Fonsie Mealy's THE LIBRARY HOWTH CASTLE September 22nd & 23rd, 2021

134 Imperfections Not Stated info@fonsiemealy.ie son John William joined the 72nd (Highlanders), of which he rose to be Lt. Colonel. Lord FitzRoy Somerset at this time was Military Secretary; he was raised to the peerage as Lord Raglan in 1852 and served as commander of the British forces during the Crimean War, where he was greatly blamed for the sufferings of the soldiers and the ineffectualness of his leadership. – 10 Dec 1836. Requesting £450 for purchase of commission in 22nd Regiment [for Thomas] – 13 Dec 1836. Re impending return of 22nd from Jamaica, with copy letter from Gaisford – 16 Dec 1836. Re Dean’s request for Thomas to have leave of absence – 23 Dec 1836. Confirming Thomas’s appointment as an ensign in the 22nd [Cheshire] Regiment – 16 May 1839. 2 letters from Somerset requesting £450 for purchase of commission in 72nd Regiment [for John William] – 7 Oct 1839. Offering [John William] a lieutenancy in 22nd without purchase – 14 Dec 1840. Copy letter of Dean’s request that Thomas should not go to India with his regiment. Somerset’s suggestion that he could instead transfer to another regiment. – 19 June 1843. Re Thomas’s illness, enclosing extract from a letter from Gen. Sir Robert Wilson to Somerset. – 31 Aug 1844. Regrets that Captain McCarthy’s impending retirement on half pay will not be “conducive to your son’s promotion”. MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS OF DEAN GAISFORD Spencer Perceval 29 Jan, 8 Feb, 21 Feb & 12 March 1812. 4 letters from Spencer Perceval, Prime Minister, proposing to Gaisford his appointment as Regius Professor Greek, and conforming that appointment. (Perceval was assassinated two months later, the only British Prime Minster to have met such a fate – so far! W.E. Gladstone – 17 Feb 1854. Re the propriety of sending Gaisford confidential information on the changes proposed by the Government for Oxford University. – 3 March 1854. Encloses a copy of the bill proposed by the government. – 3 March 1854. Copy letter to the Vice-Chancellor. Richard Porson 3 items associated with Richard Porson, Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge. – “Charades by Prof Porson.” MS, 2 verses. In Gaisford’s handwriting. – 7 Feb 1807. Classical matters – 29 June 1808, “Old Jewry”. R Porson to Gaisford re translation of Horace. Reginald Heber Reginald Heber (1783-1826) grew up at Hodnet Hall in Shropshire. A graduate of Brasenose College, he was ordained priest in 1807 and served as rector of Hodnet, describing his situation as “a halfway station between a parson and a squire”. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 but died three years later. He was the author of several well-known hymns, including the controversial “From Greenland’s icy mountains”. – Westminster, 27 June 1809. A chatty letter about books and scholars. “When I next come to Oxford, in about a fortnight, I shall hope to find you, and we will then eat, drink, talk, read, laugh and lounge, to the no small annoyance of Canon Jackson and Bodleian [Librarian] Price.” – Hodnet Hall, n.d. Re impending visit to Oxford of Prof. Porson and Dr Barry. Peter Elmsley 1 June & n.d. 1819. 2 letters in tiny writing from Peter Elmsley, classical scholar of Christ Church, in Florence. Describes his researches into classical texts there, with some specimens of Greek text, and grumbles at the preferential treatment given to the Berlin philologist August Immanuel Bekker. Earl Spencer 4 Jan 1821. From the 2nd Earl Spencer at Althorp, noted bibliophile and founder of the Roxburghe Club, thanking Gaisford for his letter informing him that New College library had a copy printed on vellum of the first volume of the Aldine Press edition of Aristotle, which he says is extremely rare. (Spencer possessed an almost complete collection of Aldine editions; put up for sale in 1892, it was acquired for the John Rylands Library.) Lord Liverpool 31 Oct 1825, from Lord Liverpool (Prime Minister, 1812-1827), thanking him for sending him a copy of Florilegium Strobaei AlaricWatts to Mrs Southey 18 Nov 1827. Alaric A. Watts, poet and journalist, to Mrs Southe,y stating that he is enclosing the Literary Souvenir for 1828, containing her “beautiful little fables” and lines on the death of Miss Southey; also a copy of Mr Wordsworth’s poetry. B.R. Haydon 3 Dec 1827. From the successful but cantankerous painter Benjamin Robert Haydon, asking Gaisford to confirm whether the dissection of human bodies was forbidden by Greek law or religion, and requesting him to list the best editions of various classical authors. Edward Cardwell 10 Dec 1827. From Edward Cardwell, Brasenose College, theologian and church historian, offering to prepare for the University Press the Anabasis and Hellenics of Xenophon, but regretting that he has not yet even begun his promised edition of the Ethics of Aristotle (it was published in the following year). T. Forbes (?) 23 Nov 1841. Regretting that he must postpone his visit to Gaisford till 17 Dec. John Ruskin 11 January [1842], promising to send tomorrow his drawing of Christ Church. M.J. Routh Martin Joseph Routh (1755-1854) was a renowned classical scholar and was President of Magdalen College from 1791 until his death 63 years later. – 18 Feb 1842, requesting Gaisford to tell the delegates of the Press that the first two volumes of the second edition of his Reliquiae Sacrae are ready for publication; – 22 and 27 Nov 1847. Re the publication of the fifth volume of Reliquiae Sacrae. Sir James Graham 24 Jan 1845. From Sir James Graham, Home Secretary, re the passage of the Universities Bill. Lord Derby 3 May 1853. From Lord Derby, Chancellor of Oxford, accepting Gaisford’s invitation to dine in Hall.