TALBOT836

Normanton ¹ n^r Stamford,
Dec^r 2^nd 1818

My dear Sir,

So many Circumstances both of a public & private nature have occurred to draw away my Attention, since I had the Pleasure of receiving your Letter, ² that I was not aware so much Time had elapsed without my answering it. Of the former, none gave me so much Distress, as the violent and shocking Death of Sir Samuel Romilly. ³ I had an enthusiastic Admiration of that Man, and could not for many Days and Nights get out of my mind the melancholy Scene. M^r Hobhouse, the Burdettite ⁴ Candidate, is well known at Trinity. ⁵ -

I think the Change in your Lecturers, from Sedgewick to Whewell, ⁶ must be advantageous to you and all the others on your Side. I was never very fond of Sedgewick; and Whewell, when I was at Cambridge, was much esteemed, & highly thought of for abilities &c. -

Your Tour during the Summer must have been very pleasant: I wish I could have accompanied you. I am anxious to see the north-western Part of Northumberland & Cumberland. Lee has a Living at St. John's Lee near Hexham. -⁷

M^r Feilding ⁸ called upon me yesterday: he has just arrived from Sprodborough [sic] at Burley, & after paying a Visit at Lord Lonsdale's ⁹ & M^r Vane Powlett's ¹⁰ intends to call upon you at Cambridge on his way to London. - Young Copley ¹¹ is still at Harrow. ¹² My Brother, I hear, saw you the week before last, & of course gave a better Account of my Mother & the Family at Cliffe than I would do, who have not been there since July. My Sister is with me, and desires to be remembered to you. -

As the Term is now approaching very fast to an End, I conclude you will be thinking of leaving the University for a short Time, unless you intend to try again for an University-Scholarship. Have you a private Tutor in Mathematics? Or do you find that you get into the Cambridge or Senate House-Method of doing Questions sufficiently well without one? I begin to feel very anxious that you should be at the Top.

Our Noble Neighbour, the Earl of Harborough, ¹³ has been acting very foolishly: He has been fighting a Duel with Lord Wallscourt, ¹⁴ & losing a great Deal of Money at Play. -

M^r Heathcote ¹⁵ & his two Brothers are here, & have been several weeks. -

Accept my best wishes, & believe me, my dear Sir, Yr's [sic] most sincerely,
T. K. Bonney.

W. H. F. Talbot Esq^re
Trinity-College
Cambridge