Lady Hester Stanhope to the Prince of Pückler
Muskau, at Sayda.
Jôon, March 21, 1838.
I trust, Prince, you will believe me when I say, I am overwhelmed with regret that my health will not permit of my having, at this moment, the honour of making the acquaintance of a philosopher and a philanthropist such as you are. You may ask everybody whether, for these last five months, I have seen a single soul, excepting Monsieur Guys once; and, although, in that once, I every now and then retired for a few moments to my room to recover myself, and then returned to him again, yet, after he was gone, I had a relapse for some days. I would willingly purchase at the same price the pleasure of seeing you; but, in doing so, it might incapacitate me for some months longer from managing a very disagreeable business that has sprung up between the Queen, the English government, and myself; they pretending to meddle with my affairs, which, be assured, is what I will not allow.
As my natural energy would not suffer me to converse tranquilly, when things sublime and of the highest importance would be our subjects, we must give up meeting each other for the present; but I console myself with the hope that your Highness will not leave Syria, until I have had an opportunity of appreciating a man, different they say from other men, and of making the acquaintance of your young Count, who, in devoting himself to your principles, necessarily secures one’s admiration of his character.
(Signed) Hester Lucy Stanhope.
PS. If you go to Damascus, do not neglect, in your way, to stop at a village named Hamâna, where Sultan Mûrad once halted. A very extraordinary and interesting story is attached to his stay there. Farther, do not forget to see the place at Damascus, where the Forty Sleepers (Welled el Kaf) and their black dogs are entranced: they will awake at the time that we are looking forward to.
I send my doctor to you, who is a very good sort of a man, but is no philosopher, like you and me. He can give you some little information on certain curious things in the north of Syria, which no traveller has yet investigated.
Hester Lucy Stanhope.
This letter was despatched by the government estafette, who had brought the prince’s letter; and it was settled that I should pay the prince a visit this morning after breakfast, for it was now two hours after midnight.
March 21.—But just before setting off, Lady Hester altered her mind. An answer had come from Beyrout to a note I had written to Mr. Forster, saying he should reach Sayda on the 21st, at night, and leave it on the 22nd in the morning. It therefore suited better to combine two objects, and pay both visits together.