“I was prevented by various interruptions from writing to you while I was at Brougham upon a subject which greatly interests me, and I therefore take the earliest opportunity of bringing it before you.
“The Government of this country have long been
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“1st. Whether or not letters will gain by the more avowed and active encouragement of the Government?
“2d. In what way that encouragement can the most safely and beneficially be given them?
“Under the first head is to be considered, no doubt,
the chances of doing harm as well as the prospect of doing good. Thus it seems
obvious that there is one danger to be guarded against—the undue
influence of Government—capable of being perverted to political and party
purposes. This includes the risk of jobs for unworthy persons, and the
exclusion of men of merit. The applause of the public, it may be said, is a
safe test and unbiassed reward of merit; not to be easily, at least not
perma-
| Ætat. 57. | OF ROBERT SOUTHEY. | 131 |
“Under the second head several things present themselves for consideration. If the risk of abuse were not great, it is plain that pecuniary assistance would be the most desirable means of helping genius, because many a man of genius is forced out of the path of original inquiry and of refined taste by the necessities of his situation, and obliged to spend his time and talents on labour little better than mechanical. But the difficulties of arranging such aid systematically are so great, and the risk of abuse so imminent, that I question if more can be done in this way than by lending occasional assistance.
“The encouragement of societies has been already tried, not perhaps in the best way, but still a good deal has been thus attempted. These are susceptible of considerable improvement. A judicious foundation of prizes is another mode deserving consideration.
“The distribution of honours has been very partially tried, and many have proposed a more regular admission of men of science and letters to rank, confined to their own lives in cases where hereditary honours might be burthensome to their families. An order of merit has been proposed by some. But as all novelties in such a matter (of opinion and public feeling) are to be shunned, one of the existing orders of knighthood, as the Guelphic, has been by others suggested as free from the objection.
“I throw out these things more for the purpose of
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“It will afford me great satisfaction to be favoured with your opinion upon the question, as fully as your leisure may permit. I shall, of course, keep it entirely to myself.
“It may very possibly turn out that, after all, nothing material can be accomplished; but, at any rate, I cannot allow this opportunity to pass without trying all means of accomplishing an object so desirable; and my anxiety on this score must plead my excuse for troubling you with so long a letter.
