Offer of the living of Shawbury, a small living with a very good house: Hawkstone
Application to be appointed Civil and session Judge.
Fragment: description of the wedding of Alexandria Jessie Grote and Joseph Bickersteth Mayor
Reasons for being unsure as to whether to enter the Church: GPO, London
Henrietta’s new situation at Acton: Kirkby Lonsdale
Death of Mr Stephenson
Approves of Dr Johnson's work with the poor: Wilmot Street.
Met with an old friend who had lived in a darkened room for many years after a blow to the head
Enquires after Mary [?] following her severe shock.
Ship becalmed, crossing-the-line ceremony
On embossed notepaper for Emmanuel College, Cambridge. - Saw a good deal of Brown during his seven years at Trinity; came into 'closer contact with the members of the kitchen staff one summer when I coached a winning crew of theirs for the Town regatta [and] was able to judge of several of them in their ordinary life as well as in their work'; Brown did not then row in the boat, but Blenkin was 'struck by the keen interest which he took in the college generally'. Thinks Brown would 'prove a thoroughly efficient and trustworthy servant' if successful in his application to become college shoeblack.
Programmes for races dated 30 Nov. 1961 and 3 Mar. 1966.
Transcript
Savoy-Hotel, Hauptbahnhof, Hamburg
5 Aug. 1913 {1}
My very dear Mother
Dyson and I travelled here together by the night train from Bonn, and arrived here about 7∙30 this (Tuesday) morning. The two conferences overlap by one day, so we miss the last day of the Bonn meetings. I have been enjoying the affair immensely, and had no idea it would be such a jolly and lively time. There were about 100 astronomers there, many with wives, etc; and I got to know most of them. Schwarzschild was staying at our hotel & we saw a good deal of him. The meetings were mainly devoted to business (not papers), and as there was very little to do we had not too much work—in fact it was rather an excuse for a picnic; but one learns a lot by seeing and talking to the different people. The weather has been glorious and very hot every day except Saturday (which was overcast but fine). We had two municipal banquets, viz at Bonn & Cologne—both very enjoyable. At Cologne a most splendid band played during the meal one of the best I have heard; and the Gürzenich, where the meal was, is a beautiful old hall with Gothic roof. Whilst at Cologne we had a good look round the Cathedral and saw the treasure chamber with the skulls of the three Magi. On Sunday we left Bonn before 9 a.m. by electric tram, and had a ten mile walk through the woods of the Siebengebirge ending up at the Drachenfels castle, and returned in a launch by the river. About 30 of us went (the rest going a motor trip) practically all the English Astronomers went the walk, only one American, Schwa[r]zschild, Hertzsprung[,] Jules Baillaud and a number of miscellaneous nationalities. Two ladies Miss Hills & Mrs Hertzsprung (late Miss Kapteyn) went with us. As we had all day we did not have to hurry much; the views were very fine. We had a good deal of amusement—including a race. “Schwarzschild & five mad Englishmen” (the latter including Dyson & myself) got photographed at one of those places where they give you them finished in five minutes, posed in a motor-car and with a wooden donkey—it makes an amusing group. One afternoon Sampson Stratton Hubrecht & I went on {2} the river to Strandbad, a bathing place and had a very enjoyable bathe—it was a very hot afternoon. We have also bathed two or three times in a covered place at Bonn. There was a very nicely arranged garden party at the Observatory at Bonn (Küstner’s place) on Friday.
I got to know two Russian astronomers Backlund & Belopolski who are most delightful men—Backlund in particular is very good company[.] He reminds one a bit of Atkinson, but he is quite a first-rate astronomer. He has often been to England but somehow I have always missed him. The meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft here will be larger, less select and probably more serious; I do not think it will be quite so lively, but there are a number of excursions & entertainments planned.12 The Goldener Stern at Bonn was an excellent Hotel[;] this one here is not so good; but they were very slow over serving meals everywhere in Bonn; lunch although, {3} only 3 courses, always took about 2 hours to serve.
With very dear love from
your affectionate son
Stanley.
The cigars here are excellent & very cheap.
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The letter has been docketed ‘Bonn 1913 | Hamburg’.
{1} The first two figures of the year are printed.
{2} This is probably the intended word, though, perhaps as the result of an alteration, what is written resembles ‘top’.
{3} The comma ought to precede the word.
18 Mansfield Street, Portland Place, W.—Is unable to dine with him and meet Runciman. She enjoyed her stay at Vinters.
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Transcript
18 Mansfield Street, Portland Place, W.
July 7th 1909
Dear Mr Montagu
Its most nice of you to ask me to dine to meet Mr Runciman. Alas! Alack! I am afraid I cant as I am already dining out that evening. Its very sad and I wish very much I could chuck the other. Thank you so much.
I liked Vinters very much too. I must write a Collins to Olive for it.
Yours sincerely
Venetia Stanley
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Black-edged paper.
The Mill House, Westcott, Dorking. - Discusses a passage of Thucydides, and Macaulay's criticisms of Lucan, which 'are among his very best... He never fails to choose out the best passages, and to laugh at the bad ones'. Robert 'has a great affection for Lucan, perhaps out of proportion to his merits', partly because after Catullus he was the first classical author he studied 'on my own adventure, and so, as it were, with passion', and partly because he read it at school with Bowen, who 'delighted in Lucan, and thought his cleverness and brilliance... apart from all others'.
The weather is 'desperately and oppressively hot'; he and Bessie are going to Borrowdale before coming to Wallington. Hopes 'London is not going to be visited for its sins like New York' [perhaps a reference to the stock market crash?]