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6 Racknitz Strasse, Dresden. - Bob's letter reached here before he and Helen did, as Berlin kept them much longer than they expected; all the galleries closed at 3 pm so the officials could have their 'mittags essen' [sic]; not dining properly in the evening is the 'only really uncivilized thing they do'. Liked [Georg?] Gronau, whom B.B. [Bernard Berenson] introduced to him, and who took him to see a fine private collection of drawings and sculptures. Dresden is much nicer than Berlin, 'full of fantastic Barocheries and Rocochoneries'; the Gallery is huge but there are 'very few primitives & lots of Rubens & Corregio & 17th century people' whom Fry likes to 'look at lazily'. Helen 'won't come round' to Correggio and doesn't like [Raphael's] "Sistine Madonna"; to Fry's great surprise he finds it 'simply glorious', and 'Raphael painting almost like Titian'; wonders what he would have done had he lived. He and Helen 'never shall agree on Raphael Correggio & Rubens'; is 'almost annoyed' that he always likes the great artists. [Nathaniel] Wedd's "Quarterly" is very interesting; agrees with Bob that it is a shame 'to make it directly polemical', but he does not 'quite know these logrolled Oxford men'; in art he thinks 'most reputations are logrolled so one gets to think it the normal way'. Helen is asleep; they have both been unwell recently due to German food, but are getting well since they 'are in a young ladies Pension & are fed on pap'. Amusing about Miss V. d. H [Elizabeth Van der Hoeven] guessing; thinks she is good at that; is also 'frightened of her a little because she always seems to be observing more than she shows'.

82 Woodstock Road, Oxford. - Has just returned from America and found Trevelyan's "Bride of Dionysus"; thanks him for sending it; remembers the pleasure he got from "Sisyphus" 'vividly'.

[headed notepaper] Secretary for Scotland, Dover House, Whitehall. - Robert's letter interested him very much and pleased him and Caroline. No need to settle anything until he hears from Mr Verrall, but is anxious only 'to do what is best for [Robert's] happiness and usefulness' and is not 'wedded to any plan' which his heart is not in; thinks people who have proved their right should have a choice in their own careers, and Robert has stated his case very well. Charles has been elected unanimously to Brooks's, which is 'the most formidable ordeal of the sort in London'; the Unionists were 'very kind and friendly about it'. A postscript notes that Sir George has sent the forty pounds and eleven shillings to Mortlocks [bank].

55A Gloucester Place, (London).—Praises McKerrow’s edition of The Devil’s Charter.

(With envelope.)

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Transcript

55a G P {1} Ja 31st {2}

My dear McKerrow

Thank you much for The Divils Charter. {3} I like the edition. The type is clear; your notes and Index are most useful and good. I have not yet had time to read it through. Yes come in and see me. I am going away to Reigate {4} from Saturday till Monday {5} and I am dining out Friday. After that I am fairly free.

I remain
sincerely yours
W J Craig

[Direction on envelope:] R B McKerrow Esqr | 30 Manchester Street | Manchester Square

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Typed, except the address, date, and signature. The envelope was postmarked at London, W., at 4.15 p.m. on 31 January 1906. The typing is erratic and many of the words are run together in the original. These errors have been silently corrected.

{1} 55A Gloucester Place, Portman Square, London, Craig’s home. Cf. Add. MS c. 75/13.

{2} Altered from ‘30th’.

{3} Barnabe Barnes, The Devil’s Charter, edited by R. B. McKerrow (1904). The spelling in the letter is that of the 1607 quarto.

{4} Craig apparently had a significant connection with Reigate, as he was buried in the churchyard there.

{5} 3–5 February.

A discussion arising from 'Wage flexibility and the Distribution of Labour' circulated by Reddaway

Plans to expose E H Barker

Thanks for his congratulations on his preferment to a Deanery of St Pauls, has resigned the Regius Chair of Divinity at Oxford

In the college examination the entire first and second classes in the second year are on Monk's side as are 17 out of 25 in the first two classes of the first year, Lord Brecknock in the third class, William Clark has so much support for the Chair of Anatomy that Dr Woodhouse has withdrawn his candidacy, "disgusted beyond all description" by Samuel Parr

Urges the rebuilding of a church in the parish of St Catherine's in Gloucester. The parish has been without a church since the siege of Gloucester in 1643

