1513. Robert Southey to Thomas Southey, 27 September 1808 ⁠* 

Keswick. Tuesday Sep^t 27. 1808.

My dear Tom

As for this curst affair in Portugal, I have no heart to write about it. One comfort is that all England is in an uproar about it, every man feels like, & I think there is good reason to hope that at last we shall see a General shot for misconduct. The plain course which an able ministry would pursue would be this, – to break the convention, & deliver up to the French the wretch who signed it, with a halter round his neck. This was a Roman custom, & a wise one it was. My own belief is that no man could have consented to let Junot carry away his plunder, unless he had had a share given him for his consent; surely he who had so little sense of honour as to make such terms, cannot be supposed to have enough to stand in his way upon any occasion. [1] 

Miss Wood [2]  staid with us nine days, & in that time walked above 50 miles with me. Some magnificent marches we made. The two Ediths [3]  & I returned went with her to Netherhall, from whence we returned yesterday, after a visit of five clear days. Lt. Humphrey Senhouse, [4]  who lately came with dispatches from the West Indies, is there; – a man above the common; – he has desired leave to claim acquaintance with you whenever you may happen to meet.

I dare say your Admiral [5]  knows about as much of my profession as he does of yours. Yet I should have thought he would have followed his brothers opinions respecting Wordsworth.

My last [6]  told you that my old Letters [7]  were purified & improved & in the press. Yesterday on my return I found news from Longman that the edition of Thalaba [8]  was gone at length, & as he thought with rather an accelerated pace, (the work of the Remains [9]  no doubt) – he recommends reprinting it with as little delay as may be, & I began immediately to revise it carefully. There is something unpleasant in turning over leaves so fast as is now necessary, when only a few lines of text are to be found: – I shall therefore place the notes at the end of each book. – Huzza Tom, slow & sure! better one edition in 7 years, than 7 in one, – if profit were out of the question. Sudden reputations never last. Thalaba & Madoc against all the Lays & Marmions [10]  in the world!

By this time you have probably received more of Kehama, three other numbers having been sent off, – so far there has been a good deal of alteration there will not be much to come, at least not as yet, so that the remainder as far as is written will come somewhat more speedily. [11]  The Cid, Longman tells me, was to be published yesterday, & I believe the Letters were published last week. [12]  Perhaps they will not have thought enough to inclose a copy in your parcel, I not having ordered it, my order having been given before the reprint was thought of. If so, it may wait for the new Thalaba, [13]  & till my Uncles ‘Brazil Pilot’ be ready. [14]  I have to night received a MSS of his with this title, which Arrowsmith & Longman are to publish with charts. His name of course does not appear to this, which is purely & strictly what its title expresses.

The Lloyds were here last week. Sophia is not in health, & he is never likely to be so, as he continues unemployed. – Coleridge is settled at Grasmere, & the boys going forthwith to school at Ambleside, – indeed Derwent is already gone. My daughter sends you your kiss duly every night when she goes to bed. – You would be delighted with Herbert. He bids fair to be as noisy as his father, & rides pocko unmercifully; tho I have of late succeeded in teaching him two useful pieces of family machinery, that pocko may be tired, & that the ‘naughty hyæna’ sometimes goes to bee-boos, at which time it is not proper to have the book taken down.

It is likely that the next news which I shall have to communicate will be how Brazil is gone to press, [15]  – for paper will now be falling, & we have waited for nothing else. My operas increase & multiply. The new edition of the Letters increases them to 22 volumes, & whenever the Cid is repub[lished] that will add two more. In three or four years (if I live so long) I hope to outnumber my birth days. Of late Kehama & every thing else has been standing still, while I walked about with Miss Wood, & while we were at Netherhall, – now I shall begin with freshened appetite.

Rickman comes down in October, – it is to be hoped early in the month. Our winter continues delightfully fine, & has been so since you left us with very little interruption. today (Sep^t 27) I have seen xx snow for the first time, upon Helvellin. This is very early, & I am told there it was snow seen there last week, – the air has quite a frosty feel. The boat will be in requisition when Rickman comes, & I propose taking some short walks with him.

I have run rapidly thro this letter, telling you all that comes to hand, as fast as it came. – L^t Senhouse knew Jon Hanfield [16]  well, & speaks of him as you did. I should take him to be a good officer by his general good sense, & the way in which he speaks of others. – M^rs Martin [17]  does not come this year as she had once hoped. She requests that whenever you come to Liverpool, their house may be your home: What more have I to say? – Oh that the earthquake is a mere fable, xx nobody either here, at Maryport or at Whitehaven having felt it. [18]  – The smaller island had sunk when I was there with D^r Isabel [19]  ten days ago, & the larger was mostly under water. MacDowells sister [20]  calls you the Colonel of the Dread nothing, [21]  & thinks you the best man in the world for being so kind to her Brother. This poor fellow was no drunkard before he went in the navy – the hope of advancement is more likely to cure him than any thing else.

God bless you. Ediths love, & a kiss enclosed for every day since the date of my last.

RS.