I gave him a sov-
ereign to copy me that Election Tumult?
ereign to copy me that Election Tumult?
Thomas Carlyle
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hathitrust.
org/access_use#pd-google
? 164 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
rest all places seemed to me much alike; if
the land were cheap, it would be unfavour-
ably situated &c. I also hinted my notion
that a small piece of good handy soil might
be preferable to a large lot of untowardly,
outlying ground. We can only hope and
pray he may be guided well. We cannot
assist him with any real guidance. Difficul-
ties beset a man everywhere under this sun.
There if he have patience, insight, energy
and justness of mind he will daily conquer
farther, -- not otherwise, either in America
or here. But, as I said, I have never lost
hope with Alick, and I have now better hope
than ever. We will commit him to the all-
wise Governor with many a prayer from the
bottom of all our hearts that it may be well
with him. To hear and know that he does
see good under the sun, fighting his way like
a true man in that new country! -- what a
comfort to you and to every one of us. My
dear Mother, I know your heart is many a
time sad about Alick. He is far away and
there are others of us gone still farther, be-
yond the shores of this earth, whither our
poor thoughts vainly strive to follow them, --
our hearts' love following them still: -- but
we know this one thing, that God is there
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? TO HIS MOTHER
165
also, in America, in the dark Grave itself and
the unseen Eternity -- even He is there too,
and will not He do all things well? We
have no other Anchor of the soul in any of
the tempests, great or little, of this world.
By this let us hold fast and piously hope in
all scenes and seasons whatsoever. Amen.
You bid me "call on Patience" in this
Book of mine. Dear Mother, it is the best
and only good advice that can be given. I do
endeavour to call on patience and sometimes
she comes, and if I keep my shoulder stiffly
at the wheel withal, we shall certainly get
under way by and bye. The thing goes in-
deed, or now promises to go, a little better
with me. I stand to it as I can. But it will
be a terribly difficult job and take a long
time, I think. However, that it is a useful
one, worthy to be done by me I am resolved,
and so I will do it if permitted -- the return
and earthy reward of it may be either great
or small, or even nothing and abuse into the
bargain, just as it likes. Thank Heaven I
can do either or any way as to that, for this
time, and indeed, often when I look at it, the
prizes people get in this world and the kind
of people that get them seem but a ridiculous
business. If there were not something more
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? 166 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
serious behind all that, I think it would
hardly be worth while to live in such a place
as this world at all. In short I hold on the
best I can -- and my good Mother's picture
looking down on me here, seems to bid me
"call on Patience" and persevere like a man. Jane has not been very well in these cold
stormy weeks, but I think is now getting
better again. It is the spring weather, which
this year has been the real winter; all manner
of people are unwell here at present. You in
the North have it still worse, far worse than
we. Many a time have I asked myself what
is becoming of my good old Mother in these
wild blasts. Surely you keep good fires at
Scotsbrig? Surely you wear the new Hawick
sloughs? Jane finds hers very warm and
nice; but the thing you might improve greatly
and never do is your diet. I think you
should live chiefly on fowl. A hen is always
fair food, divide her into four pieces -- she
makes you an excellent dinner of soup and
meat for four days. This you know very
well for others, but never learn it for your-
self. I am very serious. You should actu-
ally set about this reform. Do now -- you
will find it more important on your health
than any medicine or other appliance you can
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? TO BIS MOTHER
167
think of. Jenny, I suppose, is still at the
Gill. When you feel tired of solitude again
she will come back to you. The bairns as
they grow will be quieter and give less trou-
ble. Poor Jenny, no doubt of it, she has
many cares of her own: we should all be
gentle with her, pity her and help her what
we can.
But now I suppose you are very impatient
to know what is in that paste board roll tied
with string. Open the string with your scis-
sors and you will see -- one of the ugliest
pictures ever drawn of man. A certain per-
son here has been publishing some book
called "Spirit of the Age," pretending to
give people account of all the remarkable men
of the age; he has put me into it--better
luck to him. He wrote several months ago
requesting that I should furnish him with
some life of myself -- forsooth! This I alto-
gether begged leave respectfully to decline,
but he got hold of a picture that a certain
painter has of me, and of this he has made
an engraving, -- like me in nothing, or in
very little, I should flatter myself. Let Isa-
bella roll the paper of it the contrary way
and then it will lie flat, if indeed the post
office bags do not squeeze it all to pieces,
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? 168 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
which I think is fully as likely and will be no
great matter. I sent it to you as to the one
that had a right to it. Much good may it do
you!
Jamie said he would write. Let him do so
-- or else you yourself ought to write, or both
will be best. Jack and I were at Dinner to-
gether among a set of notables the night be-
fore last, came home together smoking two
cigars, all right. Adieu, dear Mother, my
big sheet is done. My regards to Isabella,
to Jamie and them all. My blessings with
you, dear Mother.
