Henry Crabb Robinson, 2 Plowden Building, London, to Dora Wordsworth, Rydal Mount, 20 October 1837.

2 Plowden Building

20th October 1837.

My dear Dora

     For so I must write as I presume your eyes are as squeamish as your ears And you have twice reproved me for calling you Miss – It is a hateful because a mean sneaking little monosyllable And only to be tolerated because it serves as a stimulus to that state which lawfully dispenses with it. The Germans have a noble word And I may say, Mein Fraulein that I am very desirous to be informed of the last days of my fellow-travellers’ journey And of the cause of the change in our plan – For that purpose I send you a history of my movements; you cannot but follow my example.

     I trust you recognised and felt the wisdom of my determination to take French leave of you – Thursday and Friday were both cold and chearless so that it was really my duty to remove any slight inducement that might remain for your making an excursion on the Wye I left the books at your Uncle’s inn And to prevent mistakes left a second note at the Post Office for your father.

     On Saturday the 16th I had a very delightful drive from Hereford thro Ludlow Shrewsbury & Chester to Liverpool.  The weather rather better than I wished, for I wanted decidedly bad weather to justify my conduct to myself. I passed by a couple of waters – (pond being too low and lake too high for them –) One has so sweet a name Ellesmere, that I will not think that there must not in some points of view be a beautiful picture also – On the 17th at Liverpool I heard a rational and wise Sermon from Mr Wordsworths passionate admirer Madge the Unitarian – I should have been more amused perhaps had I gone to hear the very eloquent preacher McNiel something like it, who declared with due theologic fervour Geology to be “the fashionable high-way to eternal damnation” – This I was informed by an auditor – At L: I joined my brother, returned from a joyous meeting at Leeds at which a numerous & excellent family terminated a long family contest by a voluntary compromise of contending claims & a cordial reconciliation –     On Tuesday the 19th we went on the rail road to Birmingham – And alone of the intermediate Stations I fell in with Sedgewick & Hutcheson and had just time to recite to them Motions and Means – They both confessed their previous impression that such a theme was not capable of being so poetically treated – They are both men of intellect, not of mere knowledge of details which so many of their associates are And could appreciate

                        “Nature doth embrace

                        Her lawful offspring in Man’s art.”

We went on to Worcester the same day and the next day we had a glorious drive under a genial Sun thro’ the vale of Gloucester to Bristol – I wish your father had been with us. A finer and complete illustration could not be found of a position that he had occasion to repeat very often on our journey of  The great superiority of English Scenery over the Scenery of France and Italy – Of course in such a comparison neither the Sea shore nor the valleys of the Alps or other Mountains are meant to be included And the whole Corniche road and the vallies of the Piave &c in Styria will retain their just preeminence in our recollections – On the 25th it was also a very fine day. We slept at Clifton the night before And we could have gone that day to Chepstow And I thought of the possibility of my falling in with your party, but dared not make such demands on good fortune as a journey for such a reason would have required.

     We spent a few days with some relations and friends at Bath, all of whom were among the original supporters of Roebuck, but lately only one out of four voted for him. It lessened my pleasure at his being thrown out, the learning that he lost his seat for the very best Speech he ever made in the house, that against Sir Andrew Aguecheeks Sunday bill Every syllable of which speech I believe would have been approved of at Rydal Mount

     We next went to Oxford and devoted a long day to the more striking beauties of that Ultra-Tory and Semi-papistical University – Writing down the semi brings to my mind an incident I heard yesterday – There was lately a squabble at Leeds about the Corporals between the Clergyman and the Churchwardens – If you do not know what the Corporals are, ask your mother; if she do not know enquire of your reverend brother. The Churchwardens complained that he had wasted the Sacramental wine by throwing down all that was not drunk. He replied that he had done so, for he would not pour back into a bottle the blood of Christ And since he could not consume it by fire, he had thrown it on consecrated ground!!! Now I would lay a wager, having heard nothing about him, that he is a [serious?] Anti-Catholic.

    I passed thro’ London without even coming to chambers And went down to Bury with my brother. There I saw W. Clarkson who called on us. He spoke chearfully I took care to divert his mind from the most painful subject by talking of the forth-coming life of Wilberforce which will probably give occasion to his public animadversion.  W’s sons being very anxious to exhibit their father as the leader not of parliament only which he was, but of the abolitionists, tho’ Clarkson preceded him many years in climbing that ‘obstinate hill” – Mrs Clarkson <–> had not spirits to see any of us And sent her sister with a kind message & enquiries about Mr Hutchinsons health.  I concluded my [little-go?] by a visit to Witham from whence I returned on Saturday.  I have not yet seen Talfourd, and of our common acquaintance only Moxon, except that I yesterday dined with Mr Strickland Cookson with an agreeable party of Unitarians – His wife I find was a dissenter And intimate with the relations of my nephew’s wife – She is a spirited woman – And seems to have adapted her husbands politics (liberal conservatism) And has perhaps given him her religion liberal Unitarianism – But I found that tho’ a conservative on English questions the Unitarians are all so on the Church Question She is like myself a Radical on the Irish Church Question. This pleased me

     From her I learned or rather from Mr S. C. that you are to be in London during the Winter – I hope you will be where I may call on you.  Miss Lamb I believe continues well

     With my affectionate regards to your dear Mother & Mr Wordsworth

                    Most truly your’s

                                     H. C. Robinson

Text: WLL, Robinson, Henry Crabb/2, Wordsworth Trust and Museum, Grasmere. From Robinson’s diary, 20 October 1837: ‘I wrote several letters today Mrs Finch being too ill to receive me at Tunbridge Wells I have written to invite myself to Walter next week – I also wrote and gave to Talfourd a letter to Dora Wordsworth giving an account of my journey from Hereford to Liverpool &c till my final return to town.’