Prisoners of War, Alexandra Palace [postmark]. - Thanks Trevelyan for sending him the Annual of [New] Poetry"; especially enjoyed Trevelyan's 'Indian play' ["The Pearl Tree"] which he thinks is 'greatly improved', with the new ending being 'much more effective'. Has read little of the other poetry yet as it is hard to find quiet to concentrate on 'anything more serious than a newspaper' in the camp; the 'constant company of dozens or hundred of other people is somewhat trying at times'. Otherwise he is keeping well, and keeping his mind occupied with plenty of work. Glad to learn of Donald [Tovey]'s "health and happiness"; had heard nothing from or about him for a long time so was wondering how he was; hopes Tovey will begin to compose again, though would 'quite understand if the present times are not favourable for artistic inspirations of a peaceful nature'. His own wife nad children are currently in the country; saw them last week and 'found them well & happy'. Has 'organised a camp orchestra of over 50 members, which is constantly improving' and has 'given very creditable performances of Beethoven' and other classical works.
Thinks the enclosed Epistle is self-explanatory; should 'deposit a sealed copy in the bank' to be 'delivered to Philip Erasmus [Julian and Ursula's son] when he reaches a philosophic age', but they should look at it now to be sure 'it contains no dangerous doctrine' or that 'the metrical license and irregularity is not likely to bewilder Philip's taste and corrupt his style'. Quotes an alternative reading which Bessie prefers, mentioning George Moore. Unsure whether the 'quasi-lyrical ending is in harmony with the rest', but does not want to add anything if he can help it; already afraid it is 'scarcely worthy of its theme'. Glad Julian's show has had such a deserved success.
Wixenford, Eversley. - Will follow Mr Trevelyan's suggestions: the only time Bobbie would out of sight of a master would be while butterflying, for which boys are allowed to 'roam about at will', though only inside the grounds. Will make sure, 'without exciting any notice if possible' that Bobbie is never 'without someone strong enough to protect him'. Had had the same thoughts himself [that Bobbie may need to protection due to his father being Secretary of State for Ireland], since 'no scheme of wickedness seems too far-fetched or diabolical for these men'. Bobbie seems well, and is getting on in his work; hopes he will soon be 'altogether fit for the upper division'. Sorry to hear that Mrs Trevelyan was worried about not hearing from Bobbie as usual; has told him that his mother was disappointed and does not think he will forget again.
7 Camden St. & T. - The spoon is a good representation of inductive logic. Whewell's notion of induction contains more than logic. Spoon feeding is synthetical (induction) and knife and fork feeding is analytical. Whewell will probably see a scene at the Astronomical Society as Jerwood, who accused Airy and Le Verrier of conspiring to defraud Adams [regarding the discovery of Neptune], has been proposed as a fellow. He describes his friend [Joshua Ryland] Marshman's suitability for the Professorship of Law at Cambridge.
WW's 'doings at Cambridge seem to have gone off well in spite of your rebellion against the 4th estate'. Did WW have anything to do with putting Charles Ewan Law in? RJ has 'nothing to say for Peel's conduct and less for that of those who first testified against it and then without any real change of circumstances adopted it ' and subsequently retained office. They are 'just now to help the Whigs the only practically conservative body and on public grounds I really feel it a duty to give said Whigs all the aid I can to press their ground and so as against Law and Fielding I vote unhesitatingly for Goulburn. Johnny has been throwing too much of his equipment overboard in clearing for electioneering action and has raised a strong feeling about his want of rigor - so much for overdone craft - he is in part as resolute as ever'. There are signs that 'a section of his party falling from him almost all are grumbling and a favourite speculation is that the government will fall to pieces - that Peel will yield to necessity and come in calling the more liberal and some of the venal Whigs round him and exclude the Whig aristocracy. This I think I told you the Duke said would happen as soon as Peel went out - and his liberal friends, that are to be, are quite impatient for the event - I doubt his getting a majority by any such move - but if he lives he is the very man to try it. His clique say he has not the least intention of handing them over to the Whigs and staying out himself which is what I expected and hoped would happen and they wait in patient confidence in their administrative merits and his - good people'. As usual RJ has two bills before Parliament which he thinks are now safe.
commiserates over "his loss", his letters as "a Hertfordshire Incumbent", "quarter" question
Normandy Farm. List of items to be sent to the farm
'Princeton lecture' on recent work of Barratt and Mahowald, 13pp MS; MS notes.
