WW very nearly took the same line as RJ regarding the King's College professorship [see RJ to WW, 15 March 1832], namely, that he would take the post if offered to him [Professor of Political Economy]. RJ has received a letter from D'Oyly, which like Herbert Mayo's, is very complimentary 'but mixed with a candid confusion of the dread of the subject which pervades their council and of their opinion that it is not a promising topic to lecture students on'.
RJ will come to Cambridge to vote for Joseph Romilly on Thursday. RJ hopes WW is mistaken regarding the reasons Nassau Senior resigned the professorship at King's: 'D'Oyly assures me that Mr Senior resigns because he has been appointed to the commission on the poor laws which will take up all his time. He is appointed as the head of that commission with I understand a considerable salary and considering that he is too a conveyancer in full practice this reason seems sufficient. - Neither King's College or myself should get any credit by its being supposed I was put there as an ecclesiastical puppet to fight tithe haters - I need not tell you I would act no such part but I cannot pretend that I should be insensible to the charge of doing so, while at the same time my own views would necessarily lead me to oppose Whately [Richard Whately] and Senior's [Nassau Senior] projects about tithes if I was forced to grapple with the subject inasmuch as with the needless dogmatism which disfigures all they say or do they have got a new fangled system of their own ready cut and dried which they would like to force down the throats of England and Ireland on their authority and without the slightest regard to local difficulties reasonable modifications or any ones views or experience but their own'.
Haileybury - The directors of the East India College applied to the board of control to reappraise RJ's appointment for one more year with regret: 'The board of control, with some empty words of civility to myself, refused to make the appointment for more than 6 months. The refusal is considered by all as the knell of the college'. This will mean RJ will be cast off without a pension. RJ has sought a church appointment in Kent - 'The Archbishop sends a kind answer but he has felt obliged to offer it to Lonsdale who having resigned at Stall at Lichfield and St. Georges Bloomsbury, and holding 1000l. a year from St. Davids and 300l. from Lincoln's Inn and having it is said 3000l. a year of his own from his wife's, yet is thinking of swallowing this retired living of 500l. a year out of mere wantoness and caprice'. Regarding other matters the tithe bill is advancing and RJ's friend, D'Oyly, thinks it is time the Church reacted - 'he has spoken to the Bishop of London, who had not thought of me, and had engaged to ask for it for some one else - but admits I am the better man and urges D'Oyly to write at once to the Archbishop - he has done so strongly - and if Blomfield, when consulted, gives as I think he will, his opinion to counterbalance the application he is pledged to, why it may be the most desirable way of applying his weight to help me'. It is not expected that the Archbishop will make up his mind yet - 'In the mean time I most fear those who have the confidence of the Ultra Church, with which the Archbishop's affections go, though his prudence lags behind them - but Rose [Hugh Rose] will take any purely ecclesiastical thing that falls if near London and perhaps may have thought better about this post - I am resolved not to be annoyed with him, do what he will about it and so I stand'.
Written from Lambeth.