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EDWARD SCOTT, BODTALOG, AND HIS LITERARY CIRCLE: THOMAS LOVE PEACOCK, JAMES AND JOHN STUART MILL AND WILLIAM OWEN PUGHE ON 9 April 1811 the English novelist, Thomas Love Peacock, then a young and aspiring author, wrote from Machynlleth to his friend, the London bookseller and publisher Edward Hookam: I shall proceed to Towyn this morning, having promised Miss Scott to call at her uncle's seat, Bodalog [sic], on my way to England. I have not seen her since the autumn, when I thought of setting out almost immediately. The uncle, I under- stand, is a philosopher, and an admirer of Italian poetry. I believe he principally formed the mind of his niece, and this is sufficient to prove him a man of fine understanding.1 Clearly, both uncle and niece were people worth cultivating. Indeed, on the strength of this one brief reference alone, the editors of the standard Halliford Edition of the Works of Thomas Love Peacock suggest that Miss Scott and her uncle were partial models for the very civilised but retiring Sir Henry Melincourt and his accomplished but unconventional daughter Anthelia in Peacock's novel Melincourt, published in 1817. Material in the National Library of Wales enables us to fill out the picture of Edward Scott, Bodtalog, who emerges as a man of considerable personal attractiveness and of interest for his connections, not only with Peacock, but also with other leading literary figures of his day. This article offers a survey of the biographical information relating to Scott and his literary friendships and prints two hitherto unpublished letters to Scott from James and John Stuart Mill. Edward Scott was born in 1752 or 1753. He belonged to the very old family of Scott of Scot's Hall, Kent. In 1787 that estate was sold and the house was pulled down in 1808. His father was an army officer and in 1762 his mother looked after the infant prince, later George IV. As a young man, Scott spent a year or two in Rouen, completing his education, and then joined the Old Buffs, seeing service in the War of American Independence. Thereafter he was regularly referred to as Captain Scott. On his return he became Equerry to the Prince of Wales and lived with him at intervals for a number of years in Carlton House. In 1786 he had to leave the royal service owing to the Prince's reduced circumstances.