1878. Robert Southey to Grosvenor Charles Bedford, 3 March 1811 ⁠* 

My dear Grosvenor

Make my acknowledgements to Herries for the pamphlett [1]  – It does its work effectually in exposing the miserable Gregres, [2]  – & as far as it goes it is clear & convincing. It gives that sort of clear view of the campaign of 1809 which must always be useful to one who has to write the history of the events resulting from it. – Yet Grosvenor (between ourselves) it has not impressed me with any respect for the talents of the author; & my I was fresh from the perusal of Pasley, [3]  – & could not help feeling that no two books could better exemplify the difference between a politician & a statesman, – the politician considering every thing merely in its temporary bearings & with reference to the immediate actors upon the political stage, – the statesman drawing his inferences from the whole history of the world, & reasoning from maxims which are of eternal application. A man may write as a politician, & yet prove himself a statesman at the same time. – Burke [4]  did so, but precisely in proportion as he sacrificed the higher character to the inferior one, did he diminish the permanent value of his writings – giving up as Goldsmith [5]  so admirably struck off the moral portrait – to party what was meant for mankind.

I do not mean by all this to say that party writers are not very useful in their generation, & that this is not a good party pamphlett. On the contrary it is good for its purpose, & its purpose is good. But it bears with it no indication that the writer could produce any thing better. – Of course you will not say any thing of this to Herries, – one should never say any thing to a man which tends to depreciate his friend

I must say something about Tom. You will readily believe that I am exceedingly obliged to Herries even for the wish to serve him, & you know that no one circumstance in the world would gratify me so much as to be <the> means of obtaining promotion for him. If He was acting Commander in the Lyra [6]  when he last at sea, & came home superseded. I wish him no better fortune than the command of such a vessel, – till he could make his way to a larger, which <& that> he would soon do if opportunity were afforded him.

I cannot send you the sheets of the Register [7]  for this good reason that the Printer has not got thro the Parl. part of the volume, – & good part of the rest is not written. The proof before me goes to page 304. – containing upon the subject of Parl. Reform (ni fallor  [8] ) some of the best matter that even came “from my <heart, then to my> head “& so into my fingers trickeled”, as old Bunyan says. [9]  – The volume will be unmercifully long owing to the unusually quantity of parl. affairs, – & to the Austrian war. [10]  – I fear full 200 pages longer than the last. Neither The Booksellers will neither pay me nor thank me for this, & very likely the public will be graceless enough to complain of having too much of it, [11]  And This is all the reward I expect <look to> for sitting so close at my desk, that in a short time I expect Mr Edmondson & John Cockbaine [12]  will be called in to consult together concerning diacolon drawers [13]  for me.

Not a syllable yet from Coleridge – if you see <him> tell him that I request him to write, & that I hope he will soon return to Keswick. [14] 

When will the cursed practise of exposing troops in transports be altogether left off? Embark them in ships of war, & every single ship might then run whenever a wind served. but of this in the next Quarterly. – By the by I am in mortal fear that Gifford because of an unfortunate & very fallacious article in the first number, [15]  – will cut out all I have said [MS torn] Sicily. – [16] 

God bless you

RS.

The halves [17]  are arrived.

March 3 – Keswick. 1811.