Henry Crabb Robinson, 30 Russell Street, to Angela Georgina Burdett-Cootts, 21 August 1856.

My dear Madam

       You had the kindness to say, When I was taking leave “Write to me We should like to know what you do with yourself afterwards.  Where you go next” ... If I had wished that the two travelling months should be filled by a succession of visits & excursions, I ought not to have commenced with One so rich in various sources of pleasures as to Prospect Hill – But the enjoyment of this excursion will not cease with the three days while it lasted. The recollection of your kind attentions will remain – nor will the view from the Hill fail to rest on my memory – Every circumstance attending the trip to White Knights will have its place – The Magnolias and the forest-trees of the Antipodes have enriched my memory with a sort of knowledge I never cared to possess before  [f.5v] And the sadness that was diffused over our conversation from the occasional references to the great loss so recently sustained, did not shut out the perception of the beauties of nature either when beheld directly – or in the reflected light of poetry – I know not whether Harris’s mystical productions will be kept alive in your memory by the perusal of many other of the works proceeding from the same source – The doubt concerning the purity & the integrity of that source disturbs the perception of their beauty – And as  it seems at least in the case of your friend Miss Wagner incapacitates her from the further enjoyment – Nor is this altogether unreasonable – Nevertheless I shall not allow myself to be prevented reading the others – I find that Dr W.— had wisely extracted the rest – And I have found since, a repetition of the same process – Admiration begrudged afterwards – This same feeling renders intelligible what has been so often complained of – The injustice that all earnest men in spite of their efforts against it practice towards their religious opponents – We are all apt to say “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? The few poems I read by Wordsworth do not suffer from this draw-back – With you, [his poems] have always been among those that I rejoice in the most intensely – tho’ that Idyl Michael and the Leach Gatherer are among the most peculiar & individual of the author’s works – Laodamica let me recommend to your especial notice – and Tintern Abbey also

       I spent two days near Maidenhead –on my return [f. 6r] on arriving at London I had the satisfaction of finding that my niece seems to have made up her mind to stay with my brother – at Bury – She acknowledges that he cannot be removed And she submits to live surrounded by objects that must remind her perpetually of her irreparable loss –

      I found among my few letters a card which I take the liberty to inclose – Which implies a request on my part which I need not put into words – It is necessary I should say, that the friend whose solicitation I am now about to endorse is one of my most esteemed friends, Strickland Cookson – tho’ indeed if all your votes are not absolutely engaged it will not need much exhortation to persuade

       On Wednesday next, I shall go I expect to the Isle of Wight – And after that, if I can find a companion tho’ that is not absolutely necessary, I should like to pay one more visit to Heidelberg – Or I may if that be too great an enterprise for an Octogenarian go as far north as Ambleside –

        I had two agreeable days between Prospect Hill and Russell Square – With my friends the Proctor’s who live in the parish of Bray – fancied for its Vicar: a sort of mythical character tho’ the Mythos is not of the most heroic characters.

          I shall venture when the Season of Autumn has arrived to enquire whether you & Mrs Brown are again in Stratton St To her my cordial regards. And to your amiable friend Miss Wagner my friendly remembres

                                                 Very &c &c &c

                                                            H. C. Robinson

Miss Burdett Cootts

Text:  Add. MS. 85291, fols. 5-6, British Library.