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10 letters. Item 2 includes a transcription of a letter from Oliver Cromwell to Thomas Hill 23 Dec. 1649 (Harleian MS 7053 ff. 153b)

Thomas Carlyle quoted at p. 114.

Re memorial to Thomas Carlyle

Signed by T. C. Wilson of Drummonds Bank.

Pall Mall - WW 'should be informed of an event that agitates the literary world. Squires [William Squire] has arrived in town'. Squires is the descendant of Oliver Cromwell and did do the absurd things Carlyle [Thomas Carlyle] says he did.

36 Wilton Crescent, S.W. (on Wallington headed paper). - Is pleased that Lady Trevelyan likes his book ["Atalanta in Calydon"]; it was finished just after Landor's death which he much regrets. Much enjoyed the composition of the poem, which 'was very rapid and pleasant'; thinks it is 'pure Greek, and the first poem of the sort in modern times': feels that Shelley's "Prometheus [Unbound]", though 'magnificent', is 'un-Hellenic', and gathers from Lewes's life of Goethe that his "Iphigenia in Tauris" is also 'impregnated with modern morals and feeling"; also dismisses [Matthew] Arnold's "Merope". Is 'raging in silence' about the delayed publication of [Thomas] Carlyle's volumes: the subject [Frederick the Great] 'was always a hero' of Swinburne's who is impressed by his 'clear cold purity of pluck', which is not inspired by faith. Frederick seems free of 'perverse Puritan Christianity' on the one hand, and 'the knaveries and cutpurse rascalities' of the Buonapartes on the other; Swinburne can almost forgive him his bad poetry. Is very glad to hear good news of Sir Walter and the building projects; wishes she were in London for [Ford] Madox Brown's exhibition, which is 'superb'. Is currently staying at the house his father has taken in London for the winter, and is looking for rooms for himself; his father has completed the purchase of Holm Wood [Holmwood] in Oxfordshire. Feels that Tennyson should have made a better choice of his "Selections": feels that "Boadicea" should have 'served as prelude to the book'; thought Tennyson's 'volume of last summer' ["Enoch Arden"] a 'new triumph'.

The Shiffolds, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking. - Hopes his father is 'comfortably settled' at Welcombe; he and Bessie were sorry to hear from his mother that she had a cold, and hopes she has by now recovered. Julian 'continues splendidly well and is getting on in every way except locomotively, for he does not even try to move from one place to another'.

Finished Clayhanger, a 'wonderfully good novel': hopes Bennett can 'keep the next two parts up to the level of the first'. Will now have to read the Old Wives Tale. They are still reading aloud Frederick the Great, and are now coming to the 'quarrel with Voltaire'; Bessie usually takes 'no interest in accounts of battles, but admits that Carlyle's battles are different', as are George's accounts of those of Garibaldi.

Hopes to see George in London next week, at least 'at the Cambridge dinner on the 16th': these dinners are 'a very good institution, as one meets Cambridge people of all ages, whom one has little chance of meeting otherwise'. Will write to his mother soon.

[This is possibly the second half of JCH to WW, 20 Dec. 1847, Item 148]. JCH has been unable to finish his pamphlet [A Letter to the Dean of Chichester, on the Agitation Excited by the Appointment of Dr. Hampden to the See of Hereford, 1848], due to the immediate need to produce a memoir for his old friend John Sterling: 'The difficulty has been, not to speak the truth with love, but to speak the truth in spite of the love which wd have led one to conceal it. I don't think I shd have attempted it, but for the knowledge that, if I did not, Carlyle wd [Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling]: & then all that, which to me is so painful, wd of course have been brought out more prominently, while those parts of his life & character which to me are so precious, wd have been thrown entirely into the shade. I think it must be of deep interest to many, a picture of a class not ran among the genial minds of the age, & one of the noblest specimens of it. There is much that is excellent in his letters; & the lesson of his whole life ought also to be most profitable, if I can but bring it out rightly' [Essays and Tales of John Sterling, collected and edited, with a Memoir by JCH, 2 vols, 1848]. Ma-man's visit has been a great delight - 'there was the additional interest of the revival of Hyde Hall recollections'.

