1892. Robert Southey to Charles Danvers, [started before and continued on] 31 March [1811] ⁠* 

My dear Charles

The moment your letter reached me with the ages of the children I wrote to Friend Smith. [1]  As yet I have received no answer. He will certainly exert himself, & probably is doing so at this time, – but he is confined to his house, & will hardly ever be well enough to leave it. This may occasion some delay, – that we shall hear from him to some purpose I have great hopes. I gave him T. Reids [2]  direction.

Burnetts death has shocked me very much. Rickman told me of it but I knew nothing of the particulars till now. [3]  Three months ago two long letters from him to Coleridge found their way & were opened because the handwriting was known. They talked of illness & distress, & asked C. to join with him in some schemes of authorship which Cs name would enable him to effect with the booksellers. And they abused me in such a manner as to show that he was clearly deranged upon that subject for he affirmed that I was doing all I could to ruin his reputation from envy & the certain knowledge I had that if he could have fair play he should excel me, – I wrote to Coleridge telling him the substance of these letters, said that the only thing which could be done for Burnett was to obtain for him such a situation in the army or navy as he had left, – & that if this could be done I would willingly contribute 20£ towards equipping it for it, but that he must not know from whom it came. [4]  C. I am sure has never opened the letter, – & if it had been possible to save Burnett (which probably it was not) it would have been just the same. – Some such fate was to have been expected, but it has shocked me grievously. In an evil hour did he become acquainted with me, & yet had he listened to my advice often & urgently repeated, he might at this hour have been alive & happy, a useful & a worthy member of society.

His hatred to me was undoubtedly pure madness, – I never received a line from him since he left this place, & certainly was glad that he had chosen to break with me, because his cond manners toward women were sxxx quite insufferable. Still I would have done any thing which was possible to relieve or serve him, & if C. had opened my letter & seen him, we should then have known his real state of disease, & he should gave wanted no comfort & no assistance that money could have procured for him. – I have nothing for which to blame myself, but this does not prevent me from being grieved as well as shocked.

There will be a difficulty (insuperable I fear) about Xts Hospital [5]  because your poor brother is not a freeman of London. If friend Smith fails I will apply to John May.

March 31.

This letter has lain some days unfinished & I have not yet heard from Mr Smith.

We have had nothing but sickness after sickness in the house for the last three months, & so it still continues. Bertha is just recovering from a smart bilious attack, & Herbert now is being dosed with bark for a sore throat & fever: – so I have been kept in a state of half idleness by disquietude. This throws me back – for which there is no occasion, & my arrangements are terribly dislocated in consequence. I thought to have been in London the first week in May, & now I must work unremittingly to get there by the last. My absence must be six weeks at least, – I meant it to be eight, – this brings me to Midsummer. – I begin to fear that this will end in putting off my journey till the autumn which I am exceedingly unwilling to do because it is time that I should visit my Uncle & his wife. – Till xxx this be final I cannot write to Hort [6]  (as I would else do) & say how glad I should be to see him here at Midsummer. But if I am at home I shall be very glad to receive him, & of this you shall be apprized as soon as possible. – It is among the possibilities that we may travel together – for if Miss Barker be at Bath I shall make that place on my way back.

You seem to value the xx criticism in the Register more than it deserves – it is flashy & that is all. I do not know who wrote it, – some Scotchman or he would never have dreamt of comparing xx me with Campbell! [7]  I hardly conceive it would be as reasonable to institute a comparison between Skiddaw & Brandon hill. [8]  – I like the temper of the British Review [9]  & am glad to see something like a right old English feeling gaining ground in the country. What a fine thing is this of Grahams! [10]  & what a xx xxxxx lucky speech did Lord Grenville make about Portugal last week! [11]  Huzza for the Portugueze, – it does my heart good to hear of their fighting side by side with us.

God bless you

RS.