From E. Smirke   Decr 14-1825

Temple

Decr14-1825

Dear Henslow

I have thought so little about the next election that I hardly know what candidates are likely to stand. But as at present advised, I intend to bisect my vote and give one moity to Sir J. Copley & the other to Palmerstone. I am so unprincipled a fellow, that instead of seriously refecting upon the political merits of the different candidates & determining my choice by the re-sult, I candidly acknowledge that I vote for Copley because he is one of the most able & best tempered lawyers in the profession. Ld P. I shall support chiefly because he is a Johnian. So that you see the base motive of Esprit du Corps is the strongly operative one with me in both instances. If you yourself stand, I'll vote for you --I was glad (for your sake,not mine) to hear that your own election to the vacant Professorship was sufficiently certain to render my services on that occasion unnecessary-

yrs affecty

Edward Smirke

Please cite as “HENSLOW-767,” in Ɛpsilon: The Correspondence of John Stevens Henslow accessed on 29 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/henslow/letters/letters_767