Refers to a conversation they had some years previously [see 95/157] in relation to a review by John Sterling of Tennyson, which he had believed was to be found in the London Review, but on looking there, found that the article on Tennyson had been written by Mill. He did not find Sterling's article until the previous day, in Hare's collection of Sterling's pamphlets and other papers, where he had looked for and found his article on Carlyle. Reports that it purports to be taken from 'the Quarterly [Review] (of all organs of opinion) of 1842'. Remarks that the paper on Carlyle strikes him as poor, and that on Tennyson as 'Philistinish'. Comments that Starling 'had but a limited appreciation of poetry, and did not clearly know good from bad.' Congratulates Sidgwick 'on having passed through a 3rd edition.'

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Hopes that Robert and Elizabeth are 'getting on with their preparations for going abroad', as it will do them good to be away from home for a while [after the death of their son Paul]. She and Sir George are 'better for the quiet' at Welcombe; they talk often about Paul, and Sir George says he often dreams of him, and of Robert as a small child. Thinks this has brought them 'all nearer together': perhaps the worst thing is knowing how unhappy Robert and Elizabeth are. Thinks she has never expressed to Robert all she feels for him, bur is sure he knows she understands his trouble, and how thankful she would be if she could comfort him. Took a long drive yesterday, and discovered Preston on Stour, a 'curious old village'. Buxton's book about Turkey ["Turkey in Revolution"?] is 'certainly amusing'; she also has the new Carlyle letters to read, though Sir George is 'rather averse to them', thinking 'the controversy should be allowed to die out'. He is reading Fererro to her, and translating parts of Suetonius 'which are most amusing'. Hopes Robert found some good books to take abroad at the London Library. Sends love to Elizabeth, and asks him to let her know how she is.

Herstmonceux, Hailsham - Thanks WW for his course of sermons [On the Foundations of Morals: Four Sermons, 1837]. JCH is deeply honoured that the volume is dedicated to him: 'a strange wonder will come over me now and then, that to me in my littleness such honours should have befallen as to have books dedicated to me by Niebuhr and you'. JCH is often reminded of 'Coleridge's saying, that we have to earn the joys of earth, before we can think of earning the joys of heaven'. JCH is with WW 'heart and mind' regarding the main object of WW's sermons but differs on one or two secondary or tertiary points: 'I can [not] think that St Paul is speaking of God's moral being in your first text...I am not sure whether you do not strain the passages from St Paul, in which the word conscience occurs, too far at the beginning of your second sermon. Sedgwick, I thought, certainly did. Your[s] rest less on them. In several of them at least conscience is nothing more than consciousness, and compatible with any view as to the origin and nature of our notions of right and wrong. The comparison between our scientific and moral knowledge is locally appropriate and very satisfactory'. Is p.44 of WW's volume directed at Thomas Carlyle: 'I have not read his book: but from some extracts in the Examiner it seemed to me almost as monstrous in doctrine as in style...What you say in p.vii about the pernicious influence of our teaching Paley on the morals of the country, I have long thought. May you prosper in substituting something better for him. There are many of the points you speak of in p.x admirably expounded in some of Chalmers's Essays in the 1st 2nd and 5th vols of his new edition. If any one wd leave out 3 sentences in 4 and turn the 4th into English, he wd be a great benefactor to philosophy: and it wd be a great thing to substitute his evidences for Paley's[.] a Christian life breathes from his, and wd pass into the hearts of many'.

[On headed notepaper for Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland]:- 'All is as it should be here in every way': he and two other boys have got their removes. Likes Welldon 'well enough', but has 'only had three schools with him'. His great coat and new trousers have come and fit well.

Sanderson will not return for a week or so, and it is 'rather dull without him' since he is 'the only person [Robert] really care[s] for very much'. Has bought 'a Marseillese [sic] for him to play on the violin'. Has an essay to write on 'the sacred right of insurrection, which is a good excuse for reading again part of Carlyle's [French] Revolution'. Has ordered a Browning and a Greek Lyrics, which have not yet arrived. Is sorry Georgie is ill.

The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - Expects his father is currently alone at Wallington, unless Molly and her children are there. Bessie thought of coming north for a while next week, when his mother returns, but now the weather is cooler and Julian seems so well there is 'no need to do so', and they will all come up in September as originally planned. Julian 'walks about a good deal now, and seems to enjoy life'.

