4115. Robert Southey to [George Canning], 2 January 1824

Endorsement: 2. Anne St/ Mr Southey/ January 2^d 1824/ ansd Jan^y 7^th/ Reqs work from Spain
MS: British Library, Add MS 89143/1/1/143/5. ALS; 3p.
Unpublished.

15. Queen Anne Street. Jany. 2. 1824

My dear Sir

A man of letters may ask a favour of you in aid of his pursuits, without danger of being thought impertinent & obtrusive. For two years I have vainly been endeavouring to obtain two Spanish works, which I am led to believe contain very interesting particulars relating to the Spanish <Peninsular> War. The one is a history of the war in Catalonia, the other anecdotes of the chief Catalan officers, – supplementary to it, both by Francisco da Oliveira.

⁽¹⁾

I have sought for them every where, & Murray has been equally unsuccesful in his endeavours, – owing in great part to the late troubled state of Spain, the books having been published at Seville, & therefore for some time not obtainable at Madrid. – May I request that you would procure them for me thro the Foreign Office, – the channel thro which I used to obtain documents from Spain, before my poor correspondent in that country, fell into disgrace with that miserable Ferdinand,

⁽²⁾

was banished from the court, & died.

I should have waited on you, & asked this request in person, if I had not understood that you were confined by indisposition since the day on which I was disappointed in the hope of meeting you at Wynn’s.

I have the honour to remain Sir
with sincere respect
Your obliged & obedient servant
Robert Southey.

Notes

1. Southey had read John Mitford’s ‘On Spanish Literature, with some Account of Francisco de Olivarez’, New Monthly Magazine, 10 (October 1818), 221–223. It mentioned Olivarez’s Account of the War in Catalonia, published in four volumes at Seville in 1815; Anecdotes of Chiefs Employed in the Catalan War (1816); and Memoirs of the Spanish Monarchy to the Abdication of Charles 4 & the Usurpation of Joseph Bonaparte (1816). However, none of these works seem to exist. Southey had already asked Murray to try and acquire them; see Southey to John Murray: 10 July 1820, The Collected Letters of Robert Southey. Part Six, Letter 3509; 27 February 1821, The Collected Letters of Robert Southey. Part Six, Letter 3641; 11 June 1821, The Collected Letters of Robert Southey. Part Six, Letter 3693; and 27 July 1822, Letter 3877; and 1 November [1822], Letter 3911. Murray had then written to Spain to try and obtain these books for Southey’s History of the Peninsular War (1823–1832), and Herbert Hill had also offered to help.[back]

2. Ferdinand VII (1784–1833; King of Spain 1808, 1813–1833). He had restored royal absolutism in 1814, banishing or imprisoning many Spanish liberals.[back]

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4115. Robert Southey to [George Canning], 2 January 1824

4115. Robert Southey to [George Canning], 2 January 1824

Notes

The Collected Letters of Robert Southey: Part Seven

Lynda Pratt, Ian Packer