From Fred Calvert 6 Jan. 1826

My Dear H.

I cannot understand what you all mean. Taylor informed me that he has just returned from Cambridge & that the feeling there particularly in Trinity & St Johns was very strong in favour of Lord Palmerston. You yourself state that there is but one resident vote in St Johns decidedly against L,^d P & that most of the Jesuits are in his favour! Why then all this humbug & pretence? I do not believe that there is the least doubt of L^d P's success or that there is the least occasion for my promising him a plumper. I do not believe that the University have so far abandoned consistency & common sense as to reject him. With respect to myself however the simple fact is that four days since I wrote to L^d P offering him my vote having determined in my own mind to give him a plumper if at the time of the Election I found there was any doubt of his being returned. This I have done because I imagined that no man of common sense & common liberality could do otherwise. I trust therefore that you will do me the justice to believe & to explain to L^d P that the offer of my vote was dictated entirely by my own vision of the case & needed no other additional inducement.

Cambridge votes are scarce in this neighbourhood. Speare of Clare Hall I have not seen but I am pretty confident that he will vote with Webb & probably against Lord P. Young Hatch of Kings is now absent from Hadleigh. Taylor is in favour of L^d P. I have canvassed Hanbury by letter but do not know his intention. His vote may be had through Geo. A. Browne. I shall dine tomorrow in company with 2 or 3 votes upon whom I shall diligently impress my own notions. Walker of S^t Johns (Rector of Layham) is a very impractical person & very cautious in concealing his opinion but he will vote for L^d P if properly canvassed though Jack or Whitfield both formally of S^t Johns. I thank you for the offer of a bed but I will not ask you to reserve it for me because I think that I shall [illeg.] [illeg.] & return without sleeping at Cambridge.

It may amuse Dicks & console Hilyard to know that the skin of one of my sheep was this morning found in a field without its carcass-the former will be the more amused when informed that I preached a vehement discourse against stealing only two Sundays ago.

Yours ever truly Fred Calvert