Hotel Infant Isabel, Burgos. - Is very sorry to miss Trevelyan's friends [Francis] Birrell and [Raymond] Mortimer, whom he met at Lady Colefax's 'famous' garden party; it is, though, pleasant to be in B.B. [Berenson]'s 'train' and to be travelling through Spain to Seville and Granada. Will be home around November, so can meet Trevelyan at Cortona then; nobody will be at I Tatti until late December. Will be delighted to see Birrell and Mortimer if they are still in Italy when he returns. Has heard much from Nicky [Mariano] about Trevelyan, and is glad that Welcombe has been sold as planned. Will be very proud if Trevelyan does indeed address an epistle to him in hexameters. Has written an article on Du Bos, and has now been asked for another on Virginia W[oolf], for rather an important journal; proposes one on any new book she might be writing, asks for details and for the book to be sent when it appears. The Berensons seem to be getting on quite well: B.B. complaining a little about his health, and Mary about 'romanic art' [sic], which is a topic for discussion due to the book about Jerusalem she is writing. B.B. says the countryside is 'more desertic and arabic than Syria'. Has read Trevelyan's letter out to the company: they expect him at I Tatti when Mary and Nicky return in late December, though B.B. will stay with Mrs Wharton until New Year; thinks Ray and Karin and their families will also be at I Tatti.
Postmarked Weybridge. - Thanks for the loan of [Norman Douglas's] "South Wind". Forster's books are being published in America by Knopf: would be nice if Trevelyan's friend [unidentified] could get some connection with Knopf.
Postmarked Staines; addressed to Trevelyan at the Marine Hotel, Criccieth, North Wales. - Assures Trevelyan that he welcomes improvements [to "The Bride of Dionysus"] at any stage, however late; as it happens the Theseus-Ariadne duet is 'still so unbaked in [his] mind' that all he feels tied to is the 'plan of fitting its structure to that of A's soliloquy on her awakening in Act V'. Trevelyan's 'bare account' of the changes he suggest make the old version vanish into 'fluff'; Tovey expects to get on 'much more vigorously'. He now intends to tackle the openings of Acts V, III, and IV. Trevelyan's sketch of the climax of Act V 'seems very promising'. Tells him again not to fear making any new suggestions, even on parts already scored. Will start on the final full score in August, and 'work at it full-speed till it's done. Till then alterations will still be possible'.
Written from Bonn.
40 Weymouth Street - Oxford Reformers of 1498, prefers Erasmus to Luther and St Jerome to St Augustine - "Augustine and Luther seem to have plunged the scriptures into a tub of vitriol", will have to look for a cheaper house
Correspondence re visits of Halse to the Rowett Research Institute and of Synge to Norway, 1951-1956, 1960-1961, 1965.
Halse was based in the Physiology Department of the Veterinary College of Norway, Oslo, Norway.
RJ sent WW the Bond and would like to know if WW got it [see RJ to WW, 5 Dec. 1848]. It is as well that they did not take fresh Great Western Bonds since it is not looking a good investment. RJ has a letter from the Archbishop 'telling me a commission of 5 is to issue to enquire into the mode of managing church property with a view of rendering it most conducive to the interests of the church and the people. RJ is to pick two of the commission and would like to appoint WW.
Announces that he would like to hold a dinner party, to which he would invite Temple, [Jex-]Blake, Scott, Wilson, Kitchener, Philpotts, [Lee?] Warner, or some of them. States that she may leave the 'other matter' until he comes. Explains that he does not want [Robert] Williams asked as his friend, as he has only just met him, and believes it to be quite strange 'to make that sort of advances to men'. Undertakes to entertain the man if he is asked entirely on his mother's and William's account. States that he will come on Friday at 7.
Accompanied by letter from Sturrock to Thomson, 31 January 1955, and 1 p. ms. notes by Thomson.
Treasury Chambers.—Asks him to send a portrait of himself, to be placed with the portraits of other Financial Secretaries to the Treasury in the Treasury Conference Room.
WHT thanks WW for a final copy of his Platonic Dialogues ['The Platonic Dialogues for English Readers', 1860-61].
Delay of the announcement of tripos results, CJM can ask for money from his tutor, role of assistant tutors, JHM attacked by The Times
Invitation to visit: Wickersley, Rotherham
Collingwood - JH is having problems finding a publisher for his translation of Homer's 'Iliad'. JH has used WW's name in order to send Matthew Arnold - whom he does not know personally - books one and two, but fears they have different notions of English hexameters. Bella [Isabella] and Amelia enjoyed their stay at WW's. JH is feeling very old. He is pleased WW thinks Jevons [William Stanley Jevons] has taken too gloomy a view of the coal question, although JH cannot help thinking that 'there is course for very serious thoughts of our national future'. When coal supplies run out 'our civilisation will then have to fall'.
(Perhaps originally part of a letter to Greg. Marked at the head in pencil, ‘From Tucker Brooke’.)
Edinburgh - Further to an enquiry WW made relative to the origin of the oblique arch, JDF has seen a reference to its origins in the 'Civil Engineer' journal for 1842, vol.v, p. 39: 'it is ascribed to Chapman in 1787; who it is stated claims it for himself in the article oblique arch in Rees's Cyclopaedia'.
Journey to Padenni, given shelter and lent a horse by the local Modalier, encounters with wild elephants, travelled along fine new open road, military post at Padenni, jorney thence to Kornegalle, description of Kornegalle: Palenni and Kornegalle
1 Westbourne St., Hyde Park Garden W. - Thanks WW for his 'little volume of Plato'. C. Kingsley told how indebted he was to RWB for introducing him to the study of Plato, 'which had contributed more than any other to his habits of accurate thought'.
Some correspondence arising from Thomson's book 'The Foreseeable Future'. 1955
Copies of her memos on the scheme, Board of Inland Revenue's memo no. 10 on Liberal Party scheme and others association with it including Rhys Williams, Conservative Parliamentary Finance Committee brief on financial and economic situation
Many of these are annotated by her, or bear a note `answered', in the manner of Taylor who may have acquired it from his mother.