2367. Robert Southey to John Murray, 21 January 1814
2367. Robert Southey to John Murray, 21 January 1814 *
Keswick. Jany. 21. 1814
My dear Sir
The books which you announced in your note of December 8th. have not arrived, & as the parcels have come to hand which were sent off from London one about a week later, the other on the 4th of January, – it is advisable that enquiry should be made concerning it. I on my part, have made all the enquiry which can be made here, – at the wrong end.
Among the many impositions which are practised by the carriers there is one which may perhaps account for the delay in this case. Goods which are sent to the <a> waggon office, if there happen to be no direct communication from that office to the place in question, are sent as far as that concern reaches, & forwarded by the slow & circuitous course of canals, – thus doubling the length of time upon the way, without affecting any reduction in the price of conveyance. A parcel sent from the Bull & Mouth reaches Keswick in ten days; – others have often been from three to five weeks. Very probably this which I have so long been looking for is lying in some canal-warehouse, – waiting for a thaw. It is rather unfortunate, as I suppose the copy-right pamphletts [1] are there.
believe me my dear Sir
Yrs very truly
Robert Southey.
Notes
* Address: To/ John Murray Esqr/ Albemarle Street/
London
Stamped: KESWICK/ 298
Postmarks: C/ 26 JY 26/ 1813
Watermark: C WILMOTT/ 1807
Endorsement: 1814 Jany 21st / Southey. Robt
MS: National Library of Scotland, MS 42551. ALS; 2p.
Unpublished. BACK
[1] A House of Commons committee had been set up in 1813 to examine the law on copyright. Southey had asked Murray to send him any new publications on the copyright question, with the idea of working these into an article which exposed ‘the impudent injustice of this barefaced robbery’; see Southey to John Murray, 14 December 1813, Letter 2347. He did not write this article. BACK
