What advances she may have made in latter years I do not know, but her productions from the age of eight to twelve were not less than astonishing.  She only arrived yesterday, and we promise ourselves much pleasure in seeing more of her.  Our dear friend Miss Fenwick is also under our roof; so is Katharine Southey, her late father’s youngest daughter, so that we reckon ourselves rich; though our only daughter is far from us, being gone to Oporto with her husband on account of her enfeebled frame:  and most unfortunately, soon after her arrival, she was seized with a violent attack of rheumatic fever caused by exposure to the evening air.  We have also been obliged lately to part with four grandsons, very fine boys, who are gone with their father to Italy to visit their mother, kept there by severe illness, which sent her abroad two years ago.  Under these circumstances we old people keep our spirits as well as we can, trusting the end to God’s goodness.

Now, for the enclosed poem,[209] which I wrote the other day, and which I send to you, hoping it may give you some pleasure, as a scanty repayment for all that we owe you.  Our dear friend, Miss Fenwick, is especially desirous that her warmest thanks should be returned to you for all the trouble you have taken about her bonds.  But, to return to the verses:  if you approve, pray forward them with my compliments and thanks for his letter to ——.  In his letter he states that with others he is strenuously exerting himself in endeavours to abolish slavery, and, as one of the means of disposing the public mind to that measure, he is about to publish selections from various authors in behalf of humanity.  He begs an original composition from me.  I have nothing bearing directly upon slavery, but if you think this little piece would serve his cause indirectly, pray be so kind as to forward it to him.  He speaks of himself as deeply indebted to my writings.

[209] The poem enclosed is ‘The Westmoreland Girl,’ dated June 6, 1845.  The text corresponds with that in the one volume edition, with the exception of the two stanzas added in the next letter; and in the 1st stanza ‘thoughtless’ has been substituted for ‘simple;’ and in the 18th ‘is laid’ for ‘must lie.’ H.R.