Tovey is coming to the Shiffolds at the end of the month, and 'hopes to finish the main part of the score of our opera [The Bride of Dionysus] while he is here in August; he has 'got on very well with it lately'. 'Young [Robert?] Longman' advises him to wait until next spring to publish his new book of short poems and translations, since it is 'rather late' now to get it ready for the autumn.

Bessie is about to take Julian to Dorking 'to get his curls cut'; Robert is 'rather sorry, but they seem to be too thick for this hot weather'. He and Bessie have now 'got into' the eighth volume of Frederick the Great, and will be sorry when it is finished - unlike Carlyle, who seems never to have enjoyed his task during any of the years he spent over it', or would not admit it if he did. Robert is reading 'the parallel years in Froude's Life and Letters'

Sends love to Molly and the children.

Herstmonceux, Hailsham - JCH would like to add a few more lines to his last letter [see JCH to WW, 8 April 1843]: 'As to your attempt to repell the three men whom I had sent to assail your position, you seem to me to have mist your aim'. For example, JCH does not think anyone could have ever have taken the least offense at his [William Wilberforce] behaviour personally; indeed the exceeding severity of his manners tended greatly to aid him and his cause'. If Bishop Otter was wanting in firmness then this only strengthens JCH's argument. WW's 'proposition about the examinations seems to be clearly a very good one, and may become a step to still greater ulterior good'. JCH's uncertainty concerning Connop Thirlwall and the Welsh sees arose from what he had been told [see JCH to WW, 8 April 1843]. Since Thirlwall has been a Bishop he now knows 'how much an active Bishop may effect, in his own Diocese, and if he had not been so strongly in favour of the Reform Bill, I should have fancied that he would generally be desirous of modifying old institutions rather than of destroying them'. Thomas Carlyle stayed with JCH while he was trying to write his Commemoration sermon which dampened his enjoyment of Carlyle's company.

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Sure Julian, and Humphry, will be better for losing their curls, though this is always a 'sad change'. Caroline has 'left him in charge' of Molly, and Charles, who is enjoying a 'very long weekend, while the Constitution is crashing in London'. Very interested in the score of the opera [Robert and Donald Tovey's "The Bride of Dionysus"?] and book of poems, whenever it comes out; doubts the autumn is a good time for publishing poetry. Wrote a long note on the Montcalm letter in the 8th volume of [Carlyle's] Frederick, but is not sure whether to put it in his book. Is reading [Albert] Vandal's Avènement de Bonaparte, which is 'most admirable'. Sends love to Elizabeth; dreamed recently about the Queen of the Netherlands.

1 loose sheet at front: 'Copies. Letters from Carlyle - on "Cromwell", Extract of Letters from S[avile] M[orton]'

'Edward Fitzgerald. Littlegrange. Woodbridge' written on flyleaf, recto; on verso 'Letters from Thomas Carlyle, chiefly concerning Cromwell'

ff 1-36r: Copies by FitzGerald of letters from Carlyle, dated mid-Sept 1842-6 Nov 1874, with occasional notes and annotations by FitzGerald. Most letters written directly into book, though ff 34-36 (letter of 6 Nov 1874, not in FitzGerald's hand) pasted in.

ff 36v: Note by FitzGerald on 'the following Enquiries concerning th[e] one Long Parliament Election on record', sent to him by Carlyle in about 1846 or 1847 [in fact in 1844] 'to be answered & elucidated by Mr Davy, an old Suffolk Gentleman then residing in... Ufford near Woodbridge'. Davy was 'duly acknowledged & complimented as "Dryasdust"' in the paper Carlyle published on the subject in Fraser's Magazine [Oct 1844].

ff 37-39: Copy of the enquiries on the Long Parliament election (as above) sent by Carlyle to FitzGerald.

