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British Library, Add MS 47890. Previously published: Charles Cuthbert Southey (ed.), Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey, 6 vols (London, 1849–1850), II, pp. 343–344 [in part]; Kenneth Curry (ed.), New Letters of Robert Southey, 2 vols (London and New York, 1965), I, pp. 391–394.
These letters were edited with the assistance of Carol Bolton, Tim Fulford and Ian Packer
For permission to publish the text of MSS in their possession, the editor wishes to thank the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Yale University; Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; the Bodleian Library Oxford University; the British Library; Boston Public Library; the Syndics of Cambridge University Library; the Syndics of the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge; Haverford College, Connecticut; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the Hornby Library, Liverpool Libraries and Information Services; the Houghton Library, Harvard University; the John Rylands Library, Manchester; the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas; Luton Museum (Bedfordshire County Council); Massachusetts Historical Society; McGill University Library; the National Library of Scotland; the Newberry Library, Chicago; the New York Public Library (Pforzheimer Collections); the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; the Public Record Offices of Bedford, Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds) and Northumberland, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge; the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne; the Trustees of the William Salt Library, Stafford, the Wisbech and Fenland Museum; the University of Virginia Library.
A research grant from the British Academy made much of the archival work possible, as did support from the English Department of Nottingham Trent University.
Any dashes occurring in line breaks have been removed.
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Dashes have been rendered as a variable number of hyphens to give a more exact rendering of their length.
Southey’s spelling has not been regularized.
Writing in other hands appearing on these manuscripts has been indicated as such, the content recorded in brackets.
& has been used for the ampersand sign.
£ has been used for £, the pound sign
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I have received two letters from you, both at once & by ship to Liverpool. One of June 12. the other of no date but marked 3 Extract – by which I understand that you have sent off two former ones which have not come to hand. I look very anxiously for them, – for this is full of interesting information.
Your news about the prize money is truly vexatious. but the matter must not be quietly given up. I am taking measures
to get the subject into the Courier – if Stuart be not sold body & soul to
the Devil. most likely he will take the matter up there, or let me do it, & I have good hope that by getting a paper so abominably
ministerial on our side, government may be persuaded to give up so iniquitous a measure as that of robbing the sailors to indemnify the
merchants. Depend upon it whatever can be done by paragraphs or pamphlets I will set about: & if the ministry will have the money,
they shall have their full share of odium into the bargain.Amelia, of which Thomas Southey was a lieutenant, had captured the Spanish brig Isabella and the ship Conception, both laden with wine and brandy, and the ship Commerce, laden with cotton. It was customary for naval officers to be allotted a share of the value of ships and cargo
captured in armed conflict, but in this case the prize money was withheld because the ships were captured before war was officially
declared. Southey took up his brother’s cause to have his share reinstated. It was presumably Southey’s influence that caused
Danvers has been here, & in the course of four weeks I have walked with him
above four hundred miles – thro the whole Lake country. Henry was with us,
& we wished oftentimes for you. Danvers has written often to you, but he
sent his letters mostly by private hands, for which reason I suppose they have miscarried. Your reviews have been waiting at Bristol
for ship.
I wrote to you as soon as the letter by favour of Old Neptune arrived. As both seem to have taken the same course it
will now be desirable to have others thrown over in that track, & if half a dozen should in half a century follow one another it
would prove the existence of a current.
Our neighbour Colonel Peachey invited us lately to meet Lord
Somervilley <gentlemen> used to walk a good deal upon the coast, & that
they xxx were what they called poets: – he got drunk at the inn & told his whole errand & history, but we did not
till now know who was the main mover. xxx of poaching for perjury assorts with his views upon John Southeys money,xxx a good estimate of his Lordships honourable morality.
Continue I beseech you to write your remarks upon all you see & all you hear: but do not trust them to letters –
lest they should be lost. keep minutes of what you write. such letters are as your last would make a very interesting &
very valuable volume. little is known here of the W Indies except commercially – the moral & physical picture would have all the
effect of novelty. In particular look to the state of the slaves – if you were now in England it is very possible that your evidence
might have considerable weight before the House of Lords now that the question of abolition is again coming on. Keep your eye upon
every thing – describe the appearance of the places you visit as seen from the ship – your walks on shore – in short make drawings in
writing nothing is so easy as to say what you see, if you will but disregard how you say it, & think of nothing but explaining
yourself fully. Write me the history of a Planters day – what are his meals – at what hours – what his dress – what his amusement –
what the employment – pleasures – education &c &c of his children & family. Collect any anecdotes connected with the French
expeditions – with the present or the last war, – & depend upon it that by merely amusing yourself thus you may bring home
excellent & ample materials, to which I will add a number of curious historical facts gleaned from the Spanish historians &
travellers.
I have the book you speak of & the head of Cortes – which is one of the very finest I ever saw, from a picture by
Titian.
Danvers has taken me so much from home that D Manuels
The seas are clear for you once more & I hope that by this time you have picked up some more prizes. Your climate
too is now getting comfortable, & I envy you as much in winter as you can envy me in summer. – I had almost forgot to say that Bob
Hallhe came went to him before breakfast & found him in bed. he came up afterwards, but neither ate nor drank – just
setting off to Harrowgate