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The Times Literary Supplement - Permission to reprint any articles he pleases, and is asking the Manager to send the back numbers he requested.

The Times - Permission to reprint the article and letter on Condorcet. Accompanied by the envelope.

The Times - Thanks him for the review of Dr Basedow ['The Australian Aboriginal'], sorry it will be the last for the moment; he should not apologise for delays, the end result is worth the trouble.

The Times Literary Supplement - Gives permission to republish a letter from the Supplement of 20 April 1922 and the obituary notice of Albert Houtin.

13, Cliffords Inn, Fleet Street, E.C. - Thanks Trevy for the letters and trouble taken; has been to see Bruce Richmond [see 17/70], who is going to give him a trial writing reviews and 'articles on industrial questions', Hopes Trevy will find Ceylon 'more beautiful than India', though expects much of it is also 'vastly ugly'; thinks it is necessary to live there to 'see it properly'; he himself likes 'even the bareness & parchedness'. Has just received the first proofs of his novel ["The Village in the Jungle"], which comes out in February and is about Ceylon.

38, Brunswick Square, W.C. - Found many books on his table when he returned which he thinks are a present from Trevy: they are 'extraordinarily nice'. Supposes Trevy is now in the East. his sister [Bella?] leaves Ceylon on 20 November, so that introduction will be no use if he arrives after that. They had a 'splendid time abroad in France, Spain & Italy' [on their honeymoon]. Spain seemed 'the finest & most incompetent country in the world'. Has a temporary job as secretary to the Grafton Galleries for the Post Impressionists [exhibition organised by Roger Fry], where he 'daily explain[s] Picasso to the unending stream of the population of London' and is 'astonished by the honesty of mind of the English public', but wants to get something permanent or writing work. Trevy said he would give Leonard an introduction to Bruce Richmond on their last meeting; asks for this as he thinks it would be a 'great thing' to get work for the times. The are leaving Brunswick Square, and will probably take rooms in Clifford's Inn.

Enderley, Great Missenden, Bucks.—The round ‘s’ was introduced into English printing about 1791.

(Undated. This is a reply to a letter printed in the issue of 19 Apr. 1928.)

—————

To the Editor of the Times (Literary Supplement)

Sir,—

The Long and Round “s”.

Mr Ryan seems to have been unable to find any discussion of the date of the introduction of the round s in all positions in English printing, but had he looked in those places to which one would naturally turn for information of this kind, he would have found that the date which he assigns to the change is approximately that generally accepted. I would refer him to J. Johnson’s Typographia, 1824, ii. 24 and T. B. Reed’s History of the Old English Letter Foundries, 1887, p. 52, to which I may perhaps be allowed to add my own Introduction to Bibliography, p. 309. It seems clear that, if we ignore a few earlier experiments which were not followed up, the use of the round s in all positions dates in English printing from 1791 or, at most, a year or two earlier, and that by 1800 it was general in all the better kinds of printing. In provincial printing, however, and even in certain London publications the long s was retained until several years later, thus the London Post Office Directory had a long s throughout until 1817; by 1819 a portion had been reset with the round s, but the long form does not disappear until 1825, when the whole book was reset with new type. In America the change may have been somewhat earlier, see Franklin’s letter of 1786 quoted by D. B. Updike in his Printing Types, ii. 229 in which he states that “the Round s begins to be the Mode and in nice printing the Long ſ is rejected entirely”. In any case the printers seem generally to have used the long s correctly or not to have used it at all, and the indiscriminate use of the two forms mentioned by Mr Ryan suggests either a very ignorant printer or a very ill-furnished press.

Yours faithfully,
[Signed:] R. B. McKerrow
(R. B. McKerrow)

(R. B. McKerrow
Enderley
Great Missenden
Bucks.)

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Typed, except the signature, the letter ‘ſ’, and several corrections. This is a draft reply to a letter by M. J. Ryan printed in the Times Literary Supplement, 19 Apr. 1928, p. 290, below the heading ‘“The School for Scandal” and the Round “S”’. McKerrow's letter was not published.

The Times - Is sorry to hear of Sir James' trouble with his eyes; will publish a notice of Dr [Herman] Frank's translation ['Mensch, Gott und Unsterblichkeit'].

