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The Mill House, Westcot [sic: Westcott], Dorking. - Apologises for not writing sooner; found [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson with the Frys and brought him back to sleep as there was not room at their house; he left before lunch then Bob spent the afternoon with the Frys. They went for a walk; the country looks 'delicious' and they saw lots of lambs 'who had just come into the world and seemed very pleased to be there'. Will send her a copy of the "Speaker" with one of his poems in it; it is almost the first he ever wrote so she must be lenient; Fry and Dickinson 'seem to like it'; it does not record 'any personal experiences. Does not know whether they will print the translations he sent them.

Finishes the next letter next day, before his breakfast of 'eggs and Van Hoōōten [sic: Van Houten] cocoa'. Expects to spend the morning organising his books, letters and papers. Dreamt they bought a 'cheap and good linen-cupboard at a sale'. Thinks he will write soon to Mrs Pepper at Borrowdale to ask if they are likely to have the house [Seatoller] to themselves in June, which would not commit them to going there. Thinks she would like that best of all the places he knows in England and Scotland.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Very sorry about Florence, who was 'a kind friend and relation'; sure Robert and Elizabeth will settle the business resulting from her death 'wisely'. Recommends that Robert bring the will up and open it with Mr Philipson, who is the 'responsible person'; he should of course write to Dr Cacciola.

Prisoners of War, Alexandra Palace [postmark]. - Thanks Trevelyan for sending him the Annual of [New] Poetry"; especially enjoyed Trevelyan's 'Indian play' ["The Pearl Tree"] which he thinks is 'greatly improved', with the new ending being 'much more effective'. Has read little of the other poetry yet as it is hard to find quiet to concentrate on 'anything more serious than a newspaper' in the camp; the 'constant company of dozens or hundred of other people is somewhat trying at times'. Otherwise he is keeping well, and keeping his mind occupied with plenty of work. Glad to learn of Donald [Tovey]'s "health and happiness"; had heard nothing from or about him for a long time so was wondering how he was; hopes Tovey will begin to compose again, though would 'quite understand if the present times are not favourable for artistic inspirations of a peaceful nature'. His own wife nad children are currently in the country; saw them last week and 'found them well & happy'. Has 'organised a camp orchestra of over 50 members, which is constantly improving' and has 'given very creditable performances of Beethoven' and other classical works.

5 Keats Grove, Hampstead, NW3 . - Thanks Bob for the 'lovely poems' [in this year's "From the Shiffolds"], especially the memorial to [Goldsworthy] Lowes Dickinson. Hopes Bob will visit the Lynds soon. Sends new year's greetings to the Trevelyans from 'Sylvain of Fossewood [?] & his Gt Grandparents strictly Honorary & Infatuated'.

Wixenford, Eversley. - Will follow Mr Trevelyan's suggestions: the only time Bobbie would out of sight of a master would be while butterflying, for which boys are allowed to 'roam about at will', though only inside the grounds. Will make sure, 'without exciting any notice if possible' that Bobbie is never 'without someone strong enough to protect him'. Had had the same thoughts himself [that Bobbie may need to protection due to his father being Secretary of State for Ireland], since 'no scheme of wickedness seems too far-fetched or diabolical for these men'. Bobbie seems well, and is getting on in his work; hopes he will soon be 'altogether fit for the upper division'. Sorry to hear that Mrs Trevelyan was worried about not hearing from Bobbie as usual; has told him that his mother was disappointed and does not think he will forget again.

Thinks the enclosed Epistle is self-explanatory; should 'deposit a sealed copy in the bank' to be 'delivered to Philip Erasmus [Julian and Ursula's son] when he reaches a philosophic age', but they should look at it now to be sure 'it contains no dangerous doctrine' or that 'the metrical license and irregularity is not likely to bewilder Philip's taste and corrupt his style'. Quotes an alternative reading which Bessie prefers, mentioning George Moore. Unsure whether the 'quasi-lyrical ending is in harmony with the rest', but does not want to add anything if he can help it; already afraid it is 'scarcely worthy of its theme'. Glad Julian's show has had such a deserved success.

19 Lord North Street, Westminster, London. - Kind of Trevelyan to send his "[From the] Shiffolds" poems, which have 'all the nostalgia we must feel who have known that other world'; but as he notes 'Sorrow vanishes, the joy endures'; hopes that will be true for the grandson to whom that is addressed and for all the 'young born now'; also hopes 1945 will be 'better for all'. Hears that Mary [Berenson] is 'fading away': Ben Nicolson, Harold's son, who has been to stay at I Tatti for four days, writes that she is 'pale & still beautiful... her mind quite clear'.

Notebook containing two distinct texts. The first part is not paginated by Wittgenstein. The second, paginated 1-228 and being continued in the first part of Ms 115 is a revision of part of The Big Typescript. p 21 includes a section containing 3 remarks pasted-in. The Grosses Format (MS-140) is a further reworking of part of this text.