Reading from other end of book: 'Extract from letters of Savile Morton' written on flyleaf, verso; Morton's name later crossed out and 'an ill-starred Man of Genius'. 'Finished copying out at Midnight, Sunday May 27, 1866. Edward FitzGerald, Market-hall, Woodbridge' is legible below despite further crossing out. A loose sheet is pasted to the bottom of the flyleaf, on which Fitzgerald has written 'Fragments of some Letters from an ill-starred Man of Genius'' and added in pencil below 'for a Notice of Morton see at th[e] end of th[e] Letters'; other notes in pencil are probably in another hand.

ff i-iii: Three sheets bound together with tape found loose after flyleaf, containing a biographical note on Morton in FitzGerald's hand.

ff 1-61r: Copies by FitzGerald of letters from Morton, dated 28 Oct [18]40-Jul 1845, with occasional notes and annotations by Fitzgerald. Occasional pages have been cut out, and a series of stubs (about 11 ff) follows f 61. The letters themselves, or portions of them, are sometimes pasted in, particularly to include illustrations by Morton, as follows:

f 5r: 'Petrarch's Chair', pen and ink illustration
f 16r: Part letter of 10 Sept 1842 (once pasted in, now loose)
f 17r: Part letter with pen and ink sketch of ruins in Rome
f 23r: Pen and ink sketch of lamp.
f 50: Part letter, discussing Keats.

Since he thinks that George is 'not quite in sympathy with the views which many of our friends hold' about current events, he is setting out 'the main reasons for taking a strong line' against the Cabinet's past and present actions, and he fears also its future ones. Has just had an argument with [Maurice] Amos, whose 'vision and perspective' seem to be ‘distorted’. He himself believes that 'war between civilized people is absolute insanity, and nothing else'; the Balkans may be 'another matter' as 'there probably people like fighting and have less to lose'. Completely agrees with the passage in [Thomas] Carlyle's "Sartor [Resartus": 'What, speaking in quite unofficial language, is the net purport and upshot of war...?''], but people like Amos, 'nearly all the nice, intelligent, reasonably peaceable, anything but brutal people' do not realise it, so do not see 'the whole foreign-politics, diplomacy, honour of the nation etc game' as a 'colossal system of humbug [and] wickedness'. A few people realises, and express themselves 'with passion like [Bertrand] Russell, or more calmly like Charles'.

Belgium is the 'stumbling block' for many good people, including their father; Bob thinks that 'whatever the fault of Germany', it is clear that Britain is 'directly responsible for the destruction of Belgium', since the Cabinet for selfish reasons 'encouraged the Belgians in the attempt to keep the Germans out'; as Charles says, if the concern for Belgium had been real the advice should have been 'to let the Germans through under protest'. Believes that Germany views itself as fighting for its existence against Russia, and therefore against France, which the British, 'who bombarded Copenhagen [in 1807] should understand'; expects the Germans are right that the France would have tried to invade through Belgium if they had had time, which the British would not have prevented. Thinks Britain had no right to go to war for Belgium, and that it was used as a last moment excuse 'to make this unrighteous war of diplomatic national hatred into a "righteous" war for a small oppressed people". Having talked to people like Amos and [Bernard] Berenson he detects a 'vague indefinable suspicion and (though it is not usually admitted) dislike and even hatred of Germany and Germans', with nobody able to say what the Germans were going to do against Britain or France [before the acceleration of hostilities]; once France committed the 'folly' of binding themselves to Russia, he grants that they had 'some reason to be afraid', but Britain had 'no such cause'.

Perhaps 'any other cabinet minister would have been as bad' as [Sir Edward] Grey, but it is through trusting him and the 'foreign office fools... the least trustworthy people in the world' that Britain allied themselves with France rather than Germany. Cannot feel calm about Britain's 'subservience to Russia'; sees 'reptiles like Wells defend Russian tyranny now' and supposes that the Czar is now going to be a 'national hero'; it was he who 'directly caused the war by his mobilisation'. Feels that if Germany was a 'menace to European civilisation' so was France, or Britain; Russia is another matter, and one which George has himself warned about; wonders how he, as a historian, can believe that Germany’s actions do not stem from ‘arrogance, or… desire for hegemony’, but from ‘fear of Russia, and therefore of Russia’s friends’; courage is ‘the last thing’ George lacks, so he must be following ‘some scruple of conscience’. He himself has not trained himself to ‘write effectively’, except in verse, but regrets that George, ‘a writer as influential as any in the country’, after beginning so well, hesitates when he could be leading opinion to the good.
Recognises that ‘blame must be distributed all round’, but while he is inclined to criticise Russia more heavily and George Germany, he sees it as their ‘absolute duty to put all the weight of blame earned by our country upon her, as outspokenly and fearlessly as possible’ and to work for the future, as Charles and others are doing.

