Item 166 - Letter from George Macaulay Trevelyan to R. C. Trevelyan

The Master's Lodge, Trinity College, Cambridge. - Bertie Russell was not lecturing at a 'regular university', but at the Barnes Foundation; Albert Barnes is 'a very eccentric millionaire who has violently quarrelled with the Philadelphia University next door'; understands that Bertie made sure he got a 'very definite contract' from Barnes before he began the lectures, and now intends to sue him for breaching it. The 'catastrophe' should not be a surprise as 'Barnes is so very odd a man'; the quarrel seems to have begun since 'the present Lady Russell insisted on knitting during her husband's lectures', and would not stop when Barnes 'very unnecessarily told her not to', though Bertie also thinks his defence of the Cripps policy in India had something to do with it.

Too early to say what could be done if Russell had to return: there would be no political difficulties, but only scientific students are being allowed to study at university for the rest of the war, which George thinks along with Russell's age 'would make it impossible to engage him as an ordinary lecturer at Cambridge' and probably any other; something 'extraordinary', however, might be organised. Thanks Bob for his congratulations about Thomas Arnold; very glad that Bob is recovering, and hopes that he and Bessie will be able to visit next term.