From W. Clive   January 7th 1826

[Welsh]Pool

January 7th 1826

My Dear Henslow

"Tempora Mutantur"

John Henslow a Politician, an active canvasser,-a committee man- nay the chairman of the committee, & consequently Capital correspondent-strange as all this is, your old friends should be the last persons to complain & if I thought it would produce any further information I might be tempted to delay answering your query a little longer. The fact is not, that I am wavering, just that I am fixed in my intention as far as the University is concerned not to vote in these times for a candidate who supports Roman Catholic claims. Such is the feeling about the R.C. Qn within the country (whatever it may be in Camb.) that I believe every mans vote will be esteemed a public expression of his own opinion upon the subject. Add to which my own fears about it have been much increased by the last discussion in Parliament so that I no longer consider it one of those comparatively unimportant points upon which I may differ in toto with the candidate & yet support him upon the ground of his general political principles. Ld Palmerston is an old and intimate friend of Ld Clives and therefore if I could possibly vote for him with a safe conscience I should most gladly do so.

I long to see your little girl & Russells little girl & Le Fevre's little boy or girl so whichever it is to be - Nihill has one boy about a year & half old a very pretty child.

I wish you would come down & look a time again. My brother has a lead mine that is to be within 5 miles & Lord Clive is searching in another direction your advice would be very valuable. I shall be very glad to see Mrs Henslow I will invite Mrs Nihill to meet her. We may then make a party & visit the grand suspension bridge over the Menai. You who once dreamt of Africa cannot think much of such an expedition as this. In the hope that some way or other we surely soon meet. I remain

your sincere friend

W. Clive

Please cite as “HENSLOW-782,” in Ɛpsilon: The Correspondence of John Stevens Henslow accessed on 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/henslow/letters/letters_782