3976. Robert Southey to Herbert Hill, 7 March 1823

 

Address: To/ The Reverend Herbert Hill/ Streatham/ Surrey
Stamped: KESWICK/ 298
Postmarks: E/ 10 MR 10/ 1823; [partial] 10 / MR/ 18; [partial] NOO
Seal: red wax; design illegible 
MS: Keswick Museum and Art Gallery, WC 228. ALS; 4p.
Previously published: Kenneth Curry (ed.), New Letters of Robert Southey, 2 vols (London and New York, 1965), II, pp. 242–243.

Your Gazetas are a lucky purchase for me. My series de Gobierno is compleat from the beginning of 1810. I have in all 21 volumes, including a good many provincial Gazettes.

(1)

Southey eventually acquired a collection of 24 volumes of Spanish Gazetas, 1808–1813, no. 3472 in the sale catalogue of his library. These included Gazetas ‘de Gobierno’ (‘of the Government’) and from the Juntas of Seville and Valencia.

But I have not a single Spanish newspaper for 1808, & only a broken set for 1809, consisting of such as were sent over to my poor correspondent Abella when he was attached to the embassy here. After his return he supplied xx me very punctually: & thro his means the Junta of Aragon had promised me a compleat series of theirs (which was the best conducted of the whole) – but Ferdinand returned

(2)

Ferdinand VII (1784–1833; King of Spain 1808, 1813–1833). He restored royal absolutism in 1814.

& there was an end of the Junta, & of my resources in that quarter

In 1809, there is a gap in my collection from Apr. 24 – to July 20, – besides many smaller chasms. Nothing therefore can be better timed than your supply. And at my leisure I shall be most glad to improve the first volume,

(3)

The first volume of Southey’s History of the Peninsular War (1823–1832).

– throughout which I felt the want of such materials grievously.

I have Valentyn

(4)

François Valentijn (1666–1727), Oud en Niew Oost-Indien (1724–1726), no. 2892 in the sale catalogue of Southey’s library.

– a set which Heber spared me. £3 was its price, & it wanted a leaf, & one or two prints. I believe its price at Brussels is about 80 francs: fine books are surprizingly cheap there. So much so, that if I lived in the south, I should pay my Verbeyst

(5)

Jean-Baptiste Ver Beyst (1770–1849), the Brussels bookseller, whom Southey had visited in 1815 and 1817.

a visit every two or three years, for the purpose of overhauling his stores.

Murray tells me the sale has answered his best expectations, what the extent of those expectations may have been, of course, he has not told me, but they are not likely to have been moderate ones. I may reasonably hope that it will prepare a sale from my for my history of Portugal,

(6)

Southey’s ‘History of Portugal’. This work was never finished.

as the general opinion in its favour seems to be much more than I myself, xxx xxx, who never court opinion, had looked for.

The election at Westminster is easily comprehended: & is altogether distinct from the ordinary business of the school.

(7)

Edward Hill was about to take ‘The Challenge’ at Westminster School. If successful, he would become a King’s Scholar. This had considerable advantages, including the right to proceed to a Closed Scholarship at either Trinity College, Cambridge, or Christ Church, Oxford.

The examination is wholly between the boys themselves, the master sitting as judge. It begins with the two lowest candidates, the xxx lower of these sets the other an epigram in the Anthology, out of a certain number appointed for that challenge, & asks him as many questions upon any two words of that epigram as his Help

(8)

Each boy taking ‘The Challenge’ was entitled to be assisted by an existing King’s Scholar, who was known as his ‘Help’.

can cram him with. As soon as he has corrected him thrice he takes his place, & is in his turn tasked in the same manner, he whose store of questions is first exhausted, retires the loser, & then the next boy in the ascending list comes out to be in like manner challenged by the winner. In the Latin challenge

(9)

‘The Challenge’ included Greek, as well as Latin, grammar.

only three questions are asked by each: this therefore is in comparison a mere trifle. The examination is so long & so strict, that tho the preparation is altogether x an affair of cramming, the boys are excellently grounded by going thro it;

(10)

A challenge between two boys could last the best part of a day; the whole period of the examination lasted six to eight weeks.

but I am sorry to say the system of the College

(11)

There were forty King’s Scholars in all. They lived in a separate building called ‘College’, wore distinctive clothing and were taught together.

is such, that at the examination when they are to be elected off to Oxford & Cambridge, the seniors are found as much below what they ought to be, as the newly elected juniors are above the usual standard of their age. So Dr Wordsworth told me last year, & I explained to him that the cause lay in the system of tyranny which px is suffered there. The truth is that the economy of the College requires a total change. And if any friend of mine should ever be Dean of Westminster,

(12)

Westminster Abbey and Westminster School were part of the same foundation and their buildings were next to each other. The Dean of the Abbey played an important role in the life of the School.

I will endeavor to convince him of it

I am sorry to hear of your colds – & hope Alfreds may not turn out to be the whooping cough. – I am always better pleased to be at Streatham, than in the noise & dirt & smoke of London, & in the wearying round of excitement which I am there involved in. – Thus far we have got thro this long winter well. Yesterday was a delicious day, – & now the ground is again covered with snow! – Love to my Aunt

God bless you
RS.

Keswick. 7 March. 1823.

Notes

1. Southey eventually acquired a collection of 24 volumes of Spanish Gazetas, 1808–1813, no. 3472 in the sale catalogue of his library. These included Gazetas ‘de Gobierno’ (‘of the Government’) and from the Juntas of Seville and Valencia.[back]
2. Ferdinand VII (1784–1833; King of Spain 1808, 1813–1833). He restored royal absolutism in 1814.[back]
3. The first volume of Southey’s History of the Peninsular War (1823–1832).[back]
4. François Valentijn (1666–1727), Oud en Niew Oost-Indien (1724–1726), no. 2892 in the sale catalogue of Southey’s library.[back]
5. Jean-Baptiste Ver Beyst (1770–1849), the Brussels bookseller, whom Southey had visited in 1815 and 1817.[back]
6. Southey’s ‘History of Portugal’. This work was never finished.[back]
7. Edward Hill was about to take ‘The Challenge’ at Westminster School. If successful, he would become a King’s Scholar. This had considerable advantages, including the right to proceed to a Closed Scholarship at either Trinity College, Cambridge, or Christ Church, Oxford.[back]
8. Each boy taking ‘The Challenge’ was entitled to be assisted by an existing King’s Scholar, who was known as his ‘Help’.[back]
9. ‘The Challenge’ included Greek, as well as Latin, grammar.[back]
10. A challenge between two boys could last the best part of a day; the whole period of the examination lasted six to eight weeks.[back]
11. There were forty King’s Scholars in all. They lived in a separate building called ‘College’, wore distinctive clothing and were taught together.[back]
12. Westminster Abbey and Westminster School were part of the same foundation and their buildings were next to each other. The Dean of the Abbey played an important role in the life of the School.[back]
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