Yours affect.
T. Carlyle.
Carlyle maps the Gill, as well as other
places to which these letters make frequent
reference, in his introductory note to Letter
283, in the "Letters and Memorials of Jane
Welsh Carlyle : " -- " The Gill, Sister Mary's
poor but ever kind and generous human
habitation, is a small farmhouse, seven miles
beyond Annan, twenty-seven beyond Carlisle,
eight or ten miles short of Dumfries. . . .
Scotsbrig lies some ten miles northward of
the Gill (road at right angles to the Carlisle
and Dumfries Railway). "
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? TO MBS. JAMES AUSTIN 169
"Our brother," spoken of in the second
paragraph, is again the half-brother already
mentioned.
XXX. CARLYLE TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN, THE GILL.
Chelsea, 30th April, 1844. My dear Mary, -- We seldom hear di-
rectly of you and it is a long while since you
have had an express word from any of our
hands here. You are not to suppose that we
forget you on that account. Far enough
from that! You are many times in my
thoughts. I fancy you and James strug-
gling along in your diligent, industrious way,
struggling to fight your battles in these bad
times, and from the bottom of my heart I
affectionately bid you God Speed. Struggle
away, my dear sister. We must so struggle
and we must not be beaten. Assure yourself
always that I am not less brother-like in heart
towards you than in old days when you saw
me oftener and heard from me oftener. To-
day I send you a little slip of paper which
will turn into a sovereign when you present it
at the Annan Post Office and sign your name
"Mary Austin " -- from me "at Chelsea. "
If you be not there yourself, James can sign
for you if you sign it first, but the thing is
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? 170 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
in no haste and will lie till you go. Buy
yourself a bit of a bonnet or anything you
like with the piece of money and wear it with
my blessing, sometimes thinking of us here.
No doubt you hear duly about us. You
have heard I suppose how Alick is gone over
to Canada, to our brother there, not into the
deep Western regions of America with Clow,
which Canada arrangement of Alick's we like
better than the other. It seems to me Alick
may do well there now. He will get a piece
of land and every year that he tills it faith-
fully it will be growing better for him. La-
bour is labour, not joyful but heavy and sore
in any part of this world, but if a person see
any fruit of his labour it is always an encour-
agement to him.
Our dear old Mother seems to have been
rather weaklier this last winter than hereto-
fore. Jack had a letter yesterday from Jen-
nie at Scotsbrig which represents her as being
pretty well at present. I think Jenny should
stay much with her and look after her. Good
old Mother -- the spring weather will grow
gradually into steady summer and then she
will have a better time of it, we may hope.
Jack was here last night. He talks of go-
ing North to "the country," probably toward
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? TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN 171
Annandale, before long, but his movements
are very uncertain. He has not yet any
fixed employment here and would be much
better if he had. He does not seem to like
medicine and is hovering among a great
variety of things. We always hope he will
fix himself on some specific object by and
bye. As for me I am very busy but making
very bad progress. I have nothing for it but
to bore along mole-like; I shall get out some
time or other. Our spring wind has turned
round tempestuously into the North of late
and brought cold and dust, with the glare of
sunshine, not so pleasant to the invalid part
of us. Jane, however, is tolerably well and
growing stronger as the sun grows. She
sends her old love to you and kind remem-
brances. Give my regards to James -- he
must be planting his potatoes now. Love to
you.
John Sterling, whose illness is lamented in
the next letter, died on the 18th of the fol-
lowing September. Shortly before his death
he wrote to Carlyle: "Towards me, it is still
more true than towards England, that no
man has been and done like you. "
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? 172 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
XXXI. CARLYLE TO DR. JOHN CARLYLE, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, 5th Aug. 1844.
My dear Brother, -- Your letter in my
dearth of news was very welcome to me.
You should keep me going at least for Scots-
brig news while you are there. Our good
Mother must go back to the bathing. I hope
the next spring, rides will prove handier.
Our weather here too is much broken with
rain, though otherwise warm and genial.
I asked about your Book-sheets of Coch-
rane. The sheets were duly furnished: the
book is lying bound and ready in the London
Library. I would have brought it home with
me had there been a conveyance at my com-
mand. I left it lying there for yourself. Our
City is got almost empty and very quiet in
comparison. I hope I shall get on with some-
what less interruption in my labour; it is a
sluggish element, sluggish as thick mud and
bottomless, except when one makes a bottom.
Nothing but strenuous hard work, harder
than I have yet continuously given it, will
ever bring me through; for all is chaos
within it and without it. Eheu!
A striving Scotch youth came to me the
other week, equal, as he said, to all kinds of
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? TO DR. JOBN CARLYLE 173
old manuscripts &c, &c.
