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Letters of Jean Babington, née Macaulay, to her daughter Mary Parker. Also letters and notes enclosed with these: copy of letter from Mary Parker to her children's nurse Charlotte Gouch; letters from Anne Tibbs and Lydia Rose to Mary; letter from Susan Darroch, née Parker, to Jean Babington; letter from Eliza (?) Ravenscroft to Anne Tibbs; letter from Susan Emma Parker to her father James Parker.

Letters from Jean Babington to Susan Darroch and Mary Ellen Rose, née Parker. Letters from Sophia C. Marriott, Harriot Palmer (née Pepperell) and James Stephen to Jean Babington.

Two drafts of letters relating to plan to observe tides, one page each. One letter dated 10 Oct. 1853.

Westbourne Terrace, W. London - George W. Hastings, Secretary to the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, has written to JS [letter attached] to inform him that they have written to WW to ask him to become President of their Society. If JS knows WW personally could he write to WW to explain the nature of the office: 'I have to say in support of their request to you, is that I, being quite unused to public meetings, scientific assemblages, and political partisanship of any kind, found the gathering of this Society at Liverpool last year - amusing and edifying what I learnt from it was chiefly how great is the homage which the democracy are demanding, and how liberally that demand is appealed to by the more active and stirring pack of our aristocracy. I sat four days presiding over a kind of unorganised debating Society, which discussed all manner of questions, without approaching a conclusion on any, and which took for granted much which seemed to me very absurd. They were clearly animated, and quite impatient of contradiction. I left Liverpool with some views which were new to me of my native land; glad that I had been there, and glad to come away'.

JH has asked someone [page torn] to review the book [Literary Remains, Consisting of Lectures and Tracts on Political Economy, of the late Rev Richard Jones, 1859] in the Edinburgh Review. He has also had a copy sent to Sir James Stephen - although JH has heard that Stephen has been involved in an accident while 'on one of his walks'. Further, Stephen wants nothing more to do with the Edinburgh, while of the book he writes: ''I have read a considerable part of it and the result is to convince me that he [Richard Jones] was a vigorous and original thinker, but an indifferent writer, one of those men whose real function or fate it is, to bring together the raw material for better Artists to work up into popular books. John Mill, has, I think, largely used him for this purpose''. JH concludes from this that Stephen would not be averse to a review and that it would be sufficiently favourable. He would also introduce some remarks about the Indian Civil Service. JH gives information concerning notices for the book.

Wimbledon Common. - Thanks for Sterling papers. Coleridge and followers like Sterling mistakenly assume that practitioners of popular theology have no grasp of its philosophical complexities: Sterling's ideas were more simply expressed by the Wesleyan Methodist Adam Clark[e] nearly 40 years ago. Sterling's style is too taxing, but Milnes' account of his integrity shows Sterling is worthy of the Club in his honour; Stephen would have remained a member if the others had not been so much younger.

The review of Descartes WW referred to is by 'Rogers of Birmingham who wrote a review of Pascal and other metaphysical spec's [speculations] which are well thought of'. RJ gives a description of his health. He is reading James Stephen's second volume of lectures - 'all interesting and parts very valuable'. RJ is 'not of course in very good spirits - The present confusion and uncertainty are against me I fear'.

As soon as he can RJ will go into the City and ensure all is correct concerning WW's interest [see RJ to WW, 5 Dec. 1848]. WW must be joking about the lectures on modern history - RJ has not got any spare time: 'Besides let me tell you if you do not already know that there are two candidates for the professorship one or the other of whom are perfectly secure if the Whigs continue in'. One of them 'Stephen [James Stephen] late of the colonial office - he is wretched for want of occupation' [Stephen was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge, 1849-1859]. However William Smyth the current Professor of Modern History 'must not be disturbed on his death bed even for Alma Maters convenience'. RJ sends WW some suggestions for the commission [see RJ to WW, 7 December 1848]: 'with slight modifications there would be little difficulty in getting the commission to adopt them, but there are weaknesses and suspicions and I fear political schemes out of doors which constitute obstacle and difficulties. Before I tell you however of any objections or any answers to them do let me have your own impressions it is the only way I can learn what alarms and displeases third persons. They were printed by the order of the commission. The Archbishop approves of all with the exception of one point and has by letter and personally praised and thanked me very kindly and heartily. In about 40 years there would be a disposable surplus of more than 100,000 pounds and it would begin at once to shew itself'.

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.

Eton College - ECH looks forward to seeing WW and Cordelia Whewell on the 18th of May. If Lord John Russell is not careful with regard to his investigations concerning the University, he will 'excite a spirit of extreme dislike to his government in a Body of very great and very just influence in this country'. ECH is delighted to hear that Sir James Stephen's lectures are so popular. He has just received a paper outlining a series of charges against JS's opinions on several mysterious points. 'Stephen is the best of men, and it is nothing but his boundless love for all that is good among men of various sects and opinions that has led him to assume a latitudinarianism in his Essays which, I believe, greatly exceed his private convictions'.