6 October 1872 • London, England (MS: NNC, UCCL 00821)
It is with sincere regret that I lose the opportunity of going with you to Stratford & enjoying the hospitality of Mr. Flower, s, so kindly offeredⒶemendation; but one engagement is piled on top of another to that degree that I find myself in inextricable fetters for some weeks to come—not a day clear., that I can see from this till the hour I expect to sail. I have delayed answering your note, in the hope that I might manage to shake myself free in some way, but without avail. I hope you will thank Mr. Flower heartily for me, & in return may your Stratford sojourn be as pleasant as I know that mine would have been.1explanatory note
The invitation to visit Stratford-upon-Avon apparently came, through Conway, from Edward Fordham Flower (1805–83), a prosperous retired brewery owner. Flower started the family business in 1832 and retired in 1862. He had served four times as mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, most recently in 1864. He and his wife, the former Celina Greaves (1805?–84), enjoyed entertaining Americans at their residence, the Hill, built in 1855 (Boase, 1:1071). Clemens and Olivia were able to make the Stratford visit in 1873, although their host then was Flower’s eldest son, Charles E. Flower (14 July 73 to Flowerclick to open link).
MS, Conway Papers, Columbia University (NNC).
L5 , 195–196.
The Conway Papers were acquired by NNC sometime after Conway’s death in 1907.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.