Chapter XIII: Conclusion

Miss J. was in nowise dismayed by the crushing reply she received from the Duke.

She wrote again and again, and yet again. These letters, of which she has left copies, are made up in about equal parts of accounts of her health, verses of Scripture, and reproaches to the Duke for his silence. She at last extorted an answer:--

LONDON, January 17, 1851.

It is very satisfactory to me to learn from the receipt of this
Day of a Letter of the 16^th that Miss J. is better! And I write
to thank her for giving me the satisfactory Information!

I hope to hear of her continued convalescence and perfect
Recovery of her Health!

Most faithfully Her Obedient Humble Servant

WELLINGTON.

The Duke's next note was less amicable:--

LONDON, January 21, 1851.

In order to avoid to create irritation in the Mind of Miss J. and
the receipt of a Note expressing such irritation in strong terms!

I write to acknowledge the receipt of Miss J.'s letter! written
on four sides of letter paper; in the Night of the 19^th of
January! I entreat her to avoid the Irritation of writing again!

Most faithfully Her Obedient Humble Servant

WELLINGTON.

All the entreaties of the Duke proved futile, however, when Miss J. had convinced herself that it was her duty to write. The occasion she desired soon came. She says in her Diary for February 6th:--

"I have been pondering over the account given in the Times paper of
this day wherein the Queen's visit to the House of Peers is noticed
and among other things the following remark in reference to the
Duke--'His Grace appeared to shrink from the attention and respect
of which he was the object.'--This induced me to marvel whether The
Great Lord of lords has not at length begun to exercise His Godly
Power over his precious soul, making him consequently feel the
nothingness of all things in comparison therewith!"

Upon the strength of this impression Miss J. wrote to the Duke, asking him if he recollected where he was and how he was occupied at the time she mentions. His answer came promptly, although Miss J. did not find it at all satisfactory.

LONDON, Feb. 8, 1851.

I have received Miss J.'s Letter! And I hope that Her Health
continues to improve! But she does not mention it! I thank her; I
am quite well!

I was employed on Tuesday in the usual Manner in giving
attendance upon the Sovereign when she opened Parliament! I
perform all my worldly Duties to the best of my ability! Miss J.
despises things of this world, but I fear that if all followed
her good example strictly they would suffer.

Her Humble Servant.

WELLINGTON.

Miss J.'s reply begins as follows:--

"Alas! My Lord Duke! it is grievous to me to find that the
remarkable expression in the Newspaper on Wednesday referred to in
my last, namely; 'His Grace appeared to _shrink_ from the attention
and respect of which he was the object' did not come from the
impression I had hoped of Regeneration--or Divine Grace having
begun its work in your precious Soul, to which at present you are
so evidently a stranger. Judging by the latter portion of your
reply you never desire or expect to be otherwise, as you seem to
imply if all were to follow my example you fear you should not be
improved. This assertion is but too true except the Great Lord of
lords put forth His Almighty Power for that purpose."

And so on through pages of pious abuse.

The Duke's answer to this is characterized by a calm dignity in noticeable contrast to the petulance of most of his notes of this period.

LONDON, Feb. 12, 1851.

I beg Miss J.'s pardon if I misunderstood Her Letter; in which
she understood what passed on the day on which Parliament met! I
understood that she had adverted to my attendance upon the
honorary Service of the Queen!

In my Answer I observed that unless such services as well as
other worldly Offices were attended to; the Affairs of the World
would not go on so quietly as might be wished by those who like
Miss J. thought more of Spirituals and of the next World! I hope
that I do not fail in feeling due Humility upon all occasions!
And most anxious to merit approval where alone such can be of any
avail! I have thought it proper to explain this to Miss J.; as I
wish not to be misunderstood!

Her Most faithful Servant

WELLINGTON.

LONDON, Feb. 20, 1851.

F. M. the Duke of Wellington presents His Comp^ts to Miss J.! He
has received Her Letter of the 17^th of which he acknowledges the
receipt; in order to save her the trouble of making farther
enquiries about it!

But he really entreats Her not to give herself the trouble of
writing to him again!

It is obvious that the act of doing so irritates Miss J.! which
cannot be beneficial to Her Health! He hopes that she will not
write again!

Miss J. in her Diary for February 21st gives a copy of a note she wrote the Duke at this time:--

MY LORD DUKE,--I wrote to you on the 13th Inst. Whether you
received it I know not, therefore acquaint you that such was the
case. Feeling assured that there was nothing in that letter which
in the sight of God ought to have displeased your Grace, I leave
the consequences with Him accordingly, remaining Ever

His devoted Child and Servant

A. J.

The Duke's reply is as follows:--

LONDON, Feb. 22, 1851.

I received in due course Miss J.'s letter, but as I did not
consider that its contents required any observation on my part;
or tended to manifest Miss J.'s desire or wish to hear from me
again, I did not think it really expected I acknowledge the
receipt.

She did not in that letter and has not in this last mentioned Her
Health, which I therefore hope continues to improve!

Her obedient Humble Servant

WELLINGTON.

