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Admiralty Yacht, off Colonsay.—She enjoyed Ardgowan, but the guests at Penrhôs have been dull. While the yacht was at Holyhead she went for walks with Winston, whose opinion of Montagu has improved. She has sailed with them as far as Colonsay, and will go home on Tuesday. Asks about his stay at Hopeman, and discusses Dorothy’s engagement. Some friends will be at Penrhôs when she returns, but afterwards her family will be alone till they leave for Alderley in early October.

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Transcript

Admiralty Yacht
Off Colonsay Sept 10th 1913

Thank you so much for your letter which I loved getting and meant to answer ages ago, but I’ve been leading such a dull life since I left Ardgowan (where it was quite fun owing to Geoffrey and Mrs Ridley whom I found) that I hadnt the heart to inflict an account of it on you. The only people at Penrhos were Gertrude Bell (as usual most full of dewdrops about you also old Chirol in the same state of mind, it sounds a dreary kind of compliment to have repeated, but really it means a good deal as those two very rarely admit any good in a political head of a department) then when she left Barbara MacLaren (very nice and restful to live with) and Bear Warne {1}. He got terribly on my nerves after a week’s tête a tête, for it was practically that, by his blatant, pretentious stupidity I could hardly bring myself to speak to him with decent civility, he never begins to understand what one means. You can imagine what a relief the advent of the yacht was on Saturday {2}, she stayed two days at Holyhead, both marvellous golden sunny blazing days, and I had two long walks with Winston and very good talks to him. He is in very good form just now very happy and full of schemes. He likes you very much now. Then Sunday night we left and after a dull day at Barrow in Furness arrived here yesterday morning. A most wonderful, lonely enchanted place, with delicious sandy and rocky little bays looking quite glo-rious yesterday in brilliant clear weather and even to day full of charm and mystery in spite of thick obliterating Scotch mist. We stay here I hope till Sat then move South to Greenock. On Tuesday I go home. I am always very happy here, I love the life with long intervals of {3} of drifting about and then one goes to divine inaccessible places. Did you have fun at Hopeman {4} and what did you think of the place and of Margot and of them all generally.

Dorothy. Arent you thrilled by her engagement {5}. Did you know about it before? Do you know him at all. I am astounded by it, I always think he is rather a boring man, not because he’s very stupid but I think he has a dull mind and always rather a boring point of view. If I were married to him I should never want to hear what he thought about anything, and should always be irritated by his opinions. However she seems delighted by him and very happy and as he’s as nice as can be I expect it will be a huge success. I think its larks his being a brewer and a Conservative and an Anti-Suffragist, I wonder if he will be converted. Dont tell Geoffrey what I say, this is hardly a necessary warning as you arent at all likely to.

When are you leaving Scotland.

I shall find such a strange collection of people when I get home, Mikky, Bluey, Mr Wedgewood Benn, Mr Smyth. I wish you were going to be amongst them, then after they go we shall be alone till I leave on about the 6th of October and go to dank Alderley for ever and ever.

There were thousands of things I wanted to say to you when I started writing, but I’ve now forgotten them and the babblement that’s going on makes writing hard.

Your
Venetia

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Written in pencil and ink (see below).

{1} ‘Bear Warne’: reading uncertain.

{2} 6th.

{3} The first sheet, which is in pencil, ends here. The rest of the letter is in ink.

{4} Montagu did not, in the event, go there.

{5} Dorothy Howard had become engaged to Francis Henley. They were married on 14 October.

Has been reading Henry Sidgwick: A Memoir 'with great interest'; remarks that one misses in 'the "litera scripta" the peculiar charm of [Henry's] "vox viva"'. Speaks of Henry's charm, humour, openness and warmth. Reports that they have their 'Cambridge daughter [Bertha] home now', and that she has been made Librarian at Girton. Adds that 'Iceland [with] Scandinavian folk-lore is her hobby and to work at this she wants to be near a University Library.'

