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A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1837
Sydney Smith to Lady Holland, 15 August 1837
INTRODUCTION & INDEXES
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
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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
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Combe Florey, Aug. 15th, 1837.
My dear Lady Holland,

The sacred cause of sweet liberty has suffered grievously here. There is a tremendous reaction. All our Whig candidates are disgraced, and despotism is the order of the day. Do you think the Whigs will go on? The country is really in a worse state than before, because parties are still more finely balanced than before the dissolution. The topics urged against the Ministry (most foolishly and unjustly, but successfully) are O’Connell, the Church, and Poor Laws. Why don’t you get some of your friends to put out a splendid and slashing defence?

I hope you and Lord Holland are in fair preservation. Lord and Lady John Russell were here, with a beautiful and well-disciplined child. The children of people of rank are generally much better behaved than other children. The parents of the former do not excel the parents of the latter in the same proportion, if they excel them at all.

Among our guests was Senior of Kensington, whose
MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.405
conversation is always agreeable to me. He is fond of reasoning on important subjects, and reasons calmly, clearly, and convincingly.

We expect Saba and Dr. Holland the end of this or the beginning of next month. I am in great hopes we shall have some cases; I am keeping three or four simmering for him. It is enough to break one’s heart to see him in the country; and that I should be his comforter in such a calamity is droll enough!

Yours, dear Lady Holland, very affectionately,
Sydney Smith.

P.S.—I am delighted that you like my pamphlet; I tried all I could not to write it, but John Russell would make me do so, by refusing the fair terms I offered.