I gave him a sov-
ereign to copy me that Election Tumult? of
d'Ewer at Ipswich. I have got that here
and think of trying to make a magazine
article of it somewhere. The poor lad at-
tempted farther to make an estimate of copy-
ing all d'Ewer's Parl't manuscript for me.
? 30, he said, would do it and I had for some
days real thoughts of the thing, but alas,
my man in the interim was discovered by me
to be a quite loose-talking, dishonest-minded
little thing, unable to employ on any busi-
ness; so having found him a job with Mau-
rice, writing to dictation (in which dishonesty
cannot long remain undetected) I shook him
off, but it does partly appear to me I must
have that MSS. to read and con over at my
leisure -- if possible. I am now about con-
sulting with the Secretary of the Camden
Society, but expect to hear that they, poor
dilettante quacks, will do nothing. Nothing
however will serve me as an answer from
them. I think if I had the MS. right here I
could either now or some time pay myself
? 30 of it. On the whole I am looking out
for a hand amanuensis to copy me a good
many things. I find such a one may be got,
if you alight luckily, for some ? 60 or ? 80
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? 174 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
to work all the year round; it is but the
price of keeping a horse here. On the other
hand no Bookseller can be made in the least
to bite at such a thing; -- the inane mounte-
bank quacks, -- one must do it one's self or
it will remain undone. I made them get
into the Library a Thrigg and now also a
Vicen, Part First, which are real conquests to
me.
Nothing remarkable has arrived here ex-
cept Emerson's letter, which indeed is not
very remarkable either. Poor Sterling, as
you will see by it, and may know more
directly now from me, continues very ill,
even I begin now to doubt, to despond alto-
gether. He is obliged to "sit up all night
propped with pillows," the greater part of his
lungs (Clark says) is quite useless to him and
he cannot get breath enough without immense
difficulty. Anthony is going down to wait
near him awhile. Poor Sterling! I fear the
worst. Robertson, they say, is in Sutherland,
marking out the site of Free Kirks. Go
ahead!
Jamie's letter was very gratifying and
satisfactory; certainly we will take a couple
more of Annandale hams. I will write to
him more specially on the subject very soon.
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? TO MRS. BANNING
175
Isabella too is in the way of shower baths
and better: Bravely that is good. Did any
of you write to Alick by this mail? Jane is
well again from her bit of headaches. Bless-
ings on my Mother and you all.
T.
In 1844 there was " no Scotland" for Car-
lyle, but early in September he went to Mr.
and Lady Harriet Baring at the Grange.
The Baring friendship had begun to rise into
his life, -- not yet in the form of a cloud.
All the rest of the year Carlyle stayed
closely at home, working on Cromwell, and
seeing fewer people than usual. The follow-
ing quaint fragment belongs to this period,
from which Froude has preserved none of
Carlyle's letters or journal record.
XXXII. CARLYLE TO MRS. BANNING.
Chelsea, 16th Dec. 1844. Dear Jenny,-- I dare say you can knit
Wristikins. It has struck me in these cold
days I might as well apply to you to have a
pair. The best pair I yet have is a very old
pair now, which either you, or I think Jean,
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? 176 LETTERS OF CAELYLE
knit for me at Hoddam Hill when you were
little bairns many years ago. They have
beautiful stripes of red yet, as fresh as ever.
In fact I sometimes wear them in preference
to the pair Jane has bought for me out of
the shops here. Being already provided as
you see I will not in the least hurry you as to
the matter -- wait till you have leisure, till
you can get right your colors &c. &c. -- only
I will tell you what kind of thing will suit
me and how you can do it when convenient.
The great defect of all my present wristikins
is that they are too slight, too thin, and do
not fill up the cuff of the coat, which is
rather wide with me. They should be at
least double the common thickness of those in
the shops. If you had fine, boozy yarn and
took it two ply it will make a pretty article.
Then as to color, it should be deep for our
reeky atmosphere here; red is beautiful, a
stripe of good red, and holds out well, but
perhaps the basis had better be some sort of
brown. Please your own eye. There never
was a good horse had an ill color. As to
breadth I think they should be at least three
inches. . . .
The horse which Carlyle describes to his
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? TO HIS MOTHER 177
mother as " a very darling article " was a new
one, called "Black Duncan. "
Of Addiscombe Froude writes : " The Bar-
ings had a villa at Addiscombe, and during
the London season frequently escaped into
the Surrey sunshine. "
XXXIII. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBHIG.
Chelsea, 12th July, 1845.
My dear Mother, -- My hurry is indeed
great, but it ought to be greater than it is
before I neglect writing you a little word this
week as I did last. I am whipt about from
post to pillar at a strange rate in these weeks.
Jack's visit to you was a welcome piece of
news here. The good account he gave of
you was much wanted. We are very sorry
indeed to hear of poor Isabella. It seems as
if nothing could be done for her, and her own
weakness and suffering must be very great.
