Chopin, Frédéric

written in French, enquiring whether he can still accede to her kind invitation, and asking which day that week he might call on her at Wishaw to pay his respects, explaining that he is leaving Calder House that day and returning to Edinburgh, where he will stay for three days awaiting her further instructions ("...Je quitte Calder House aujourd'hui pour me rendre à Edinburgh. Je resterai trois jours, 10 Warriston Crescent et j'y attendrai vos ordres...")

2 pages, 8vo, Calder House [near Edinburgh], "lunedi matin 16 Oct". [16 October 1848]

Not in B.E. v Sydow, Correspondance de Frédéric Chopin. La Gloire 1840-1849, (Paris, 1981); see A. Hedley, Selected Correspondence of Fryderyk Chopin (1962), p.347 (notes to Letter 321)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Chopin was in ill-health after the season in London and no longer able to cope there by himself. He followed his pupil Jane Stirling to Scotland, where he was led on a gruelling schedule visiting her relatives all over the Central Lowlands. Wishaw House in Lanarkshire was the family seat of Robert, 8th Lord Belhaven and Stenton and his wife Hamilton (c.1790-1873). He visited Wishaw and five days later described the occasion in a letter to Albert Grzymala: “Lady [Belhaven], one of the most important ladies here, at whose castle I spent a few days, is said to be both a grande dame and a musician. One day, after I had played for her, and other Scottish ladies had sung various songs, they brought out a kind of accordion, and she, with the utmost gravity, began to play the most atrocious tunes on it. But what can you expect? Every creature here seems to me to have a screw loose”.