3978. Robert Southey to Henry Herbert Southey, 12 March 1823

 

Address: To/ Dr Southey/ 15. Queen Anne Street/ Cavendish Square/ London
Stamped: KESWICK/ 298
Postmark: E/ 15 MR 15/ 1823
Seal: red wax; design illegible
MS: Keswick Museum and Art Gallery, 1996.5.131. ALS; 4p.
Unpublished.

Keswick. 12 March. 1823
My dear Harry

I have just received intelligence that two hogsheads of cyder are shipt for me from Exeter, in the Zephyr Capt. Duff,

(1)

Unidentified beyond the information given here.

for Liverpool – directed to George Sealy’s

(2)

George Sealy (1781–1843) of the merchant firm Sealy, Duncan, Walker & Co. Southey had met him in Portugal in 1800–1801. He was the brother of Henry Herbert Southey’s first wife.

care. Will you take means for requesting him to forward them by the canal to Kendal; directed for me, to the care of Mr Cookson, Kendal.

(3)

Thomas Cookson (1771–1833), a Kendal wool merchant and friend of Wordsworth.

Your two packets arrived safely. The dirty letter from Porto was worth sending, tho it contains much less than one might reasonably have expected to find in it. I will bring it up with me. As for the other papers, they are deposited in a xxxxx portfolio, full of documents upon that subject, sent me by poor William Burn.

(4)

William Burn (1750–1821), a member of the Lisbon Factory well known to Herbert Hill and John May. Southey first met him in Portugal in 1796. He moved to London in 1806.

& Sir John Croft

(5)

Sir John Croft, 1st Baronet (1778–1862), a member of the Croft family of merchants and port producers, a man of science and a British spy during the French campaign in Spain in 1810. He was one of the organisers of the relief operation for Portuguese civilians funded by the British government in 1811. Southey’s History of the Peninsular War, 3 vols (London, 1823–1832), III, p. 193, reported considerable praise for Croft’s role in the Portuguese relief effort.

may rely upon being mentioned as honourably as he deserves, & having his merits stated as fully as is compatible with the nature <character> of history. – The books may stay xxxx as the foundation of a corner-pile, which I hope to see of respectable size. Make my acknowledgements for them. I never heard of the work, but no person can do amiss by giving me books, – & I wish that truth were more generally understood, as it deserves to be, when I really want about two hundred pounds worth.

Edith May certainly will not accompany me to London, – a summer at Keswick has too many attractions, for her to sacrifice it. But she will be very glad to go up at the fall of the leaf, & at that time, if no suitable convoy offers for her, why I must even act as escort myself, eat oysters for a week,

(6)

The oyster season is September–April, so Southey suggested he would make a special trip to take Edith May Southey to London in the autumn. In fact, his own journey was delayed until 3 November and his daughter accompanied him.

& then rumble back again in the mail.

I wonder Trant

(7)

Brigadier-General Nicholas Trant (1769–1839; DNB), an Irish army officer who was assigned to command Portuguese forces. He served with distinction in many actions in the Peninsular War 1808–1813 and had promised material for Southey’s History of the Peninsular War (1823–1832).

has not sent the promised communications to your care.

Mr Littletons appearance & speech at the dinner to the Sp. & P. Ambassadors surprized me; xx in all likelihood he would express the feelings of the Wellesleys upon this subject;

(8)

A public dinner was held at the City of London Tavern on 7 March 1823 to support the Spanish liberal regime that had taken power after the revolution of 1820. France was threatening to invade Spain to restore royal absolutism. The guests of honour were Juan Jabat Aztal (1772–1825), the Spanish Ambassador 1822–1823, João Francisco de Oliveira (dates unknown), the Portuguese chargé d’affaires 1821–1822, and Lorenzo Fernandez de Villavicencio y Canas, 3rd Duke of San Lorenzo and Valhermoso (1778–1859), formerly Spanish Ambassador to France. Littleton was one of a number of eminent speakers and pr…

& that they should desire a war, appears altogether unaccountable. I can conceive only three classes of men who wish for war; the holders of Sp. stock; – the agriculturists who want provisions & rents to be raised, – & the Whigs who are for revolution every where, & who if they had lived during the war in Heaven, would have given a dinner in honour of the Devil & his Angels.

Lord Wm Bentinck is offended with the Government, & being not a very wise man has become a factious one.

