TALBOT1608

Trin. Coll. ¹
29 Oct. 1827

Dear Talbot

It exhibits great toleration in you to speak to me so kindly while you suppose that I have so imperfectly executed your commission. - As it is possible that under this presumption you may seek out the books, elsewhere, and also as I am unwilling to lie so long under your bad opinion as a Caterer, I venture to trouble you with a letter to tell you that two notes ² are lying for you at the Athenæum ³ which I wrote immed^ly on my way to England, to announcing that I had procured all the books you want, but had only paid for two which I got at Dresden; the rest coming from Hamburg, to be paid for thro' Black Young & Young, to whom they are assigned to be f & by whom they will be forwarded to you Sackville Street ⁴ (I called on them myself the only day I was in town) on their arrival. The causes of this separation you will find when you call at the Athenæum & get my note. -

I am overwhelmed with work, having left every thing to be done till my return, & having staid as long as I could in Germany I have the more to do here. All goes on as usual, or nearly so; with slow but gradual reform. - The latest news is that we rejected the other day a grace proposing Thirlwall, Tomkyns of King's, Porter of Caius, & Weller of Emman: ⁵ as Examiners for the Classical Tripos, on account of incompetence. Do you not rejoice with me? - and still later than that is that I was saluted today as elected Examiner at the E. India House,⁶ without knowing almost that I was a Candidate, and (what you care as little about) that on Thursday next either our Master or Turton of Cath. H. will be made Regius Prof. of Divinity.-⁷

Believe me Very truly y^rs
T. Thorp (not Rev^d).⁸

You ask me of my journey: it was most delightful. I spent a week in Holland, stopped short at Bonn to see Niebuhr ⁹ &c, & staid 6 days there, & 6 more at Nonnenwerth the enchanting Island¹⁰ in company with some very superior Oxford men: thence to Wiesbaden & Frankfurt, then to Weimar,¹¹ where I meant to stay 1 day, but remained 8, had a special interview with Göthe,¹² dined 3 times (private days) at the Court, went to the Jagd ¹³ with the Grand Duke, & almost wept at taking leave of the Gr. Duchess, dear old lady:¹⁴ saw Jena & several of their best men; thence to Leipzig¹⁵ where I called on Herman & sat at his feet to hear him expound in Latin 40 lives of the Theogony:¹⁶ then for a fortnight to Dresden where I made acquaint^ce with Böttiger ¹⁷ & the Gallery & the Sächsische Schweiz;¹⁸ thence to Berlin-¹⁹ & home. I was not above 2 months in Germany, viz. from the Rhine. -

W. H. F. Talbot Esq^re
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham