LORD  BYRON  and  his  TIMES
Byron
Documents Biography Criticism
A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1806
Sydney Smith to Francis Jeffrey, [21 December 1806]
INTRODUCTION & INDEXES
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
GO TO PAGE NUMBER:
Author's Preface
Contents
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Index
Editor’s Preface
Letters 1801
Letters 1802
Letters 1803
Letters 1804
Letters 1805
Letters 1806
Letters 1807
Letters 1808
Letters 1809
Letters 1810
Letters 1811
Letters 1812
Letters 1813
Letters 1814
Letters 1815
Letters 1816
Letters 1817
Letters 1818
Letters 1819
Letters 1820
Letters 1821
Letters 1822
Letters 1823
Letters 1824
Letters 1825
Letters 1826
Letters 1827
Letters 1828
Letters 1829
Letters 1830
Letters 1831
Letters 1832
Letters 1833
Letters 1834
Letters 1835
Letters 1836
Letters 1837
Letters 1838
Letters 1839
Letters 1840
Letters 1841
Letters 1842
Letters 1843
Letters 1844
Creative Commons License

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Produced by CATH
 
18, Orchard-street, Dec. 21st, 1806.
My dear Jeffrey,

It gives me great pleasure to think of visiting Scotland in the summer; but the drawback will be, to leave my wife and children, which I assure you I am loath to do for a single day.

Brougham is just returned from Portugal. It is rumoured that he was laid hold of by the Inquisition, and singed with wax-tapers, on account of the Edinburgh Review. They were at first about to use flambeaux, conceiving him to be you; but, upon recurring to the notes they have made of your height, an error was discovered of two feet, and the lesser fires only administered!

If I should be inclined to write anything for the Edinburgh Review this time, what books remain vacant? Have the goodness to send me a list, or, if that be difficult, send me a list of what books are appropriated; and I will immediately determine upon some or none, and inform you of my determination. By what period must my task be completed, if I undertake it?

I am resolved to write some book, but I do not know what book. If I fail, I shall soon forget the ridicule; if I succeed, I shall never forget the praise. The pleasure of occupation I am sure of, and I hardly think my failure can be very complete.

I have totally forgotten the Prussian monarchy since the third day after its destruction; nor will I think of destruction till the battlements of Troy are falling round my head, and I see Neptune stirring up its
26MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.
foundations with his trident! Why should we be ravished and ruined daily?

Sydney Smith.