Re Thomas Carlyle.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Thanks Elizabeth for sending her birthday wishes, though it is 'really too old to be noticed now'. Glad she enjoyed The Park, which is 'a nice old house, & a curious relic of the past'; it was less 'encircled' by the town when she was a child, and they used to 'ride about country lanes'. Annie told her she was going to give Elizabeth the necklace; thought she would be pleased with it. Poor Miss Fitch 'the older one, she is 19, who played Eviey [?]' has jaundice; Mr [Charles Augustus?] Fitch's housekeeper told Caroline he 'did not "understand young people" & was "much too kind to them" & gave them "too many good things to eat". Miss Fitch is still in bed and will not be able to leave for more than a week. [Edward] Keith took thirteen prizes at Rothbury show. She and Sir George are reading Carlyle's early letters aloud, which she 'much prefer[s] to Johnson'. Sent some figs yesterday; hopes they arrive in good condition. Asks about the Jones [Herbert and Lily?]

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Glad to hear things 'are comfortable at Pinewood'; they hope to go there for a day in November [to see the Knutsfords] as they will probably be in London for a while to give Sir George 'a little change'. Very amused by Elizabeth's account of the church, which must have been the Irvingite [Catholic Apostolic] Church at Albury, for the sect founded by Edward Irving; describes this; Elizabeth should read Carlyle's life of Irving in his '"Reminiscences " and "Miscellanies" if she is interested; Mrs Oliphant also wrote a 'very readable life' of him. The Duke of Northumberland of the day 'was a great Irvingite'; believes 'the present family also belong to the Church'. Asks if Elizabeth saw the 'Silent Pool' at Albury, which is very pretty. Tells her they should not be in a hurry to move. Thinks it a good idea to be revaccinated if there is smallpox about. Asks what she thinks of doing about Mrs Scharlieb; good that she is stronger, but this does not mean she should not 'have the weakness put right'; Mrs Scharlieb might advise her by letter what she should do. Will be in London for a few days around 4 November; asks her to remind Robert to reply to his father's letter if he has not 'as it seems rather indifferent'; a postscript says that a reply has just arrived.

Hotel Bristol, Naples, Corso Vittorio Emanuele [printed notepaper with line drawing of the hotel]. - Marsh must be 'made of very distractable material' if Bob's last letter [15/269] distracted him for a whole day. Never expected that Marsh would be able to come with him to Italy, and is enjoying solitude; calls solitude and 'a plunge in cold water' as 'fundamental instinct[s]' deriving from the evolution of mankind. Is staying at this hotel for two nights before deciding where to go next; it belongs to [George Parker] Bidder, 'grandson of the calculating infant [also George Parker Bidder]'; the younger Bidder is 'known to all his generation at Cambridge, and the Verralls talk of him'. Hopes to see Bidder and get his advice [note that if Bob was actually staying at the Hotel Bristol, this was not in fact owned by Bidder, whose hotel was further along the Corso]; had intended to go to Corpo di Cava, but it would still be cold, as the hills are still covered by snow. Capri is currently the 'most inticing [sic]' possibility, 'certainly the most secluded and remote'. Is going to the Museum when he finishes this letter, which 'T.T.' [Thomas Tettrell Phelps?' calls 'the most fascinating place he has ever seen'; went with 'T.T.' on his last night in Britain 'to see A. Roberts, and found that it was bad'.

Marsh 'would like Pisa'; Bob saw a band playing in the market place there for the king's birthday, as he and Marsh once saw at Como, and caught sight of a beautiful woman with a 'face such as you seldom see in England'; he later saw her in a box at the theatre, where he saw two acts of Verdi's "Falstaff" before catching the train for Rome. Only had an hour and a half there; 'smoked a cigarette over the ruins of the forum' and thought of Teufledrock [sic: Teufelsdröckh, in Carlyle's "Sartor Resartus"]. Cannot even 'glance' at the 'wonderful things on the journey to Naples', and should keep a journal. Must get an Italian hat to wear in town, as he only has a straw one, and being the only person wearing one of these in a crowded street means he cannot escape 'intense' interest. Hope that Marsh will lose his 'nausea for Lucretius, or rather for his science' during the vacation; encourages him to go to Holland with 'S. and S.'; asks him to write. Says in a postscript that he can hear an American 'defending New York in the smoker', saying 'the negro really is a silent factor now'.