Henry Crabb Robinson, 30 Russell Square, London, to Lady Anne Isabella Byron, [no address], 23 December 1854.

[f. 73r]

London

30 Russell Square

23d Dec: 1854

Dear Lady Byron,

       Yesterday I had the rare satisfaction of receiving three very agreeable letters from the same postman – Your’s, the most important, certainly, on various grounds; but I must take care not to express too strongly my Sentiment on your declared approbation of my opinion, lest I should attach, in the mind of any one too much value to any thing I think or feel, which I hope is not my habitual fault –

      Another letter was from Mr Darbishire: I copy the business Sentence.

       “The Subscriptions may be paid, in London, to Messrs Williams Deacon & Co to my credit with the Manchester & Salford Bank.”

       Mr Darbishire modestly disclaims being the head of the Concern – saying – “For my duties will be simply to take care of the money contribution & to see as far as I can, that the business arrangements are duly attended to – What is the minimum amount, (he adds) of subscriptions requisite to give the new undertaking a fair [f. 73v] trial, I have not experience enough in such matters to say. £2500 is the Sum now talked of, I trust with the help of our London friends there will be no difficulty in raising so much It will be for the “head” workers to do the rest –

       When a school boy And I, as such, delighted on common place crack lines I used to mouth from Addisons Cato this passage     

                         “Tis not in mortals to command success

                        “But we’ll do more Sempronius – We[’]ll deserve it”

Those intellectual ladies of the last Century – Mrs Primrose and Mrs Shandy who have their successor in Mrs Pickwick of the present age have utterd nothing but indisputable truths –

       I have no doubt that the publication by Smith & Elder will be of a kind to allow of the widest circulation – My apprehension is rather that in the anxiety to avoid a Sectarian character we may fall into the opposite extreme of inserting too much mere physical science and heathen literature – I should be deeply mortified were we a second time to fall into the same error of chusing a central position in the hope of avoiding the hostility of partisans on both sides – we left the friendship of partisans on both sides.

       I was told distinctly – Declare I am now referring to our endeavour to establish what [f. 74r] was intended as a memorial of the triumph of ^religious Liberty in cases of earnest and^ Free Inquiry And is now called University Hall

      I was then told in express terms – [“] Establish a Unitarian Christian college my purse is at your command” –

      [“]Let your College be opposed to all attempts at an imaginary revealed religion I am at your Service[”]

       We would do comply with neither – We lost both But for the final accession of Manch: New. Coll to the Hall some of us had incurred obligations which might have been inconvenient to us – Now we are out of all danger – The causes of the small success of the Univ: Coll. have been many – And now the young tree has the girth of Timber and can stand the storm The managers of both institutions must take blame to themselves, but both ought to succeed, & ultimately cannot fail – Politicians have been our greatest enemies – The Clergy have the most plausible pretexts –

       I think it better not to advert to some other topics of your last letter ^now being^ uncongenial with the above Yet one remark I must make I hope I did not lead you to suppose that I was on intimate terms with the Lieutt – so as to enjoy his confidence  I had a high respect for the family en masse And as an experiment, a chance, I know none of which I should venture to recommend a member as such – But there is little ^no^ reciprocity in [f. 74v] this case – The relation Our acquaintance does not require it And it might be thought impertinent or obtrusive were I to avail myself of your information – And especially as you have said that this information is private – Were the Lieutt to call on me – I should treat his communication as news –

       It is in such things my loss of memory troubles me I really have forgotten whether I have mentioned the death of J. J. Tayler’s only Son – A charming youth – One of my prime favorites – very great excellence, without the draw-back. I am now reading what I expect I shall find the most delightful of all Maurice’s works – but his Excellencies have always their draw-backs. It ^is^ his Vol: of Sermons on Sacrifice – Oh Yes! I do recollect – I did mention the book and I referred to Robertson’s like Senti Thought – “Witht blood there is no remission of Sins” This I said to our honourd friend is a charnel house phrase – blood is used for life – And Sacrifice of life is but the highest act of Self-devotion Xt set the great example – And thus it was I learned to hear without disgust of the shedding of blood – I have read two of these lectures – I do not expect to read a single lecture or book of his witht something in it that I dislike – of what moment is that? I venture to repeat a paradox or rather utter a truth in a wilfully paradoxically way nobody has a right to great faults except wh him who has great virtues – It you find that any one cannot give up the Devil because he thinks he must give up the Devil God at the same time – You may think him weak but you cannot blame him – Göthe did not profess a belief in the Devil – but he blamed those who denied his influence aloud – Pardon my lengthiness to day – very truly yours

                                     H. C. Robinson

The Lady Noel Byron

Text:  MS-DEP Lovelace-Byron 109, fols. 73-74, Bodleian Library, Oxford.