The Cotman Collection | 143

The Cotman Letters 1838-1864

Archive: SDK Sydney Decimus Kitson Archive
Reference Number: SDK/1/3/1/5
Page: 143


  • Description

    Letter of John Sell Cotman to F. Walter Cotman, 12 September 1839

    Date:

  • Transcription

    143
    (Sept 12. 1839.)
    (3.)

    Chatham, for 2/6. For Titian I gave 10/6.
    We shall soon have the penny postage & then your & my letters
    may flow apace, & no great sum expounded, for 'tis very hard if
    a few lines a ' int worth two bobs, or [ ] or [
    ].
    I saw the King & Queen of the Belgian land on Friday last, the 6th
    of Sept at Woolwich from an iron French steam frigate, the
    remarkable prints of which were, all his upper masts were placed
    before the under ones, thus -
    the reverse of the English [SKETCH]
    vessels, they being placed
    thus, as you ought to know. And all his ropes, either iron
    chains or links of iron & the bow sprit very horizontally fixed, as I
    have sketched it. I sketched it, of course, and am about painting
    it. I shall shew it to his Kingship & Queenship, & by that means
    hope to sell it & be made painter to the King of the Belgians. But
    of that anon, anon, Sir - Shakespeare you ought to know by
    this time - if you have read that gentleman's works.
    The day before I dined with Col: Cockburn, our old friend, and in
    the evening heard Miss. Cockburn sing. Her voice is like Ann's,
    only a thousand times finer - in short the finest voice I ever
    heard in my life. She was accompanied by her {crossed out – sister} {added - maestro}, Welch,
    the great composer, whose best pupil she is. In my letter to
    Miles you will read more of my doings those about her. She is a
    regular Flora MacIvor in intellect, & in figure too. - when
    up with such fire in her eye. I lost my head as it was, & shd.
    Have lost my heart had I been a single man, to a dead certainty.
    She won me quite - and by surprise, too - for before she was
    put up I thought little of her beyond a commonplace Lady. I shall
    soon go there again, and by & by shall take Ann there to hear
    her. I was quite in extasy - her voice is so full & rich. Quite,
    quite a Rubens in colour & effect, none of your squeaking, {crossed out – dull} {added - this}
    & dull voices, but rich & powerful & grand. Such a one I
    hope never to forget. The Sally in the Alley, an old ballad