Miss J. gives a copy of the letter she wrote the Duke after receiving the above, but, as she tells us, postponed sending it until she had laid the matter before the Lord:--

"Having written a long letter of four sides to the Duke, referring
so unexpectedly and unintentionally to his neglect from time to
time of one bestowed upon him by God Himself for his Spiritual aid,
I now commit the same into His gracious Hands, beseeching Him to
deal with it in whatever way is most calculated to promote His own
honor and glory, preparing me accordingly for His great holy Name
sake."

This letter was never sent, but in its place Miss J. despatched a shorter one, given below:

March 4th, 1851.

MY LORD DUKE,--As it is written, Yea, declared by Him "Who spake
as never men spake" "By Me kings reign and princes decree
justice" may that "Holy One" in this time of especial need
incline Your Grace to look to and honor Him accordingly, for His
great holy Name sake, and may HE graciously and condescendingly
enable you to advise, direct, influence and comfort our beloved
Sovereign bestowed upon us by Himself, as the first portion of
Scripture quoted implies, (who appears at the present moment in
so additionally interesting a light), in the way that is most
agreeable to His unerring will, and in that most calculated to
promote His honor and glory as "The Governor among the Nations;"
prays

His devoted Child and Servant

A. J.

LONDON, March 4, 1851.
At Night.

I have this night received Miss. J.'s letter written this day!

I had received in due course the Note written on the Monday in
the previous week! I did not send an acknowledgment of the
Receipt as I wished to avoid to give Miss J. the trouble of
writing again!

However little Miss J. cares for the Affairs of this world, I
entertain that she is satisfied with any arrangement calculated
to be satisfactory to Her Majesty the Queen!

Her obedient Humble Servant

WELLINGTON.

MY LORD DUKE,--As you say that your silence arose from a desire
to prevent my having the trouble of writing to you again, I
presume such is not agreeable to Your Grace. Consequently until
it pleases The Great "Lord of lords" to influence you to request
me to do so I purpose, if HE permit, intruding on you no more,
knowing that I have never given you any cause to make such a
remark, considering nothing a trouble which God pleases me to do.

In reply to Your Grace's observation concerning my interest in
Her Majesty I have only to observe that I consider it the duty of
every real Christian to stand by the Sovereign God has thought
proper to bestow upon us, in every time of necessity and danger,
for His sake.

I remain, Ever His devoted Child and Servant,

A. J.

LONDON, March 10th, 1851.

It has so frequently occurred that I have unintentionally
offended Miss J. that whenever I write it is with Caution! I
confess likewise; that I don't much like to send letters through
the hands of a third Person; of whom I know nothing! It is a
liberty in my mind which I ought not to take!

I therefore wished that the correspondence should cease of
itself; and that all friendly feeling should be continued! I know
well that Miss J.'s Mind is occupied by Reflections on Spiritual
things; and that she must despise the occupation of one who
considers it His duty to serve the Public to the best of His
Ability!

With due respect for Her Higher occupations, I hope she will
excuse my adhering to my own Course of duty!

Ever Miss J.'s most faithfully obedient

Humble Servant,

WELLINGTON.

The above is the Duke's last letter to Miss J. Although he lived until September of the following year, he never wrote to her again. Miss J.'s efforts did not cease, however. She sent letter after letter to the Duke, without being discouraged by his utter silence. Indeed, a note directed to him was lying on her table ready to be sent to the post the morning that she received the news of his death. She gives an account of her reception of the tidings:--

"_November 28th, 1852._ I dare not trust my pen to refer to the
unanticipated dreaded end which has caused me so much deep sorrow
although nearly three long months have rolled over my head since
that awful blow was given and which, had it not been for divine
support would I fear have deprived me of my reason, for it was so
unexpected that when my Physician called to acquaint me thereof, I
said, pointing to a letter on the table: 'That is for the Duke,'
intending to ask him to put it into a Post Office, being sealed and
ready.

"On perceiving my doctor silent, instead of offering with his usual
kindness to post the letter, I enquired wherefore? he replied that
he thought it had better be postponed. This made me still more
anxious, eagerly asking, if he were ill? when Dr. P. said he had
not been well, and thus by degrees unfolded the awful truth that he
was indeed No more.

"O I can never forget my feelings! continuing after his departure
as if riveted to my seat and speechless."

Miss J. then laments that the Duke had never given any marked proof of his conversion, and recapitulates her efforts to lead him into the way of righteousness. She dwells upon the longing she had felt to be assured that he had known a "new birth," but adds:--

"Alas! this satisfaction was not afforded me. Nevertheless as
before expressed, I build my hopes on the last five hours of His
Grace's life, however insensible to all around, knowing nothing to
be impossible with God, consequently that even at this the eleventh
hour his precious soul may through a Saviour's righteousness have
been permitted to wing its flight to Mansions of eternal glory."

The remainder of Miss J.'s life was of little interest. She became more bigoted as she advanced in years; and although not long after the Duke's death she joined her sister in the United States, her peculiarities had developed so unpleasantly that the two could not live peacefully in the same house. Miss J. resided in New York until her death in 1862.

A list of the Duke's letters is appended, copied from Miss J.'s Diary.

_List of Letters received from the Duke._

In 1834 6
1835 78
1836 56
1837 25
1838 (one being double) 23
1839 8
1840 25
1844 (and Picture) 55
1845 32
1846 18
1847 19
1848 3
1849 10
1850 24
1851 8
---
Total Number 390