[Draft] [London,] 17 December [1870] 
1 p.m. 

A friend of mine Mr Oswald sends me the enclosed. He says 
that the usual tickets have been sent to The Pall Mall Gazette and 
wishes me to say a word in favour of Mrs Oswald’s tonight’s 
concert being noticed in that paper, or at least to induce your 
musical critic to go and hear her. I have told him that this is 
entirely out of my line and that I even do not know how to go 
about such a thing. However he insists, and as he is a very worthy 
fellow I can only say, that if you can consistently do something in 
that direction you will confer a personal favour upon me. I am too 
bad a musician to permit myself an opinion but I have heard 
people who ought to know, speak very highly of Mrs Oswald’s 

play..