Item 90 - Richard Jones to William Whewell

4 pp.

Brighton - RJ has only just 'got your pages yesterday as I was starting for this place where I cannot read them attentively' ['On the Fundamental Antithesis of Philosophy', Trans. of the Cambridge Phil. Soc., 1844]. Charlotte Jones is here ill. From what RJ has seen of WW's work he thinks 'the discussion is (at least the greater part of it) rapidly resolving itself into one of phraseology - fundamental belief - or laws of of the activity of the intellect no one objects to. The unlucky word necessary coming after these is the stumbling block necessary [']these beng admitted['] is what we want a phrase to express and to ordinary readers the naked word conveys a further indefinite necessity which staggers them'. The 'ideas suggested by fundamental laws of belief which are at the bottom of and must sustain the various sciences you justly treat as what it must be useful and deeply interesting to study and you do yourself no more than justice in claiming to have made studies here but you will get scant justice on this point from men who are choaking with the bitter necessary you are making them swallow against their will and habits'. They all had a good time at the Herschels - John Herschel is looking better than he has for at least 2 or 3 years.