Item 241 - William Whewell to Richard Jones

3 pp.

Trinity Lodge - WW is pleased to hear that RJ's book is being printed ['Lectures on the Political Economy of Nations', 1845?]. WW will look over his sheets with great interest. WW's interest 'does not depend so much upon any hope I have of detecting errors for you, as from my desire to see your views in their systematic shape'. WW is sure it will make its way to general acceptance: 'I believe that the promulgation of long pondered truths ought to be prepared to wait a while for the gratitude of the world, for they cannot mix themselves with popular and periodical literature or with London coteries in such a way as to find a set of ready made admirers when they publish. But this is not to be regretted, for truths of any broad philosophical kind do not admit of transmission through admirers so made. - I have been much amused, in this point of view with the success of the Vestiges of Creation. No really philosophical book could have had such success and the very unphilosophical character of the thing made it excessively hard for a philosophical man to answer it, and still more, to get a hearing [as] he did. How do you like Sedgwick's [Adam Sedgwick] in the Edinb.? To me, the material appears excellent but the workmanship bad, and I doubt if it will do its work'.