8, Grosvenor Crescent, S.W. - Went to Halifax on Monday, returning yesterday morning; their meetings went well and she 'gave a party to about 15,000 people!'. Wonder if Elizabeth's sister [Mien Röntgen] has left, and whether she has been up for the [Joachim?] concerts. Is expecting Annie [Philips] for a brief call, on her way to Tunbridge Wells.; hopes to take her for a drive. Asks how 'Tweenie' is doing.
10 Prinsegracht, The Hague. - Received Bob's letter this morning, and nerved herself to tell her uncle and aunt about his intended arrival; her aunt 'understood at once' and made no difficulties, though said her uncle may make some; she then found her uncle writing to Bramine [Hubrecht] in his study and told him, he was amazed but wanted to 'grasp at once the whole situation' and told her he saw quite through her pretext and understood everything but she begged him not to speak further about it. So they are both quite cheerful about the subject, and are probably discussing it now she has gone to bed.
Writing on the next day, she says that things were not so cheerful that morning, and her uncle took up the subject of Bob's visit again after breakfast; will not go into detail, but he does tend to 'attach enormous importance to convention' and it is hard for him to take everything in. But he does not want to make things difficult, and will leave her 'quite free' when Bob is here; he would like Bob to pay a formal visit on his first afternoon in the Hague, when the pretext for Bob's stay, 'poor old Vondel', must be mentioned; Bob will then be able to come the following morning and probably regularly to do some work. In the afternoon when the weather is fine she has to walk with her aunt, who she thinks would like Bob to join them. Thought he might stay a fortnight; if it suits him to go on early to Italy of course he must, though asks if he is sure about meeting the Frys in Siena, as she thought they were going there before Florence, which is why the G[randmont]s did not meet them and why her cousin Marie [Hubrecht] has gone first to Lugano and Milan. Is sorry to hear Bob finds it hard to settle to work. Discusses further her objection to Bob's translation of a French phrase [from Ronsard]; thanks him for his 'little grammar lesson about "shall" and "will"'.
The latest news of the [Second Boer] war must be 'very distressing' to the English; asks if Bob still feels it would be good if the English were 'well beaten'. Of course thought of the war itself is 'an intense horror'. Asks if Bob knows anyone fighting; they have heard of some 'striking losses', such as the death of a 'very beloved nephew' of their friend Dr Koster [Tuimen Hendrik Blom Coster?]. The feeling against Britain is very strong in the Netherlands; 'flags were put up in many streets when the news of Ladysmith reached' them; wonders if Bob will mind that when he comes. Suggested the 12th as the day he should come since he had mentioned a [rugby?] football game the day before; would not deprive him the chance of 'displaying [his] chief if not only vanity' and hopes he will enjoy himself. and not come over 'with a blue eye & some fractured bones'.
Trinity Lodge. Tributes to H M Butler, Mrs MacLeod [housekeeper] has looked at the house on Brookside and approves, wishes to stay in Cambridge because H M Butler loved it so much.
The Guest House [the Rest House crossed through], Chhatapur. - They came here on Wednesday and intended to leave today, but are delaying their departure for a few days since [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson has been 'rather ill'. His digestion has suffered from the 'bad food [they] get in most places'; Robert however is well and has 'learnt what agrees' with him; hears the food will be better in Bengal. Chhatarpur is a 'delightful place', with the most beautiful countryside he has so far seen in India. Their host the Maharajah is a 'charming man, interested chiefly in philosophy and literature'; they have 'long talks' every afternoon he has 'a good deal of shrewdness, but has muddled his head rather by reading too much bad European philosophy'. His state is 'very well governed' by his ministers, though he seems little interested in it himself. On Wednesday they are going in his moto car to see some famous Hindu and Jain temples thirty miles away [at Khajuraho]. Will go to Benares on Friday or Saturday if Dickinson is well enough. Went out several miles into the jungle on an elephant yesterday with the Chief Justice, also the Maharaja's secretary; they saw no wild beasts, though there are 'often tigers and panthers about'; the jungle was 'very beautiful, not at all thick', and the elephant was 'rather less jolty than the Gwalior one' though he still finds travel by that mean 'inconceivably uncomfortable'. Will not get the mail from England before this letter needs to be sent; does not have a pen, since they left most of their luggage at the station, so is writing in pencil as all the pens here are bad. Will write next week from Benares or Gaya; supposes Bessie will have been to Wallington to collect Julian by the time his mother gets this; she seems to be having a good time in Holland.