Jamie is kind and patient, you may assure
him of our sympathies. A sudden turn for
the better may take place, I understand, as of
its own accord all at once. Let us keep
hoping the best.
The back of this sorrowful Book is now
broken. I think another month of stiff labour
will see it well through. They are printing
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? 178 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
away at the second volume -- about half
done. I have to go along amid endless con-
fusions, the way one has to do in all work
whatsoever. The Book will, on the whole,
be better than I hoped, and I have had some
honest thoughts in the writing of it which
make me the more careless what kind of re-
ception the world gives it. The world had
better try to understand it, I think, and to
like it as well as it can! Here is another leaf
of a proof sheet to be a token to you of our
progress. So soon as ever it is over I am off
for Annandale. The heat has never been
very oppressive to me, never violent beyond a
day or two at a time, then rain comes and
cools it again. I get considerable benefit of
my horse, which is a very darling article,
black, high, very good natured, very swift --
and takes me out into the green country for
a taste of that almost every day. I some-
times think of riding it up into Annandale,
but that will be too lengthy an operation.
Jane is going to Liverpool to her Uncle's
in a fortnight. She will stay with them a
week, then another week with some country
friends in that quarter. I wished her to
go to Scotland and see old friends there at
Haddington and elsewhere, but she is rather
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? TO HIS MOTHER
179
reluctant to that. She is not very strong
and has many sorrows of her own, poor little
thing, being very solitary in the world now.
In summer however she is always better.
I have heard nothing from Jack of late
days. I suppose him to be still at Mr.
Raine's. Perhaps uncertain whitherward he
will go next. At any rate country is better
than town at present, -- free quarter than
board-wages. I expect he will come back to
you again before the season end.
We were out at a place called Addiscombe
last week among great people, very kind to us,
but poor Jane could sleep only about an hour
each night -- three hours in all. I stayed
but one night, came home on my black horse
again. Some peace and rest among green
things would be very welcome to me -- and it
is coming soon, I hope. Adieu, dear Mother
-- my kind love to you and to all of them. I
am in great haste and can speak but a few
words to mean much by them. My blessings
with you.
On the 26th August, 1845, Carlyle wrote:
"I have this moment ended Oliver; hang it!
He is ended, thrums and all. " And presently
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? 180 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
the author joined his wife at Seaforth near
Liverpool. After a few days there with the
Paulets, he went on by water to Annan and
his mother. From Seaforth again, he writes
to her on the journey Chelsea-ward.
xxxiv. carlyle to his mother, scotsbrig.
Seaforth, Liverpool,
Friday, 17 Oct'r, 1845.
My dear Mother, -- I hope you have,
this morning, got the little Note I pushed
into the Post Office for you at Lancaster, and
consoled yourself with the assurance that all
the difficult part of my journey was well over.
I am quite safe, and in good quarters here,
since yesterday afternoon; and will now write
you another word with a little more delibera-
tion than yesterday. My journey hither was
altogether really pleasant: a fine bright day,
and a swift smooth carriage to sit in, nothing
wanted that one could wish on such an occa-
sion. I got along to this house about half
past four, when dinner was ready and a wel-
come as if it had been home, -- real joy to
me. It has all gone much better than I could
have expected since I quitted Kirtlebrig and
Jamie, that night.
I find the good people here did send their
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? TO HIS MOTHER
181
carriage for the Steamer; and a very wild
adventure that was, and much better that /
had but little to do with it, and could plead
that I had forbidden them to do such a thing!
The Paulet carriage went duly to the Clarence
Dock, after inquiring at the Steamer Office
too, and waited for the Royal Victoria from
half past 8 on Wednesday night till past
12, when the Docks close; but no Royal
Victoria came! She did not make her ap-
pearance till noon yesterday, owing to fog or
wind, or what cause I have not yet heard, --
not till twelve o'clock yesterday; when the
Paulet carriage was again in attendance:
but of course there was no guest there; the
guest was advancing by another much less
uncomfortable route! On the whole it was
a good luck I did not get into that greasy
Whale's Belly (as I call it); twenty-four
hours there would have reduced me to a
precious pickle!
Our journey to Lancaster as I told you
was decidedly prosperous, almost pleasant
thro' the moonlight country, with plenty to-
bacco to smoke! The wild solitude of Shap
Fell at midnight is a thing I really like to
have seen. And then the railway yesterday
was all the welcomer, and the daylight. At
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? 182
LETTERS OF CARLYLE
Carlisle I got myself a pound of tobacco from
Irving, so do not fret your heart, dear Mother,
about that! I also took out my old dressing-
gown there and wrapt it well round my legs,
which was useful. A small proportion of
corn, you may tell Jamie, was still in the
fields here and there all the way; but to-day
and last night there is a rustling thuddening
North wind which must have dried it.
