Item 72 - Letter from George Macaulay Trevelyan to Elizabeth Trevelyan and R. C. Trevelyan

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Tyn-y-Fron, Betwys-y-Coed [sic: Betws-y-Coed]. - Knows Bessie will send this on to Bob at Settignano when she has read this. They are staying for a few days here with an aunt of Jan's [Ethel Arnold], then will go to Stocks; will be in London again on 9 October. Is lecturing at Bradford a week today, staying with the Herbert Joneses; will remember Bob and Bessie to them. Looks forward to seeing Bessie this or next month. Very good of Bob to read George's book ["Garibaldi and the Thousand"] before writing to thank him for him; 'immensely gratified' that Bob approved of it so completely, though this may be more praise than he deserved, since the "Times" which otherwise gave the book 'a blast of trumpets in favour' still finds his style 'unchaste in places'. However, it would be much worse if Bob had not taken him 'in hand over "[England under] the Stuarts". There are 'so few critics', and they never appear in print on history books 'which escape all literary [emphasised] criticism'. [Walter] Raleigh's "Wordsworth" seems a 'very fine book' to George, who is 'becoming more and more a Wordsworthian'. In a postscript over the page, Janet sends love; George confirms that he wrote all he knew 'about Cavour's and the King's thoughts', since Cavour 'contradicts himself' in his letters and the King's papers have not been published.