One of the first letters RJ has had in his new position on the Cathedral Commission is from a Trinity man - Mr Alexander Tate (for four years Curate to Scholefield [James Scholefield]) - 'who writes to say he will probably be obliged to resign his professorship and that it will [be] disastrous to him if he forfeits his stall and he suggests that the stalls at Ely should be made a sort of half pay or retiring pension to Cambridge Professors tenable after the resignation of their chair'. The letter is to be discussed at the Commission: 'It seems a silly letter of no great moment but if more stalls are to be attached to Professorships or duties to be assigned to all stalls the cases Mr Tate's letter points out will require very serious consideration and form one of the difficulties I see ahead[.] Pray think of it and talk to the Dean of Ely when you see him'.
'There exists no foundation on which a communication to Scholefield [James Scholefield] would properly be made about his resignation. It is by no means clear Tate [Alexander Tate] has had any communication with him and the letter sent to me looks a little like a meddling volunteer feeler of Mr Tate's own. If I had not seen a much wider field of discussion on such subjects looming in the distance I should have taken no notice of it' [see RJ to WW, 24 Nov. 1852]. In politics RJ considers 'the Whigs crushed but they have still faith in their strategy'. The cabinet of Lord Derby's is 'shaken to pieces and recomposed with Peelites and Palmerstonians will probably be the next move and a really able liberal conservative administration might have a long and prosperous reign'.
Trinity College - WW has put Attree [William W. Attree - RJ's nephew] into rooms, and set him to read with Romilly [Joseph Romilly]: 'I am much pleased with your youth and have not yet found his vanity at all prominent'. Scholefield [James Scholefield] has been appointed Greek Professor - 'they missed an admirable professor by not appointing Hare' [Julius Hare]. When is WW to hear anything of RJ's political economy?
Letter in a clerk's hand, signed by Scholefield, Minister of St Michael's; George Langshaw, Vicar of St Andrew the Great; George Spence, Vicar of St Clements, Henry Hutchinson Swinny, Vicar of St Giles & St Peters; Charles Perry, Minister of St Botolph's; Thomas Boodle, Minister of St Andrew the Less; Frederick Hose, Curate of Trinity Parish; [Capham?] Barry, Minister of St Edward; John Lane, Curate of St Andrew the Less & George Coulcher, Curate of St Benedict.
Perry [Charles Perry] has observed 'with great pain and grief the destitute state of Barnwell as to religious instruction; but with more courage and heart than others, he has set about trying to remedy it'. He wants to build a church: 'I think the spirit in which he has set about his task, as well as the object itself will induce you to do for him what you can'. WW is 'especially puzzled about my title - 'A History of the Inductive Sciences' - that is too indefinite. 'A History of the Inductive Sciences' - that implies 'all the' and is too presumptuous - 'A History of the Principal Inductive Sciences' - that is too narrow for though I do not wish to say so I have taken all which are, properly speaking, at present Inductive Sciences. I am mightily embarrassed with this dilemma'. Scholefield [James Scholefield] has vacated the Greek professorship and WW expects Connop Thirlwall to be a candidate.
WW is sorry he is late executing JCH's request: 'Some days elapsed before I got Bonney's life [Henry Kaye Bonney, Life of Jeremy Taylor, 1815], and again before I could arrange with Scholefield [James Scholefield] to see the Register, so that I did not examine it till this morning'. Scholefield claimed Bonney had made all the researches which were likely to be of use. WW gives his findings concerning Taylor. Now is a good time for JCH to visit: 'Your Wordsworth [William Wordsworth] is here at present on a visit to his brother'. By all accounts 'he is very much like other people - which, in spite of your doctrine that such matters are always exactly as they ought to be, I maintain to be a most unaccountable phenomenon, and an absurd want of violation of common rules'.
Describes James Scholefield's lectures on the Antigone, spending more than half his time studying Mathematics, Likes Walton's system of teaching,has had two "general examinations" in algebra and is not at the bottom of the class-list, disagreements over the restoration of St Sepulchre's church
Scholefields lectures, surprised that he considers JHM's notes on the Electra worthwhile, cares little for either of two alternative readings in Sophocles