Dr. Carlyle's Dante, which he was very
"eager upon," was the prose translation of the
Inferno, so well done that many readers have
regretted that the translator did not proceed.
? 164 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
rest all places seemed to me much alike; if
the land were cheap, it would be unfavour-
ably situated &c. I also hinted my notion
that a small piece of good handy soil might
be preferable to a large lot of untowardly,
outlying ground. We can only hope and
pray he may be guided well. We cannot
assist him with any real guidance. Difficul-
ties beset a man everywhere under this sun.
There if he have patience, insight, energy
and justness of mind he will daily conquer
farther, -- not otherwise, either in America
or here. But, as I said, I have never lost
hope with Alick, and I have now better hope
than ever. We will commit him to the all-
wise Governor with many a prayer from the
bottom of all our hearts that it may be well
with him. To hear and know that he does
see good under the sun, fighting his way like
a true man in that new country! -- what a
comfort to you and to every one of us. My
dear Mother, I know your heart is many a
time sad about Alick. He is far away and
there are others of us gone still farther, be-
yond the shores of this earth, whither our
poor thoughts vainly strive to follow them, --
our hearts' love following them still: -- but
we know this one thing, that God is there
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? TO HIS MOTHER
165
also, in America, in the dark Grave itself and
the unseen Eternity -- even He is there too,
and will not He do all things well? We
have no other Anchor of the soul in any of
the tempests, great or little, of this world.
By this let us hold fast and piously hope in
all scenes and seasons whatsoever. Amen.
You bid me "call on Patience" in this
Book of mine. Dear Mother, it is the best
and only good advice that can be given. I do
endeavour to call on patience and sometimes
she comes, and if I keep my shoulder stiffly
at the wheel withal, we shall certainly get
under way by and bye. The thing goes in-
deed, or now promises to go, a little better
with me. I stand to it as I can. But it will
be a terribly difficult job and take a long
time, I think. However, that it is a useful
one, worthy to be done by me I am resolved,
and so I will do it if permitted -- the return
and earthy reward of it may be either great
or small, or even nothing and abuse into the
bargain, just as it likes. Thank Heaven I
can do either or any way as to that, for this
time, and indeed, often when I look at it, the
prizes people get in this world and the kind
of people that get them seem but a ridiculous
business. If there were not something more
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? 166 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
serious behind all that, I think it would
hardly be worth while to live in such a place
as this world at all. In short I hold on the
best I can -- and my good Mother's picture
looking down on me here, seems to bid me
"call on Patience" and persevere like a man. Jane has not been very well in these cold
stormy weeks, but I think is now getting
better again. It is the spring weather, which
this year has been the real winter; all manner
of people are unwell here at present. You in
the North have it still worse, far worse than
we. Many a time have I asked myself what
is becoming of my good old Mother in these
wild blasts. Surely you keep good fires at
Scotsbrig? Surely you wear the new Hawick
sloughs? Jane finds hers very warm and
nice; but the thing you might improve greatly
and never do is your diet. I think you
should live chiefly on fowl. A hen is always
fair food, divide her into four pieces -- she
makes you an excellent dinner of soup and
meat for four days. This you know very
well for others, but never learn it for your-
self. I am very serious. You should actu-
ally set about this reform. Do now -- you
will find it more important on your health
than any medicine or other appliance you can
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? TO BIS MOTHER
167
think of. Jenny, I suppose, is still at the
Gill. When you feel tired of solitude again
she will come back to you. The bairns as
they grow will be quieter and give less trou-
ble. Poor Jenny, no doubt of it, she has
many cares of her own: we should all be
gentle with her, pity her and help her what
we can.
But now I suppose you are very impatient
to know what is in that paste board roll tied
with string. Open the string with your scis-
sors and you will see -- one of the ugliest
pictures ever drawn of man. A certain per-
son here has been publishing some book
called "Spirit of the Age," pretending to
give people account of all the remarkable men
of the age; he has put me into it--better
luck to him. He wrote several months ago
requesting that I should furnish him with
some life of myself -- forsooth! This I alto-
gether begged leave respectfully to decline,
but he got hold of a picture that a certain
painter has of me, and of this he has made
an engraving, -- like me in nothing, or in
very little, I should flatter myself. Let Isa-
bella roll the paper of it the contrary way
and then it will lie flat, if indeed the post
office bags do not squeeze it all to pieces,
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? 168 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
which I think is fully as likely and will be no
great matter. I sent it to you as to the one
that had a right to it. Much good may it do
you!
Jamie said he would write. Let him do so
-- or else you yourself ought to write, or both
will be best. Jack and I were at Dinner to-
gether among a set of notables the night be-
fore last, came home together smoking two
cigars, all right. Adieu, dear Mother, my
big sheet is done. My regards to Isabella,
to Jamie and them all. My blessings with
you, dear Mother.
Yours affect.
