Arlington Court, Barnstaple. - Called away from London by illness of stepson; hopes to visit Paris in April; anxious to see George Coleman's [Rodiad?]; shared stories of 'birch practice' with him in latter years; an acquaintance of Coleman's ascribed his own madness to childhood flogging. Longs to see Milnes's 'maître and maîtress' [an erotic porcelain group]; describes a china clock incorporating a flogging scene offered for sale at Brighton a few years ago; summoned courage to buy it after two days but found it had been sold to Lord Petre. In 1828 the Marquis d'Aligre showed him a Sèvres figure of Madame Dubarry supervising a birching, with other identifiable possessions, which was not in his possession when he died; recounts court anecdote alleged to have inspired the model; 'my friend the General', a cousin of the Marquis, did not know what had become of the group but thought it might have passed to Louis Philippe. Will get the work Milnes recommends. Exchanges erotic French books with 'a young [female] friend in Bryanston Square'; his 'clerical friend' is limited to English works but she has not yet read Fanny Hill.
Arlington Court, Barnstaple. - Regrets missing another look at Milnes' library but has left London owing to the heat; thanks for the 'Pascherotti' which prompted him to visit [Mrs?] James's, but nobody answered the bell; perhaps the [wine?] could be sent from Stanhope Street; means to offer it to his [parson's wife?] as the 'novelty may produce additional excitement'; will show Crébillon's Sofa and [Louvet's] Faublas to a 'young married friend' while her husband is away; Hankey spoke favourably of Mrs Ellis 'but did not mention whether she was au fait of anything'; a friend was enchanted with the three sisters at Paris but fears the prettiest is dying from consumption; has circulated George Coleman's MS [the Rodiad?] with Milnes' permission.
Arlington Court, Barnstaple. - Planned to visit Homburg but driven here with whooping cough; could not investigate the affair of the hermaphrodite, but a friend corroborated Collett's account; the hermaphrodite kept women's outfits at several houses in town and would enact scenes with clients; his friend could have forced a dénouement; the individual is now abroad; fears Collett will be turned out of her house and all links will be lost. [Section removed]; [unnamed] woman's wish to see bawdy pictures; asks if Milnes can lend a copy of Fanny Hill.
Arlington Court, Barnstaple. - Looking forward to seeing the 'interesting things' Milnes hints at; rarely meets with anything exciting these days; regrets dispersing books and sundries on his marriage; those presented to [Sir Richard] Burton must be lost, 'being probably in the possession of the Priests of Meccah, & he poor fellow is I fear in the region from whence no one returns'; did Milnes hear a tale of his being assassinated. Wishes Milnes had had the Duke of York's copy of Fanny Hill; it was secretly given to Hodgson by Sir Henry ('Kangaroo') Cooke when the Duke ordered it destroyed; Hodgson when tired of the story rashly gave it to 'a very great man no now more' who had been shown it by a 'female Bonaparte' lover of Hodgson's. Current pursuit of clergyman's wife; her apparent innocence is at odds with her accounts of sexual activity at school and current practices with friends, some witnessed by Hodgson; she seems to prefer rôle of observer rather than participant; she once requested a condom to show a female friend, which Hodgson passed to her during prayers; it was from a packet sent by Hankey and its size amused them. Mrs Collett continues her business; the hermaphrodite's outfits; she wields a whip and prefers to be treated as a woman. Postscript: asks if Milnes has read the 'perfectly bawdy' Mademoiselle de Maupin [by Gautier], which the Parisian ladies rave about; a young woman recommended it.
2 Rue Lafitte. - Her grief at the death of Frederick Hankey - Houghton will understand more than anyone, except for her 'dear old friend [Studholme] Hodgson who has known [her] from a child almost'. People keep talking to her about money; she wants little, as she wrote to [Frederick's cousin] Thomson, and they will 'never hear recriminations' from her. Frederick was buried, with the help of money from friends 'not according to his religious principles but with every respect due to the family, friends and his memory'.
Asks Houghton to visit her when he comes to Paris, and to give her love to the Burtons. Adds postscript: has written to [Adolphe] Labitte and hopes he has done what Houghton wished.