LORD  BYRON  and  his  TIMES
Byron
Documents Biography Criticism
A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1839
Sydney Smith to Harriet Grote, 2 October 1839
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
 
Combe Florey, Oct. 2nd, 1839.
Dear Mrs. Grote,

You have not mentioned a subject which would give
424MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.
me more pleasure than any other,—your health. Your neighbours, the ——, have been staying here; they talked of you eulogically, in which I cordially joined; but when they came to details, I found they principally admired you for a recipe for brown bread, which is made by a baker near them according to your rules. I beg this recipe; and offer you, in return, a mode of curing hams. What a charming and sentimental commerce!

I cannot blame your decision, though I sincerely regret it; all excursions of that kind are promised upon the supposition of average moisture in the air, and average solidity in the soil. Your predictions, however, though legitimately founded on probabilities, are contrary to the fact. The weather is fine, and the country beautiful. I should be very glad if you were here; but what is deferred is not always lost. You have filled me with alarm about money, and I have buried a large sum in the garden; heaven send I may not forget in what bed! But does not long continuation of bad weather produce low spirits in the rich? Is Dives not occasionally affected by the Lazarophobia?

I don’t know whether I am right, but I am extremely pleased with Jones’s work upon Rent; his style is admirable, his views always philosophical, and his explanations clear. You live in the midst of political economists; pray tell me what they say about him. It must not be forgotten that he is a parson; but as you overlook it in me, forgive it in him. I would not have mentioned this, but that I am sure you would have heard it from his enemies.

—— has the infirmity of deciding, with the most
MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.425
fallacious rapidity, upon all human subjects. Trevelyan is one of the first and most distinguished men in India.

Adieu! It would have been a real pleasure to me to see you here; pray come before you die, or rather, I should say, before I die. Ever, dear Mrs. Grote, very sincerely yours,

Sydney Smith.