It is hoped that he will attend the tercentenary celebrations at Trinity, is reading Newton's Principia for the first time
Items listed under several headings: Lord Macaulay's Bed Room; Mr Ellis's Bed Room; Spare Bed Room; House Keeper's Bed Room; Female Servant's Bed Room; Hookman's [?] Bed Room; Counterpanes; Bed Linen; Chamber Towels; Table Linen.
Thanks WW for a copy of his ''Mathematical Exposition' ['Mathematical Exposition of Some Doctrines of Political Economy', 1829]; which I feel persuaded will have great effect in placing the doctrines of Political Economy generally, on the footing of mathematical demonstration. I should be much gratified if at any future period you should find time to apply the same processes to other portions of the science. We are at the point now, where seamen were, when they began to suspect that mathematical inductions might be usefully applied to conveying a vessel from one harbour to another'.
2 Raymond Buildings, Gray's Inn - CL was surprised and complimented that WW had already read the 300 pages he had sent him ['Principles of Geology', volume 2, 1832]: 'Recollect that all I have hitherto said against catastrophe is little else than dogmatizing to one who has not seen or read of the evidences which forced me against all my prepossessions to adopt my present creed...I hope you will be an umpire on this question, and therefore restrict yourself for a time to the ample subject of the evidence of organic changes already left you and reject as not yet proved, or attempted to be proved whatever advance respecting the slowness and uniformity of geological changes'. WW may be convinced by the next three chapters. CL has found that 'Hoffman [Friedrich Hofmann?] sent from Sicily an account of the country to which I owe my conversion just when von Dechen [Heinrich von Dechen], Miterlisch [Eilhard Mitscherlich?], and Von Hoff [Karl E A von Hoff?] were reading my book and to this I attribute the now favourable reception of my doctrine at Berlin'. Hoff has reviewed CL at length - an expose of his views as opposed to a critique. 'Dechen writes to Murchison [Roderick Murchison] 'Conybeare's [William Conybeare] reply in the annals is the work of a learned and able divine in support of a lost cause''.
Herstmonceux - They are all looking forward to WW's visit. JCH gives instructions on how best to reach them in Hurstmonceux. 'What a beautiful poem Evangeline is. It seems to me to have definitively naturalized the metre: at least it will do so in America. The story is evidently suggested by Hermann & Dorothea; yet the poem is thoroughly original, very like, yet totally different'. JCH longs to hear how the new system is working at the University - 'The new Professors, I suppose, have not downed their harness yet'. What does Sir James Stephen mean by Hazlitt's Life of Luther? Is the article on 'Faith and Reason' in the Edinburgh Review by Stephen? - 'the style has not the same ponderous Gibbonian rhetoric; and though parts are well & forcibly put, I think I wd hardly confound faith so entirely with belief, or join so entirely the thaumalurgie school of reasoners on the evidences'. JCH has read WW's piece on Hegel [On Hegel's Criticism of Newton's "Principia", 1849]: 'Hegel has never been one of my favorites, but the contrary. Still it seems to me that you treat him somewhat over-scurvily, as if he were a mere ass; whereas, with all my repugnance to many of his notions, I have never read twenty pages of him, without feeling that he was a very great thinker and writer'. Hegel is difficult to read in German let alone after he has been translated, and WW seems to have missed the sense of a couple of the sentences JCH checked with the original text.
Description of visit to Broughton Hall, Mrs Lambrick plays Lutheran Hymns on the accordian, Joseph turned down a nobleman's tutorship: [The Priory, Kenilworth]
Fourways, Gomshall, Surrey.—Sends a Christmas present, and thanks her for her friendship.
Notes and calculations.
Incomplete letter, lacking the opening page(s). On the limitations of his recent historical work ['A Review of the Progress of Mathematical and Physical Science in more Recent Times and Particularly Between the Years 1775 and 1850', Encyclopedia Britannica, 1853 and separately 1858]. JDF gives WW the various densities of the planets.
Samvadadhvam (1973): Invitation to write article on P.C. Mahalanobis.
Science (1948): Re editorial policy.
Shueisha Incorporated (1992): Request to write article.
Ms and duplicated typescript example sheets.
21 Brownswood Park, Green Lanes, Finsbury Park, N. Dated June 2, 1909 - Sends an extract [transcribed] of an account of the cremation of a body in the Shortland Group, Solomon Islands by Mr Macdonald.