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Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin. Previously published: Charles Ramos (ed.), The Letters of Robert Southey to John May: 1797–1838 (Austin, Texas, 1976), pp. 112–114.
These letters were edited with the assistance of Carol Bolton, Tim Fulford and Ian Packer
For permission to publish the text of MSS in their possession, the editor wishes to thank the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Yale University; Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; the Bodleian Library Oxford University; the British Library; Boston Public Library; the Syndics of Cambridge University Library; the Syndics of the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge; Haverford College, Connecticut; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the Hornby Library, Liverpool Libraries and Information Services; the Houghton Library, Harvard University; the John Rylands Library, Manchester; the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas; Luton Museum (Bedfordshire County Council); Massachusetts Historical Society; McGill University Library; the National Library of Scotland; the Newberry Library, Chicago; the New York Public Library (Pforzheimer Collections); the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; the Public Record Offices of Bedford, Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds) and Northumberland, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge; the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne; the Trustees of the William Salt Library, Stafford, the Wisbech and Fenland Museum; the University of Virginia Library.
A research grant from the British Academy made much of the archival work possible, as did support from the English Department of Nottingham Trent University.
Any dashes occurring in line breaks have been removed.
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Southey’s spelling has not been regularized.
Writing in other hands appearing on these manuscripts has been indicated as such, the content recorded in brackets.
& has been used for the ampersand sign.
£ has been used for £, the pound sign
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A letter which I have lately received from my Uncle contains
the following passage, – of which I send you the ipsissima verbar Bell has desired me to employ you in
executing a commission for a particular friend of his, who is fitting up a new house, & wishes to have a set of the best maps of
the four quarters of the world, & a General Map. His directions are such as will make you smile
2 of the pannels are 12¼ feet each
1 _______________ 6 ⅓
He expects that the maps should be as exactly as possible to these dimensions, – that is for instance, Asia &
Europe should be squeezed or lengthened so as to fit in one of the wide pannels, Africa & America in the other, & the great
Mappa mundi in the pannel of 6 ⅓ feet. He has added the heighth 7½ feet, expecting that Arrowsmith will make maps, according to this order, with the Lat: & Long: adjusted to
his stucco pannels. All that we can do with this commission is to order four maps & the General Map neatly mounted on spring
rollers, of the latest & best that have been published. Should there be any on different scales, to take such as may come the
nearest to this Gentlemans Pannels, – to have them well packed in a box, embarked on board a merchantship, with a bill of lading &
directed – Ao Illmo Sñr Francisco Soares de Aranjo e Silva. Deputado da Real Junta do Comercio &c &c
Lisboa. & to desire Mr May would pay for them, who will be immediately reimbursed
from hence by means of Mr Coppendale. And all that I have to desire of you is that you would make it appear that
you have used your influence with Arrowsmith on this occasion, as the people
here have much faith in your abilities &c &c – & as the person from for whom these maps are may be useful to you
if you ever appear again in this country.’
Longman is instructed to send you three copies of Espriella which is advertised
for this present week.thro him. Those letters which relate to the state of sectarianism contain some curious matter. Bryan I knew
personally, & heard from his own lips his history, & his explanation of the system of Brothers.x procuring them, & some time in examining them – the facts are not affected by the
Catholic colouring. It is the genuine heretical history of our own times.
The more I think of Edward the less hope I have of him.xxx till I travel westward, will then see whether any thing can be planned for him, &
anything obtained for him from the elder Thomas Southey.
My Uncle tells me of Harrys arrival. Tom – I am sorry to say is fallen under a bad
captain,Pallas, a 32 gun fifth rate frigate launched in 1804.
Can any thing be so disgraceful as the Debates in Parliament! They compleatly remind one of the first scene in Ben
Jonsons Alchemist.
Your god-daughter continues to do well. Herbert, is bring weaned, – against our wishes. he xxx has for some time
ceased to grow, & xx as his mother is not very well herself we hope weaning will be the remedy for both. Otherwise just
at teething xx is a bad time. – I miss Harry who for the last
three summers has bore a hand at the oar with me, on Derwentwater, & footed it with me over the mountains.