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MS note in hand of G. M. Trevelyan below the letter: 'Letters of G. O. Trevelyan to Pauline, Lady Trevelyan, & Sir Walter, at Wallington, 1) about his election for Tynemouth 1865, 2) His Garibaldian adventure 1867'

Two letters dated 3 Dec. 1841 and 21 Feb. 1842.

27 Rutland Street, N.W. - Has given his friend Sir Charles Nicholson, who is travelling to Egypt in November and will pass through Italy an introduction to Browning. Had an invitation from Carlyle two days ago to meet some friends of Browning, the Twisledons [Twisletons] but was not free; Carlyle is evidently recovered. Another friend of Browning's, Mrs Cust, has called on Woolner, wanting him to cast her hand as a gift for a sister who is going to India; found she was an old friend of the Trevelyans.

Has done little since he last saw Browning but work on his bust of Tennyson; has 'worked upon it closely for nearly 9 weeks and have fully a month's work yet before it can be completed'; complains about lack of time spent on most works of art nowadays, particularly sculpture. Rossetti is soon going to paint an altarpiece for Llandaff Cathedral; he is travelling to Wales with Seddon, the architect responsible for repairing the building, 'so that probably he will not be long before he commences it - but as to finishing? -'

David Masson asks in which paper Browning's article on Chatterton is to be found. Story about Thackeray's recent lectures at the Glasgow Athenaeum. Does not 'hear much spoken of in the literary world except [Elizabeth Barrett Browning's] Aurora Leigh'.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Has ordered the fifty pounds to be paid into Robert's account with Drummonds'. Started Robert's "Annual of [New] Poetry" last night, which is a 'beautiful publication'; praises him for publishing, as he has 'no patience for the fastidiousness which refuses to publish because the world has so much to occupy its attentions'; has been waiting for three years for the publication of the life of Sir Charles Dilke. Will send back the [Samuel] Butler books; was very glad to see them, though they are not as good as Butler's "Notes", "Alps and Sanctuaries, and "The Way of All Flesh". [Edmund] Gosse has sent him his life of Swinburne, which looks very good; he and Caroline will read it aloud. Very glad that his 'tribute to dear Paulina Trevelyan comes out as it does'; it is a 'work of gratitude' that has been on his mind, and is 'better than a long biography'.

22a Dorset (corrected from Dover and 'Dovet?') Street, W. (on Wallington headed paper). - Thanks Lady and Sir Walter Trevelyan for their great kindness and defence of him against the 'villainy of fools and knaves'; this falls upon others as undeserving as himself, and he recently defended a mutual friend against the charge of having 'boasted aloud of murdering his own illegitimate children' - who did not exist.

36 Wilton Crescent, S.W. (on Wallington headed paper). - Is pleased that Lady Trevelyan likes his book ["Atalanta in Calydon"]; it was finished just after Landor's death which he much regrets. Much enjoyed the composition of the poem, which 'was very rapid and pleasant'; thinks it is 'pure Greek, and the first poem of the sort in modern times': feels that Shelley's "Prometheus [Unbound]", though 'magnificent', is 'un-Hellenic', and gathers from Lewes's life of Goethe that his "Iphigenia in Tauris" is also 'impregnated with modern morals and feeling"; also dismisses [Matthew] Arnold's "Merope". Is 'raging in silence' about the delayed publication of [Thomas] Carlyle's volumes: the subject [Frederick the Great] 'was always a hero' of Swinburne's who is impressed by his 'clear cold purity of pluck', which is not inspired by faith. Frederick seems free of 'perverse Puritan Christianity' on the one hand, and 'the knaveries and cutpurse rascalities' of the Buonapartes on the other; Swinburne can almost forgive him his bad poetry. Is very glad to hear good news of Sir Walter and the building projects; wishes she were in London for [Ford] Madox Brown's exhibition, which is 'superb'. Is currently staying at the house his father has taken in London for the winter, and is looking for rooms for himself; his father has completed the purchase of Holm Wood [Holmwood] in Oxfordshire. Feels that Tennyson should have made a better choice of his "Selections": feels that "Boadicea" should have 'served as prelude to the book'; thought Tennyson's 'volume of last summer' ["Enoch Arden"] a 'new triumph'.