Henry Crabb Robinson, [30 Russell Square], to William Ayrton, undated.

Dear Ayrton

     I have been wanting to see you, to have some chat about the think [sic] unwarrantable conduct of Dr P towards Dr Qu:  He is making a party to have a man blackballed because he thinks that the system of medicine that the Dr Qu: professes is quackish – how the Homiopathism may be for ought I know something very erroneous, but it has made such progress as every part of Germany including among its partisans men of the very highest rank in all the professions that it is too late a week to think of black balling a man for professing it. I should as soon think of blackballing a man for signing the Athanasian creed –

     Who among us lay Gents is to say what is the orthodox faith in medicine? [f. 76v]

     I heard a man say this evening say that if Dr Qu: were black balled he wod come up 100 miles to black ball any man proposed by Dr P:– This probably he wod not do – but certainly Dr P when he admits that he knows nothing ag.t Dr Qu: is a Gentleman or Man of honour he confesses the excessive injustice of black balling him. I dined with him at Lady Blessingtons and thought him a very gentlemanly man – Mr Nevins says he has known him 12 or 14 years And that he does not know a more highminded honourable or gentlemanly man – Sir Jas Clark Coll Hamilton and several inferior persons such as Lord Minto & Lord Landsdown have signed the paper and I really think the [f. 77r] club will be discredited if he be black balled. Dr P: denies having made a party, but the loud avowal that he means to do so is an indiscretion when he is forced to confess he has no personal objection.

      I have signed the paper, havg just a sufficient knowledge of Dr Qu: to inable me to do so –

      Eastlake also speaks highly of him You will see the signatures are tho’ not many very respectable

         &c &c

             H C R:    

Text: Aryton Collection, Add. MS. 52341, f. 76, British Library.