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British Library, Add MS 30927. Previously published: Charles Cuthbert Southey (ed.), Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey, 6 vols (London, 1849-1850), II, pp. 209-211 [in part].
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.
Because of web browser variability, all hyphens have been typed on the U.S. keyboard.
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
All other characters, those with accents, non-breaking spaces, etc., have been encoded in HTML entity decimals.
Why Tom you must be mad – stark, staring mad – jumping mad – horn mad – to be lying in port all this time. for plain or
stark madness I should prescribe a simple strait waistcoat. staring madness may be alleviated by the use of green spectacles. for
jumping madness I have found a remedy in a custom used by the Siamese when they take prisoners – they burn their feet to prevent them
from running away.o see prizes brought in
under your nose.
Your friend Joexxxxx books of voyages
& travels & the Asiatic Researches.xxx however I shall like to see his book. It may make a beautiful poem, & it looks well
that he has stopt at the first book & avoided the length of xxxxx xxx of story – but unless he be a
very good poet indeed I should prefer the plain dress of romance.
I have been very hard at history
Next month I shall go to London. King has stopt my diabetes I hope,
but the hard exercise of walking London streets will do me good. my picture in the Exhibition pleases every body I hear.
I have begun a huge & troublesome job – that of cataloguing all my books & my Uncles. a task more difficult than you would at first imagine, as it requires method & arrangement. they should be so catalogued as to show at one view all the books upon any particular subject. this will go with me to London & there be filled up. While the sun shines is the time for making hay – having neither reviewing on hand, nor any job of journey work, & the good natured war coming in to fill up the Morning Post my free & full time is at leisure for the history, & I have made the best use of it.
Your old Skipper BertieBellona in 1801-1802. In 1803 he was appointed
Captain of HMS Courageux.
Danvers has not yet made up his mind to any plan. he is at present at Mrs Jardines, while Betty
What other news? . . oh – Cottles Alfredrs
Longman & Rees’s money
not very wisely expended. Little Carpenterxxxxxxxxxx xxx xxxxxxxxxx. to you it may be the winning a prize – the loss is but a
kick in the ____ & that the Dutchman gains. Do you know that I actually must learn Dutch! that I cannot compleat the East Indian
part of my history
Good bye mynen gooden & rykken broeder!xxxx <longer> lie there
beglageing
Ediths love.