Margaret and John Herschel congratulating WW on his engagement to Cordelia Marshall.
Collingwood - Margaret Herschel has just sent a letter to confirm their revised visiting plans to Cordelia Whewell at an incomplete address, hence JH writes to make sure she gets the message. There should be a meeting of the magnetic committee before the BAAS gathering to finalise discussions and come to some conclusion.
JH would have written earlier regarding WW's invitation for Margaret Herschel and their daughter to stay at Trinity Lodge in June, but he wanted to consult 'my better half' first. Margaret will write personally to Cordelia to confirm matters but he does not think his daughter will go: 'she is not yet more than 14 and is not yet published (come out) so that her mamma thinks it will not be expedient to bring her'. If 'Hopkins would not so horribly darken his meaning by atrocious formula which he sheds abroad like a cutter fish his cut in the sea - I should say that he has put the sliding theory in a decenter aspect than it seemed to stand'.
Collingwood - JH thanks WW on behalf of Margaret Herschel 'for your very pretty and portable quintessence of Philosophy' [Indications of the Creator, 1845]. JH is critical of WW producing a brief expose of his thicker volumes - the cream without 'the solid and strengthening food'.