Item 59-65 - Six copy letters from J. G. Frazer to John Roscoe

6 items; typescript copies

Six letters concerning the petition to the Colonial Office supporting the creation of an appointment of Government Anthropologist for the British Possessions in Central and East Africa. In the first [St. Keyne's, Cambridge, dated 27 Nov. 1913] he apologises for springing the petition on him, explains his thinking and encloses a proof [not transcribed]; he then [30 Nov.] asks for names of men to whom the memorial should be sent, and on 12 Dec. encloses a notice of the memorial to be printed in 'The Times'. In the fourth letter [from the Albemarle Club, Dover St. W.], dated 4th March 1914, he reports he has delivered the memorial to [Lewis] Harcourt; in other matters, he suggests they continue calling each other by the names they have used for so many years as he becomes more averse to innovations as he ages; is considering a house in Bloomsbury as his wife is anxious to settle and eats and sleeps better in London than Cambridge; and suggests that he use Macmillan and the University Press in future as they inspire perfect confidence. On 7 March [Batt's Hotel, Dover Street, London, W.] he sends six more copies of the petition to Roscoe. On 24 April he encloses a copy of the answer to the memorial, discusses the disappointing provisions in it and ways that it might be made acceptable; he also suggests that for his book on the Northern Bantus he insist on getting the proofs in slip from the University Press rather than in pages as they have just done to his wife in her book for them. The copy of the answer is transcribed, sent by Henry Lambert from Downing Street, 23 April 1914, conveys Mr Harcourt's decision to ask the Governor of the East Africa Protectorate to find funds for three years for Roscoe at £500 a year.