T. Carlyle.
Carlyle maps the Gill, as well as other
places to which these letters make frequent
reference, in his introductory note to Letter
283, in the "Letters and Memorials of Jane
Welsh Carlyle : " -- " The Gill, Sister Mary's
poor but ever kind and generous human
habitation, is a small farmhouse, seven miles
beyond Annan, twenty-seven beyond Carlisle,
eight or ten miles short of Dumfries. . . .
Scotsbrig lies some ten miles northward of
the Gill (road at right angles to the Carlisle
and Dumfries Railway). "
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? TO MBS. JAMES AUSTIN 169
"Our brother," spoken of in the second
paragraph, is again the half-brother already
mentioned.
XXX. CARLYLE TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN, THE GILL.
Chelsea, 30th April, 1844. My dear Mary, -- We seldom hear di-
rectly of you and it is a long while since you
have had an express word from any of our
hands here. You are not to suppose that we
forget you on that account. Far enough
from that! You are many times in my
thoughts. I fancy you and James strug-
gling along in your diligent, industrious way,
struggling to fight your battles in these bad
times, and from the bottom of my heart I
affectionately bid you God Speed. Struggle
away, my dear sister. We must so struggle
and we must not be beaten. Assure yourself
always that I am not less brother-like in heart
towards you than in old days when you saw
me oftener and heard from me oftener. To-
day I send you a little slip of paper which
will turn into a sovereign when you present it
at the Annan Post Office and sign your name
"Mary Austin " -- from me "at Chelsea. "
If you be not there yourself, James can sign
for you if you sign it first, but the thing is
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? 170 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
in no haste and will lie till you go. Buy
yourself a bit of a bonnet or anything you
like with the piece of money and wear it with
my blessing, sometimes thinking of us here.
No doubt you hear duly about us. You
have heard I suppose how Alick is gone over
to Canada, to our brother there, not into the
deep Western regions of America with Clow,
which Canada arrangement of Alick's we like
better than the other. It seems to me Alick
may do well there now. He will get a piece
of land and every year that he tills it faith-
fully it will be growing better for him. La-
bour is labour, not joyful but heavy and sore
in any part of this world, but if a person see
any fruit of his labour it is always an encour-
agement to him.
Our dear old Mother seems to have been
rather weaklier this last winter than hereto-
fore. Jack had a letter yesterday from Jen-
nie at Scotsbrig which represents her as being
pretty well at present. I think Jenny should
stay much with her and look after her. Good
old Mother -- the spring weather will grow
gradually into steady summer and then she
will have a better time of it, we may hope.
Jack was here last night. He talks of go-
ing North to "the country," probably toward
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? TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN 171
Annandale, before long, but his movements
are very uncertain. He has not yet any
fixed employment here and would be much
better if he had. He does not seem to like
medicine and is hovering among a great
variety of things. We always hope he will
fix himself on some specific object by and
bye. As for me I am very busy but making
very bad progress. I have nothing for it but
to bore along mole-like; I shall get out some
time or other. Our spring wind has turned
round tempestuously into the North of late
and brought cold and dust, with the glare of
sunshine, not so pleasant to the invalid part
of us. Jane, however, is tolerably well and
growing stronger as the sun grows. She
sends her old love to you and kind remem-
brances. Give my regards to James -- he
must be planting his potatoes now. Love to
you.
John Sterling, whose illness is lamented in
the next letter, died on the 18th of the fol-
lowing September. Shortly before his death
he wrote to Carlyle: "Towards me, it is still
more true than towards England, that no
man has been and done like you. "
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? 172 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
XXXI. CARLYLE TO DR. JOHN CARLYLE, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, 5th Aug. 1844.
My dear Brother, -- Your letter in my
dearth of news was very welcome to me.
You should keep me going at least for Scots-
brig news while you are there. Our good
Mother must go back to the bathing. I hope
the next spring, rides will prove handier.
Our weather here too is much broken with
rain, though otherwise warm and genial.
I asked about your Book-sheets of Coch-
rane. The sheets were duly furnished: the
book is lying bound and ready in the London
Library. I would have brought it home with
me had there been a conveyance at my com-
mand. I left it lying there for yourself. Our
City is got almost empty and very quiet in
comparison. I hope I shall get on with some-
what less interruption in my labour; it is a
sluggish element, sluggish as thick mud and
bottomless, except when one makes a bottom.
Nothing but strenuous hard work, harder
than I have yet continuously given it, will
ever bring me through; for all is chaos
within it and without it. Eheu!
A striving Scotch youth came to me the
other week, equal, as he said, to all kinds of
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? TO DR. JOBN CARLYLE 173
old manuscripts &c, &c.
I gave him a sov-
ereign to copy me that Election Tumult? of
d'Ewer at Ipswich. I have got that here
and think of trying to make a magazine
article of it somewhere. The poor lad at-
tempted farther to make an estimate of copy-
ing all d'Ewer's Parl't manuscript for me.
