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Letter from S. Huntingdon [Selina Hastings, Countess Huntingdon] to Susannah Wheatley, 13 May 1773

Letter from S. Huntingdon [Selina Hastings, Countess Huntingdon] to Susannah Wheatley, 13 May 1773

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    Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon, writes to Susannah Wheatley (Mrs. John Wheatley) on 13 May 1773, concerning religious matters.  She also enquires after the Wheatleys' enslaved person, Phillis, who sailed that month with Nathaniel Wheatley for England.  The Countess of Huntingdon (1707-1791) was a Methodist religious leader in England, and Phillis's Poems on Various Subjects is dedicated to her.  While Phillis met many people of interest in England, she was unable to connect with the Countess, as she returned unexpectedly early to Boston to tend to her mistress's failing health.