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Has sent Robert the "Times Literary Supplement"; he should read aloud the letter from the 'scientific man' [Sir Edward Brabrook] about Gerald Balfour and the Ear of Dionysus. Gerald and his sister, Mrs Henry Sidgwick, are keeping living together during the war; supposes they talk about 'this sort of stuff together [séances and spiritualism] from morning to night'; this accounts for the 'preposterous message' to Sir George from [Frederic] Myers conveyed to him by Mrs Verrall and Mrs Piper. Bruce Richmond is a 'wonderful good editor'; praises the "Supplement". Is reading "The Shadow Line", which he likes better than anything he has read by Conrad before, and beginning 'to catch his peculiar turn of method... that of a fine nature which turned to creation very late in a life of action'. Had a 'very good letter' from Julian recently.

(Place of writing not indicated.)—The round ‘s’ was introduced into English printing about 1791.

(There is no initial greeting or conclusion. This is a response to a letter by M. J. Ryan printed in the Times Literary Supplement on 19 Apr. 1928. McKerrow’s letter was not published.)

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Is reading "The Green Mirror" by Hugh Walpole, which begins well and reminds him of E. M. Forster. Has read nothing of his since "Howard's End"; looked him up in "Who's Who" and sees he has written "The Celestial Omnibus". Asks Elizabeth whether she has read this; would like to read it if it is a novel. Also asks for the address of Bruce Richmond, who recently wrote mentioning that he lived near Elizabeth and Robert. Pleased to hear about Julian's school projects.

La Croix. - Thanks his mother for her letter; is 'very glad to hear' that Paul is 'rather better since he came to London'; is sure it was wise to consult Dr Eustace Smith too, and is 'glad he was on the whole reassuring'. Expects Bessie and Paul are at Broadstairs by now. Will start back to England on either Monday or Tuesday, arriving in London around 5 pm the next day; expects he will go straight to the Shiffolds that night, before going to Broadstairs via London the next day. Will try to see his mother in London then, which will either be Wednesday or Thursday. Bessie 'writes quite cheerfully now': Robert thinks she 'must be less anxious'.

Is 'sorry the Cacciola will is such a trouble to everyone': would 'gladly give the whole thing up and let whoever came next settle it as best they could', if it only depended on him, but thinks this would make it necessary for George to give up Hallington, which Robert 'would be very sorry for'. Is sure his father will 'decide for the best'.

Sees that Barran is candidate 'for the Border Boroughs [Hawick Burghs]' and hopes he gets in: thinks he would 'make a fairly good conscientious sort of MP', though does not believe he is a 'really able man'. Has not yet heard 'whether Bowles is in'. There was a snow-storm here a week ago and there is still some snow on the ground; last night there was a thunderstorm, but today the weather is fine and not as cold. Was 'very pleased with the Times review [of his new book Sisyphus: An Operative Fable?]'; hears it was not by [John Cann] Bailey, as he had thought, so is not sure of the author - perhaps Bruce Richmond, as it 'did not read like Clutton-Brock'.
Is glad his father is well; fears they have been having 'even worse weather' than he has here.

Leith Hill Place, Nr Dorking. - Found Bob's 'delightful present', the "New Parsifal", when they got home yesterday; thanks him and will 'value it very much as yet another proof' of Bob's friendship, which he knows is 'very precious' to her. Has as yet only looked at the 'very nice outside', but hopes to begin reading it today. Is 'very proud' to have it as a gift from Bob. Hopes he has had better news of his father; he must have had some 'very anxious days'. Also hopes Bessie and Julian are well again. Her mother is quite well now; they are 'rejoicing in the freshness and clearness of home - and birds singing'. Tells Bob he can come and stay any time he likes while Bessie is away; they can give him a 'quiet room to work in'. Asks if he has seen that the "Times Literary Supplement" is now to be sold separately: Evelyn Richmond says this is 'very important for her brother Bruce', since Lord Northcliffe apparently 'wants to get rid of the Supplement', returning book-reviewing to the main body of the paper, and 'does not believe there is a demand for it'. Would therefore be a good thing if many people who do not take the "Times" write in and subscribe for the "Supplement".

3 Sumner Place, S.W.7. - Congratulates Frazer, asks that he not think of answering, as he has 'other than purely personal reasons for hoping you may escape writer's cramp'. [The letter is marked with a red cross at top, indicating it was answered.]