Explains that, being shut up at home with a cold, he is unable to refer to 'Blue Books' for a few days, but maintains that there is some information in the 'last two R[ ] of the T[ ]' which would have a bearing on Sidgwick's question. Refers to the equities, and to the change made to taxation in 1894, concurrently with the new Death Duties, by which the Income Tax (Sched:A) was levied on the net value of lands and houses instead of the gross...' Presumes that Sidgwick has a copy of Hamilton's m[emo: Memorandum written in preparation of the budget of 1897/8?], 'which will supply plenty of statistics on many branches of the subject.' Refers to Giffen's contention that 'all rates are rent-charges, and all paid by the owner.' Promises to write again as soon as he gets something to tell him.

Although Erdös and Davenport collaborated on many publications 1936-63, the surviving correspondence is very meagre and is mainly from Erdös on various mathematical discoveries.

Correspondence 1960 is enquiry re Erdös's problem on sets of congruences.

With carbon copy of letter from R. A. Butler to J.S. Duncan, 5 Nov. 1963

With carbon copy of letter from R. A. Butler to L. Farrer-Brown, 30 Oct. 1959

Complains of the cold in New York, has just returned from Paris where he saw Polanski's 'Amadeus' in the form of a first run through in front of a huge audience; doesn't think much of the production and thinks his work will be called banal. Will start working on the script on Feb. 1 with Milos Forman out in the country.

Explains the delay in answering Cowell's letter, claiming that he had mislaid it, and had forgotten where Cowell would be; says that he could only remember that he would be at F[lorence] 'about the beginning of May.' Apologises for his carelessness, and claims that he was further delayed in writing by his having to research some lectures that he had to give on the Acts of the Apostles. Regrets that they could not have met up at Florence. Reports that [Henry Yates?] Thompson's failure in the Tripos took them all by surprise, and that the latter seems to have taken the result 'a good deal too coolly; and to have imitated [George Otto] Trevelyan's dangerous example of reading by himself and doing no composition, without having any of Trevelyan's classical intuition...' Reports that Thompson is now in Auvergne, having perfected his French at Paris, and that Trevelyan has returned from Paris. Expresses some doubts in relation to the latter's account of his and Thompson's sojourn in Paris.

Reports that he himself has been spending his vacation in England, trying to cure his stammering. States that he is an M.A. now, and is getting to see more of the authorities of the College, whom he describes as 'a kind of big children.' Remarks that W.H. Thompson 'improves on acquaintance', and is 'so much more genial than one would have thought.' States that he [Henry] is getting over his old objections against fellow-commoners. Admits that his is a very nice life, and that he actually gets through 'so very little work.' Wishes that he could shake off his laziness and begin to write. Claims that his views on religious and philosophical subjects are 'in a state of change', and wishes that he could talk to Cowell on these matters. Claims to have given up a good deal of his materialism and scepticism, 'and come round to Maurice and Broad Church again...' Claims to be 'deeply impressed by the impotence of modern unbelief in explaining the phenomena which Christians point to as evidences of the Holy Spirit's influence.' Discusses his interpretation of the words 'religious' and 'irreligious' as applied to men.

Hopes that Cowell is 'getting happily and delightfully convalescent' in 'the famous city of Dante' [Florence]. Wonders when he is to return to England, and if his 'distaste for the law and...devotion to philosophy' will continue when his health has improved. Remarks that he always thought that Cowell was made for the practical rather than the speculative life. Reports that the ' [Apostles] Society' flourishes, and that the only new member is [William] Everett, who has considerable interests in Metaphysics. Refers to his 'declamation in chapel', with which the old Dons, especially [William] Whewell, were 'enraptured. Asks for the name of Cowell's guide for [E.E?] Bowen, who plans, with [E.M?] Young, a Swiss tour.

With carbon copy of reply from R. A. Butler,

Letter of acceptance for the 1905 Apostles' dinner.

Thanks Nora for her note. Henry's rooms in Trinity College are to be cleared the following morning: he will go down there to see what papers there are. Assures her that everything can be safely left in his own rooms until she has time to give directions about them. Hopes that her fortnight's rest will do her good. Believes her to be 'one of those who realise that the very thing that makes a loss great makes it bearable.' Declares that the two men he has esteemed the most in the world were closely related to her [is the other her brother Arthur Balfour?], and remarks that the memories that she must have will sustain and strengthen her in the work she is still intent upon doing. Is very thankful to have known Henry: in some ways he shall 'miss him at every turn'; in others he feels that he is there.

Minutes

USA, Guernsey, Istanbul