Home Page1

Reference URL

Add tags

Comment

Rate

To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or document

To embed the entire object, paste this HTML in website

To link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or document

To embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Leigh Hunt letter to Frederick Pollock, May 8, 1857

Page1

1 of 6

View Description

View Image & Text

Download

small (250x250 max)

medium (500x500 max)

large ( > 500x500)

Full Resolution

This page

All

Subset

Image
Text

Text Search...

Loading content ...

you wish to report:

Your comment:

Your Name:

Submit

Cancel

...

Rating
Title	Leigh Hunt letter to Frederick Pollock, May 8, 1857
Creator	Hunt, Leigh, 1784-1859
Date Original	1857-05-08
Description	Concerning infirmities and bad weather which prevents him from leaving home; contentment found in traveling with books; his reading of Britton's book; the arrival of a book from Pollock which had a letter enclosed, postmarked in 1851; the post-officials detached it, sent it to Hunt and exacted a payment.
Note	Envelope addressed to Hunt by the officials is included; contains ms. notes concerning "this post-office curiosity" signed with Hunt's initials.
Personal Name Subject	Hunt, Leigh, 1784-1859 Pollock, Frederick, Sir, 1783-1870
Geographic Subject	England -- London -- Hammersmith and Fulham -- Hammersmith
Chronological Subject	1850-1860
Type (DCMIType)	Text
Type (AAT)	Correspondence
Type (IMT)	jpeg
Digital Collection	Leigh Hunt Letters
Contributing Institution	University of Iowa. Libraries. Special Collections Dept.
Archival Collection	Brewer-Leigh Hunt Collection
Collection Guide	http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/resources/Brewer-LeighHunt.html
Location	bound MsL H94po leaf 14 (one of 8 letter in MsL H94po)
Rights Management	Educational use only, no other permissions given. This letter is owned by The University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Department, and is provided here for educational purposes. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission of the Special Collections Department.
Contact Information	Contact the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Department: lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Height (cm)	18
Width (cm)	11.2
Number of Pages	4
Number of Sheets of Paper	1
Digitization Specifications	Scanned with Ricoh Aficio 2335 scanner at 600 ppi, 24-bit color. Archival tiff image available.
Date Digital	2009-04-14
Transcript	7, Cornwall Road, Hammersmith, May 8th. My dear Sir Frederick, I should sooner have thanked you for the book which I return, had I not been hoping, day after day, to bring it to Guildford Street on my way to a call upon Dickens; but this "fourth edition of Winter" as you too truly call it, has not only persisted in preventing me, but made me so unwell again with a variety of infirmities fitter for home-staying than journeying, that how- ever I may be encouraged to venture as far as his house when the weather mitigates, I am unfortunately forced to despair at present of being able to keep any engagement for the amenities of Hatton. I must therefore, multa gemens, be given up. It is an old story, and I ought not to have hoped otherwise. I have long had invitations into all parts of the country, from Edinburgh to the Isle of Wight; and I now see, pretty plainly, that I shall still be unable to accept one of them. I must content my-self, as usual, with travelling in books; where, thank God, my wishing-cap has not yet lost its powers. Nevertheless, for the hope's sake, and in order not to lose all chance of link with you, I shall still take the liberty of keeping Hatton in prospect-- should things turn out to be more propitious. I had read Britton's book, but certainly was not so much struck with the passage you speak of, as I am now since you have pointed it out to me. It will make me look at the controversy again, before long. I shall not need any food for it; for I subscribe to two great circulating libraries (the London Library and Hookham's) where I can get all the books I want. And now I am going to beat the Lord Chief Baron's motto to his coat of arms by doing a very extraordinary thing: namely, instructing him in a point of law. His Lordship thinks, that if he sends anyone a book by the post, and a letter by the same post but separately paid for, all is right with the book, and no letter can be charged for it. But suppose there is a second letter, and that this letter is veritably enclosed in the book, any appearance, sign, symptom, or manifestation to the contrary notwithstanding; and suppose moreover that this letter is written by somebody long deceased, whether by Mr. Britton, or by Oliver Goldsmith, or by Samuel Johnson, or by any other autographical personage, not ex-cepting (I suppose) Pliny or Cicero, in case a manuscript of theirs could be found, then that wonderfully "particular fellow" the Post Master General, sends with the book a letter of his own, informing us of the surreptitious excess, & mulcting the enormity accordingly!!—Surely the whole bench of Judges, and all England besides, would be no less surprised to hear this than the Lord Chief Baron. --Dear Sir Frederick, I am your most obliged humble servant, Leigh Hunt. [page break--continues at top of first page] P.S. The book was coming today to Guildford Street by the carrier; but as a friend has offered to leave it there for me himself tomorrow, and as I have nerves very different from those who "borrow and /never return/ pay not again" I take the opportunity of that still more certain conveyance.--Mr. Britton's letter will be enclosed in the book, laughing at Postmasters. [page break--envelope] /Leigh Hunt Esqr. Hammersmith/ [Postmarked April 28, 1857] [In Hunt's autograph] The Post-office Curiosity. For the Lord Chief Baron, mentioned in my letter of yesterday. L.H. May 9th. Mr. B.'s letter is in it. [page break--On inside of flap] "Found in a Book Packet (!!) (A Letter, to wit, written in 1851.)
Transcript Notes	This letter will be better understood by knowledge of an incident to which it refers. Sir Frederick Pollock was accustomed to fasten letters in volumes to which they referred. On one occasion he sent through the mails to Leigh Hunt a volume thus enriched. The postoffice officials detached the letter, sent it to Hunt, and exacted a payment of sixpence. Hunt reported the matter to his correspondent, and between them they were able to bring about a reform so that thereafter letters permanently attached to books were per-mitted in the mails without payment of the excess postage.
Transcript By	Brewer, Luther
Transcript Location	University of Iowa. Libraries. Special Collections Dept.

Title	Page1
Relation - Is Part Of	Leigh Hunt letter to Frederick Pollock, May 8, 1857
Digital Collection	Leigh Hunt Letters
File Name	h94po-14_Page1.jpg
Transcript	7, Cornwall Road, Hammersmith, May 8th. My dear Sir Frederick, I should sooner have thanked you for the book which I return, had I not been hoping, day after day, to bring it to Guildford Street on my way to a call upon Dickens; but this "fourth edition of Winter" as you too truly call it, has not only persisted in preventing me, but made me so unwell again with a variety of infirmities fitter for home-staying than journeying, that how- [page break--page 4 continues at top of first page] P.S. The book was coming today to Guildford Street by the carrier; but as a friend has offered to leave it there for me himself tomorrow, and as I have nerves very different from those who "borrow and /never return/ pay not again" I take the opportunity of that still more certain conveyance.--Mr. Britton's letter will be enclosed in the book, laughing at Postmasters. [page break--envelope]

Find results with:

Searching collections:

Home Page1

Leigh Hunt letter to Frederick Pollock, May 8, 1857

Object Description

Description

Tags

Comments

Leigh Hunt letter to Frederick Pollock, May 8, 1857

Leigh Hunt letter to Frederick Pollock, May 8, 1857

	All
	Pages Enter page numbers or page ranges separated by commas. For example: 1,3,5-12