? 30, he said, would do it and I had for some
days real thoughts of the thing, but alas,
my man in the interim was discovered by me
to be a quite loose-talking, dishonest-minded
little thing, unable to employ on any busi-
ness; so having found him a job with Mau-
rice, writing to dictation (in which dishonesty
cannot long remain undetected) I shook him
off, but it does partly appear to me I must
have that MSS. to read and con over at my
leisure -- if possible. I am now about con-
sulting with the Secretary of the Camden
Society, but expect to hear that they, poor
dilettante quacks, will do nothing. Nothing
however will serve me as an answer from
them. I think if I had the MS. right here I
could either now or some time pay myself
? 30 of it. On the whole I am looking out
for a hand amanuensis to copy me a good
many things. I find such a one may be got,
if you alight luckily, for some ? 60 or ? 80
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? 174 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
to work all the year round; it is but the
price of keeping a horse here. On the other
hand no Bookseller can be made in the least
to bite at such a thing; -- the inane mounte-
bank quacks, -- one must do it one's self or
it will remain undone. I made them get
into the Library a Thrigg and now also a
Vicen, Part First, which are real conquests to
me.
Nothing remarkable has arrived here ex-
cept Emerson's letter, which indeed is not
very remarkable either. Poor Sterling, as
you will see by it, and may know more
directly now from me, continues very ill,
even I begin now to doubt, to despond alto-
gether. He is obliged to "sit up all night
propped with pillows," the greater part of his
lungs (Clark says) is quite useless to him and
he cannot get breath enough without immense
difficulty. Anthony is going down to wait
near him awhile. Poor Sterling! I fear the
worst. Robertson, they say, is in Sutherland,
marking out the site of Free Kirks. Go
ahead!
Jamie's letter was very gratifying and
satisfactory; certainly we will take a couple
more of Annandale hams. I will write to
him more specially on the subject very soon.
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? TO MRS. BANNING
175
Isabella too is in the way of shower baths
and better: Bravely that is good. Did any
of you write to Alick by this mail? Jane is
well again from her bit of headaches. Bless-
ings on my Mother and you all.
T.
In 1844 there was " no Scotland" for Car-
lyle, but early in September he went to Mr.
and Lady Harriet Baring at the Grange.
The Baring friendship had begun to rise into
his life, -- not yet in the form of a cloud.
All the rest of the year Carlyle stayed
closely at home, working on Cromwell, and
seeing fewer people than usual. The follow-
ing quaint fragment belongs to this period,
from which Froude has preserved none of
Carlyle's letters or journal record.
XXXII. CARLYLE TO MRS. BANNING.
Chelsea, 16th Dec. 1844. Dear Jenny,-- I dare say you can knit
Wristikins. It has struck me in these cold
days I might as well apply to you to have a
pair. The best pair I yet have is a very old
pair now, which either you, or I think Jean,
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? 176 LETTERS OF CAELYLE
knit for me at Hoddam Hill when you were
little bairns many years ago. They have
beautiful stripes of red yet, as fresh as ever.
In fact I sometimes wear them in preference
to the pair Jane has bought for me out of
the shops here. Being already provided as
you see I will not in the least hurry you as to
the matter -- wait till you have leisure, till
you can get right your colors &c. &c. -- only
I will tell you what kind of thing will suit
me and how you can do it when convenient.
The great defect of all my present wristikins
is that they are too slight, too thin, and do
not fill up the cuff of the coat, which is
rather wide with me. They should be at
least double the common thickness of those in
the shops. If you had fine, boozy yarn and
took it two ply it will make a pretty article.
Then as to color, it should be deep for our
reeky atmosphere here; red is beautiful, a
stripe of good red, and holds out well, but
perhaps the basis had better be some sort of
brown. Please your own eye. There never
was a good horse had an ill color. As to
breadth I think they should be at least three
inches. . . .
The horse which Carlyle describes to his
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? TO HIS MOTHER 177
mother as " a very darling article " was a new
one, called "Black Duncan. "
Of Addiscombe Froude writes : " The Bar-
ings had a villa at Addiscombe, and during
the London season frequently escaped into
the Surrey sunshine. "
XXXIII. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBHIG.
Chelsea, 12th July, 1845.
My dear Mother, -- My hurry is indeed
great, but it ought to be greater than it is
before I neglect writing you a little word this
week as I did last. I am whipt about from
post to pillar at a strange rate in these weeks.
Jack's visit to you was a welcome piece of
news here. The good account he gave of
you was much wanted. We are very sorry
indeed to hear of poor Isabella. It seems as
if nothing could be done for her, and her own
weakness and suffering must be very great.
Jamie is kind and patient, you may assure
him of our sympathies. A sudden turn for
the better may take place, I understand, as of
its own accord all at once. Let us keep
hoping the best.