Alderley Park, Chelford, Cheshire.—Is going to stay with Barbara. Everyone has missed him.

(Dated Sunday.)

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Transcript

Alderley Park, Chelford, Cheshire
Sunday

My darling Did you feel convinced I should write to you? I always meant to, but a spirited game of “Counties of England” {1} with the children has almost prevented me. I am going to stay with Barbara {2}, in case you wanted to communicate with me. We’ve all missed you & yr absence has been loudly deplored. Barbara & I have both been swinishly asleep on my sofa most of the afternoon, except for a short daffodil picking interlude.

Did you like the Real Charlotte {3}?

I liked you better this time than last, and am missing you quite as much as I can wish.

Venetia

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Written in pencil.

{1} A children’s card game manufacture by John Jaques & Son.

{2} At 8 Little College Street, Westminster. Cf. MONT II A1/115.

{3} A novel by Somerville and Ross, first published in 1894. Cf. MONT II A1/62.

It is hoped that he will attend the tercentenary celebrations at Trinity, is reading Newton's Principia for the first time

Invites him to breakfast with them on Tuesday morning. Sends on the regards of 'W. Lewes'.

Thanks WW for a copy of his ''Mathematical Exposition' ['Mathematical Exposition of Some Doctrines of Political Economy', 1829]; which I feel persuaded will have great effect in placing the doctrines of Political Economy generally, on the footing of mathematical demonstration. I should be much gratified if at any future period you should find time to apply the same processes to other portions of the science. We are at the point now, where seamen were, when they began to suspect that mathematical inductions might be usefully applied to conveying a vessel from one harbour to another'.

7 Camden St. & T. - The spoon is a good representation of inductive logic. Whewell's notion of induction contains more than logic. Spoon feeding is synthetical (induction) and knife and fork feeding is analytical. Whewell will probably see a scene at the Astronomical Society as Jerwood, who accused Airy and Le Verrier of conspiring to defraud Adams [regarding the discovery of Neptune], has been proposed as a fellow. He describes his friend [Joshua Ryland] Marshman's suitability for the Professorship of Law at Cambridge.

Incomplete letter, lacking the opening page(s). On the limitations of his recent historical work ['A Review of the Progress of Mathematical and Physical Science in more Recent Times and Particularly Between the Years 1775 and 1850', Encyclopedia Britannica, 1853 and separately 1858]. JDF gives WW the various densities of the planets.

2 Raymond Buildings, Gray's Inn - CL was surprised and complimented that WW had already read the 300 pages he had sent him ['Principles of Geology', volume 2, 1832]: 'Recollect that all I have hitherto said against catastrophe is little else than dogmatizing to one who has not seen or read of the evidences which forced me against all my prepossessions to adopt my present creed...I hope you will be an umpire on this question, and therefore restrict yourself for a time to the ample subject of the evidence of organic changes already left you and reject as not yet proved, or attempted to be proved whatever advance respecting the slowness and uniformity of geological changes'. WW may be convinced by the next three chapters. CL has found that 'Hoffman [Friedrich Hofmann?] sent from Sicily an account of the country to which I owe my conversion just when von Dechen [Heinrich von Dechen], Miterlisch [Eilhard Mitscherlich?], and Von Hoff [Karl E A von Hoff?] were reading my book and to this I attribute the now favourable reception of my doctrine at Berlin'. Hoff has reviewed CL at length - an expose of his views as opposed to a critique. 'Dechen writes to Murchison [Roderick Murchison] 'Conybeare's [William Conybeare] reply in the annals is the work of a learned and able divine in support of a lost cause''.

Herstmonceux - They are all looking forward to WW's visit. JCH gives instructions on how best to reach them in Hurstmonceux. 'What a beautiful poem Evangeline is. It seems to me to have definitively naturalized the metre: at least it will do so in America. The story is evidently suggested by Hermann & Dorothea; yet the poem is thoroughly original, very like, yet totally different'. JCH longs to hear how the new system is working at the University - 'The new Professors, I suppose, have not downed their harness yet'. What does Sir James Stephen mean by Hazlitt's Life of Luther? Is the article on 'Faith and Reason' in the Edinburgh Review by Stephen? - 'the style has not the same ponderous Gibbonian rhetoric; and though parts are well & forcibly put, I think I wd hardly confound faith so entirely with belief, or join so entirely the thaumalurgie school of reasoners on the evidences'. JCH has read WW's piece on Hegel [On Hegel's Criticism of Newton's "Principia", 1849]: 'Hegel has never been one of my favorites, but the contrary. Still it seems to me that you treat him somewhat over-scurvily, as if he were a mere ass; whereas, with all my repugnance to many of his notions, I have never read twenty pages of him, without feeling that he was a very great thinker and writer'. Hegel is difficult to read in German let alone after he has been translated, and WW seems to have missed the sense of a couple of the sentences JCH checked with the original text.

commiserates over "his loss", his letters as "a Hertfordshire Incumbent", "quarter" question