(9)

Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (1774–1839; DNB), Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean 1811–1816, Governor-General of India 1828–1835. Bentinck acted as chairman at the public dinner on 7 March 1823. He proposed a toast to ‘The Constitutional King of Spain and the Spanish Nation’. In the course of his speech he claimed ‘in the year 1808, when the Spanish Deputies came to this country, they had still abundant resources, and were enabled to send into the field an army well equipped to combat the foe. But now the case was very different, in consequence to their having been subjected to a…

He spoke either falsely or ignorantly in representing the condition of the Sp. as to means of defence, as being worse than in 1807. Their army no doubt is bad enough, – but must of necessity be much better than it was then, & all the fortresses are in their own hands. This he kept out of sight; – & he kept out of sight also, the real point in which their present weakness lies, – that they are a divided people, governed by a minority. – The expediency of the French interference is a very doubtful question. They may rout the Sp. armies & occupy Madrid, without restoring order in Spain. Our policy is clearly to remain neutral. If they can establish an efficient government which may <put> an end to clubs, mob-law, & such executions as that of Gen. Elio,

(10)

Francisco Javier de Elío y Olóndriz (1767–1822) was an army commander and one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the royal absolutism that was restored in Spain in 1814. He was convicted by a military court of involvement in an army revolt in Valencia on 30 May 1822 and was publicly garotted on 4 September 1822.

such an issue would undoubtedly be good. If on the other hand they involve themselves in a harrassing contest, it will be to our advantage in this respect, that they will fail in obtaining a preponderating influence over the Spanish counsels. For my own part I know not what to look for; but this I am sure, that there is nothing at issue which is worth a wish. Between two evils so great, as the old despotism of Spain, & the Cortes with its present Constitution,

(11)

Following the revolution of 1820, the liberal Constitution of 1812 was restored and a Cortes was elected.

if a feather could turn the beam, I should not know in which scale to place lay it.

God bless you
RS.

Notes

1. Unidentified beyond the information given here.[back]
2. George Sealy (1781–1843) of the merchant firm Sealy, Duncan, Walker & Co. Southey had met him in Portugal in 1800–1801. He was the brother of Henry Herbert Southey’s first wife.[back]
3. Thomas Cookson (1771–1833), a Kendal wool merchant and friend of Wordsworth.[back]
4. William Burn (1750–1821), a member of the Lisbon Factory well known to Herbert Hill and John May. Southey first met him in Portugal in 1796. He moved to London in 1806. [back]
5. Sir John Croft, 1st Baronet (1778–1862), a member of the Croft family of merchants and port producers, a man of science and a British spy during the French campaign in Spain in 1810. He was one of the organisers of the relief operation for Portuguese civilians funded by the British government in 1811. Southey’s History of the Peninsular War, 3 vols (London, 1823–1832), III, p. 193, reported considerable praise for Croft’s role in the Portuguese relief effort.[back]
6. The oyster season is September–April, so Southey suggested he would make a special trip to take Edith May Southey to London in the autumn. In fact, his own journey was delayed until 3 November and his daughter accompanied him.[back]
7. Brigadier-General Nicholas Trant (1769–1839; DNB), an Irish army officer who was assigned to command Portuguese forces. He served with distinction in many actions in the Peninsular War 1808–1813 and had promised material for Southey’s History of the Peninsular War (1823–1832).[back]
8. A public dinner was held at the City of London Tavern on 7 March 1823 to support the Spanish liberal regime that had taken power after the revolution of 1820. France was threatening to invade Spain to restore royal absolutism. The guests of honour were Juan Jabat Aztal (1772–1825), the Spanish Ambassador 1822–1823, João Francisco de Oliveira (dates unknown), the Portuguese chargé d’affaires 1821–1822, and Lorenzo Fernandez de Villavicencio y Canas, 3rd Duke of San Lorenzo and Valhermoso (1778–1859), formerly Spanish Ambassador to France. Littleton was one of a number of eminent speakers and proposed a toast to ‘Civil and Religious Liberty all over the World’. Littleton was a supporter of Canning, but might be expected to know the thoughts of Wellington and his brother, Marquess Wellesley, on Spain as he was married to Wellesley’s daughter, Hyacinthe Mary (d. 1849).[back]
9. Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (1774–1839; DNB), Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean 1811–1816, Governor-General of India 1828–1835. Bentinck acted as chairman at the public dinner on 7 March 1823. He proposed a toast to ‘The Constitutional King of Spain and the Spanish Nation’. In the course of his speech he claimed ‘in the year 1808, when the Spanish Deputies came to this country, they had still abundant resources, and were enabled to send into the field an army well equipped to combat the foe. But now the case was very different, in consequence to their having been subjected to a long and desolating war.’[back]
10. Francisco Javier de Elío y Olóndriz (1767–1822) was an army commander and one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the royal absolutism that was restored in Spain in 1814. He was convicted by a military court of involvement in an army revolt in Valencia on 30 May 1822 and was publicly garotted on 4 September 1822.[back]
11. Following the revolution of 1820, the liberal Constitution of 1812 was restored and a Cortes was elected.[back]
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