Arrangements for the settlement of Henry Monk's estate

Gwalior Hotel. Gwalior. - Arrived here yesterday and leave tomorrow, probably for Ch[h]atarpur as guests of the Rajah, a 'great reader of Marie Corelli and Herbert Spencer'; hope to see a city near the capital where there are 'some fine Hindu temples' [Khajuraho?]. They are waiting from a letter from the Rajah and may not go at all; will go straight to Benares if so, then on to Gaya and Calcutta. They went up to the Fort this morning on an elephant; it is 'best to take a sea-sick remedy before starting', and he walked most of the way back. They saw some fine temples and a palace; the 'rock is rather like Orvieto, only larger' and the surrounding countryside is 'more beautiful' than North India usually seems to be. Tomorrow, they will be given a tour of the Maharaja's palace by his finance minister Sultan Ahmed Khan, a Muslim alumnus of Christ's Cambridge, who is married to an English lady. They have just heard from the Rajah of Chatarpur that he can be their host, so expects to reach Benares about Monday or Tuesday next week. Had a 'cheerful letter from Bessie' in the Netherlands by the last mail; the Bottomleys are 'comfortably settled in the Shiffolds'. Does not know when Bessie will go north again, but supposes she will fetch Julian back before long. Has been reading the [Robert Louis] Stevenson letters which his mother gave him; glad he kept them till now; thinks he likes the letters better than any of Stevenson's books. They make him want to be in England or on the Mediterranean 'a little too much', though he is having a 'splendid time' and is glad he came, since he 'certainly shall never come here again'. Still possible he may have a few weeks in Japan before his return, in which case they [he and Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson] would only stop a few days in China, at Hong Kong then Shanghai. Hopes the food at the Rajah's will be good, as they 'have not had very pleasant experience of Indian dinners so far'; he was quite ill after a dinner in Delhi. Sends love to his father and Julian; will write next mail from Benares.

(Copy of A2/8/5, cut from a larger document.)

Malaviya has come to see him, urging that, when the Prince of Wales arrives, an announcement should be made that all remaining martial law prisoners will be released, and that the British Government will undertake to do its utmost for the restoration of Thrace and Smyrna to Turkey. Malaviya believes this would effect a marked change, and a conference could be called to discuss swaraj. Reading pointed out that, with regard to the prisoners, he had already done the utmost he could recommend. Malaviya suggested it might be politically expedient, and Reading asked for whom he was speaking, suspecting him of being optimistic as to Gandhi’s future action. Malaviya admitted it, but claimed to speak for most Indian people, and pointed out that he had persuaded Gandhi to mollify his statements regarding the people’s attitude on the Prince’s visit. But Reading was little impressed, pointing out that all Gandhi’s organs continued to advocate boycott, and that his few sentences in Young India were of little account compared with previous injunctions and resolutions. He believes Malaviya is anxious for the success of the visit, but is powerless in view of the political crowds surrounding Gandhi. Reading told him that his policy of conciliation had failed, and that Gandhi and his movement had become more violent. Malaviya objected that, though a resolution for civil disobedience had been passed, there was little enthusiasm for it outside the Committee and a few extremists, and claimed conciliation was working. He suggested holding a conference at which all the various parties would be represented, and asserted that Gandhi would attend. Reading asked for more precise proposals, and Malaviya said he would consider the matter with his friends. He believes Malaviya and Jinnah are working together, but does not know how far they represent Gandhi. Malaviya believes Gandhi intended to spend one or two months at a village in Gujarat organising civil disobedience, but this is doubtful.

(Typed.)

Open defiance of authority is widespread, and civil disobedience is being talked of and has actually been practised for some time. The religious fanaticism of Mohammedans is being fanned by peripatetic speakers. Things have been fairly quiet at Calcutta, but within the last two days two Indian women have again begun to collect crowds and organise demonstrations.

Refers to A3/27/8. Civil disobedience at Bardoli has not yet started, and the Congress Committee meeting at Surat has requested persons throughout the province to pay taxes, except in cases where Gandhi’s consent has been obtained for suspension, in preparation for mass civil disobedience. This is apparently because Malaviya, Jinnah, and others are trying to persuade Gandhi to postpone civil disobedience until the question of a conference is cleared up. He is preparing an answer to the secretaries of the Bombay Conference, who have asked him what his objections are to a conference are, as they desire to meet them, and he also has some letters from Gandhi, which he has postponed answering. Montagu should do as he thinks right about the Cabinet. The only point of difference between the Government of Bombay and the Government of India was that the latter did not wish Gandhi to be prose-cuted for seditious statements made at the Bombay conference when it was clear that he was about to declare for civil disobedience. Confirms his objections to deporting Gandhi. Recent reports indicate that Gandhi is trying to find a way out of civil disobedience. The Bombay Government have not yet sent a definite answer about the prosecution of Mohani. Public meetings for civil disobedience may be prohibited either under the Seditious Meetings Act or the Criminal Procedure Code.

(Typed.)