The back of this sorrowful Book is now
broken. I think another month of stiff labour
will see it well through. They are printing
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? 178 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
away at the second volume -- about half
done. I have to go along amid endless con-
fusions, the way one has to do in all work
whatsoever. The Book will, on the whole,
be better than I hoped, and I have had some
honest thoughts in the writing of it which
make me the more careless what kind of re-
ception the world gives it. The world had
better try to understand it, I think, and to
like it as well as it can! Here is another leaf
of a proof sheet to be a token to you of our
progress. So soon as ever it is over I am off
for Annandale. The heat has never been
very oppressive to me, never violent beyond a
day or two at a time, then rain comes and
cools it again. I get considerable benefit of
my horse, which is a very darling article,
black, high, very good natured, very swift --
and takes me out into the green country for
a taste of that almost every day. I some-
times think of riding it up into Annandale,
but that will be too lengthy an operation.
Jane is going to Liverpool to her Uncle's
in a fortnight. She will stay with them a
week, then another week with some country
friends in that quarter. I wished her to
go to Scotland and see old friends there at
Haddington and elsewhere, but she is rather
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? TO HIS MOTHER
179
reluctant to that. She is not very strong
and has many sorrows of her own, poor little
thing, being very solitary in the world now.
In summer however she is always better.
I have heard nothing from Jack of late
days. I suppose him to be still at Mr.
Raine's. Perhaps uncertain whitherward he
will go next. At any rate country is better
than town at present, -- free quarter than
board-wages. I expect he will come back to
you again before the season end.
We were out at a place called Addiscombe
last week among great people, very kind to us,
but poor Jane could sleep only about an hour
each night -- three hours in all. I stayed
but one night, came home on my black horse
again. Some peace and rest among green
things would be very welcome to me -- and it
is coming soon, I hope. Adieu, dear Mother
-- my kind love to you and to all of them. I
am in great haste and can speak but a few
words to mean much by them. My blessings
with you.
On the 26th August, 1845, Carlyle wrote:
"I have this moment ended Oliver; hang it!
He is ended, thrums and all. " And presently
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? 180 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
the author joined his wife at Seaforth near
Liverpool. After a few days there with the
Paulets, he went on by water to Annan and
his mother. From Seaforth again, he writes
to her on the journey Chelsea-ward.
xxxiv. carlyle to his mother, scotsbrig.
Seaforth, Liverpool,
Friday, 17 Oct'r, 1845.
My dear Mother, -- I hope you have,
this morning, got the little Note I pushed
into the Post Office for you at Lancaster, and
consoled yourself with the assurance that all
the difficult part of my journey was well over.
I am quite safe, and in good quarters here,
since yesterday afternoon; and will now write
you another word with a little more delibera-
tion than yesterday. My journey hither was
altogether really pleasant: a fine bright day,
and a swift smooth carriage to sit in, nothing
wanted that one could wish on such an occa-
sion. I got along to this house about half
past four, when dinner was ready and a wel-
come as if it had been home, -- real joy to
me. It has all gone much better than I could
have expected since I quitted Kirtlebrig and
Jamie, that night.
I find the good people here did send their
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? TO HIS MOTHER
181
carriage for the Steamer; and a very wild
adventure that was, and much better that /
had but little to do with it, and could plead
that I had forbidden them to do such a thing!
The Paulet carriage went duly to the Clarence
Dock, after inquiring at the Steamer Office
too, and waited for the Royal Victoria from
half past 8 on Wednesday night till past
12, when the Docks close; but no Royal
Victoria came! She did not make her ap-
pearance till noon yesterday, owing to fog or
wind, or what cause I have not yet heard, --
not till twelve o'clock yesterday; when the
Paulet carriage was again in attendance:
but of course there was no guest there; the
guest was advancing by another much less
uncomfortable route! On the whole it was
a good luck I did not get into that greasy
Whale's Belly (as I call it); twenty-four
hours there would have reduced me to a
precious pickle!
Our journey to Lancaster as I told you
was decidedly prosperous, almost pleasant
thro' the moonlight country, with plenty to-
bacco to smoke! The wild solitude of Shap
Fell at midnight is a thing I really like to
have seen. And then the railway yesterday
was all the welcomer, and the daylight. At
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? 182
LETTERS OF CARLYLE
Carlisle I got myself a pound of tobacco from
Irving, so do not fret your heart, dear Mother,
about that! I also took out my old dressing-
gown there and wrapt it well round my legs,
which was useful. A small proportion of
corn, you may tell Jamie, was still in the
fields here and there all the way; but to-day
and last night there is a rustling thuddening
North wind which must have dried it.
Dr. Carlyle's Dante, which he was very
"eager upon," was the prose translation of the
Inferno, so well done that many readers have
regretted that the translator did not proceed.