He was cordially welcomed on his state entry to Calcutta yesterday, and he affirmed his confidence in Lord Ronaldshay to a deputation from the municipality. He believes his recent statements about the Graeco-Turkish situation have had a good effect, and that the non-co-operationists are undecided as to what they should do next. He will discuss the arrangements for the Prince of Wales’ arrival at Calcutta with Ronaldshay on the 24th. Malaviya met him at Benares and asked him to mitigate his recent pronouncements regarding intimidation and the determination to enforce the law, but Reading refused, drawing attention to the widespread hartals and the disturbances in Bombay. He hopes, however, that there will not be too much zeal to arrest. He will discuss Bengal finances with Hailey next week, and is considering calling a meeting of all the Provincial Governments to discuss the matter.
(A cutting from a larger document.)
Refers to A3/27/9. Has replied to A3/27/5. Is distressed to hear the view that they were frightened to strike against the ringleaders, but is sure that Montagu did his best to explain the situation to the King. Colonel Kaye reports that the situation in Lahore has improved. Discusses the engagements arranged for the Prince there.
(Typed.)
(Contains a reference to the printed version of ‘The Theoretical Values of the Physical Constants’, published in Nov. 1942. Cf. B3/19).
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa - Thanks them for the book 'Heures du Loisir'.
4 The University, Glasgow - Thanks them for their hospitality; found Marett's [Frazer] lecture to be most useful, particularly his defence of Tylor's theory.
FRAZ/11 consists of two boxes containing materials relating to the Macmillan edition of the 'Fasti' of Ovid, spanning the dates [1928?]-1930, including drafts of the Preface, Commentary, footnotes, and related notes and cuttings.
Bound volume containing notes in Frazer's hand for the third edition of 'The Golden Bough'. Turned upside down and started from the back cover are two drafts of the preface to the third edition.
Ballydian, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan, Ireland - Presents a copy of his Ph.D. dissertation in anthropology [not present]; has travelled in Nigeria, West Africa, among the Yoruba and the Nez Percé Indians of Idaho.
Wolverhampton Art and Industrial Exhibition, 1902, Gresham Chambers, Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton. - His book is one of verse, to be published by Grant Richards and entitled "Salt-Water Ballads"]; thinks it should be out by the end of November. Cannot read another book until the pictures are all returned. Is just finishing the "Memoirs of Count Grammont" which he finds very Pepysian. Does not know whether Trevelyan will like his poems: they are very 'rough and tumble' with not much romance about them. Tells an anecdote about a sailor who, when asked whether he was a dance, answered that he was 'an ancient Priton' [sic].
Copied out, as if for instruction or punishment. In unidentified hands.
Letter from Mary St Leger Harrison dated 26 Aug. 1917.
(Brown’s article is headed, ‘A. E. Housman. “The Shropshire Lad”’.)
MS draft of a lecture, given while at Manchester.
Public Record Office.—Has informed the Queen’s printers (Eyre & Spottiswoode) of the inconvenience to which Aldis Wright would be put by their mode of printing, and encloses their answer.
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Transcript
Public Record Office
12th Jany 1875
My dear Mr Aldis Wright
I wrote to the Queen’s Printers on the subject of the inconvenience to which you would be put, by their mode of printing, and I enclose their answer {1} so I hope every thing will proceed according to your desire
Yours very truly
T. Duffus Hardy
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{1} Add. MS b. 74/11/12.
(Cambridge.)—Discusses the relation of ‘sceaðen’, which seems to be a hapax legomenon, to words in Middle English and Icelandic.
(Undated. Postmarked at Cambridge on 30 Mar. 1885.)
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Transcript
Sceaðen seems to be a hapax legomenon. As a fact, the A.S. sceaða [masc. = one who harms] took the secondary sense of “harm” when it passed into the M.E. skathe, because it became identical with M.E. skathe [= Icel. skaþi, masc. = harm, damage]. See Stratmann, p. 437: Layamon, 25691.—Strictly, Icel. skaþi = A.S. sceðð, by umlaut of a to e. Bosworth gives sceðð, but no reference.
W. W. Skeat.
[Direction:] W. Aldis Wright Esqre | Trinity College | Cambridge [At the foot:] Local.
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Postmarked at Cambridge on 30 March 1885.