GHL Journal, London, [22] August 1863
Title
GHL Journal, London, [22] August 1863
Title
GHL Journal, London, [22] August 1863
Sender
Ghl Journal
Recipient
U
Date(s)
- 1863-08-22
Place
London
Letter Content
GHL Journal, London, [22] August 1863
MS: Yale. Extracts published: Kitchel, pp. 220-221.
Saturday 21.
Since the last entry [18 April 1863] many things have occurred, mostly painful, which deserved a record. Polly has finished [Romola] which has been flatly received by the general public though it has excited a deep enthusiasm in almost all the 'e9lite. 185 Tennyson, Browning, Coleridge, 186 Monckton Milnes, Trollope, 187 and others speak of it with unbounded admiration. The Rev. F. D. Maurice has written to her two letters which are among the most exquisite things I ever read. His sister, Archdeacon Hare's widow has also written with great fervor, and asked Polly to go and see her.
We spent 10 delicious days of quiet at the Isle of Wight and a week at Worthing. Bertie and Thornie have come home. Thornie has failed to pass his second Indian Examination, and refused to go through the two years' ordeal again. Indeed he refused for a long while to choose any other career, having set his mind on going out to Poland to fight the Russians. The idea of his enlisting in a guerrilla band, and in such a cause was too preposterous, and afflicted us greatly. But for some time we feared that he would set us at defiance and start. Finally, he consented to join Bertie in Algiers and learn farming. He then went to Switzerland for a holiday and is there now. Meanwhile a petition is being got up to enable all the rejected candidates to have another trial for India. With what success I know not; nor am I sure Thornie will consent even to try again.
The Algerine scheme has fallen through, and I must look out for a Scotch farm for Bertie.
We have bought The Priory, at North Bank, for £2,000 for 49 years. But owing to the state of the funds we lost 90 £ on selling out. -- To-day we went over our house with Harris the builder to see about alterations. I have finished Aristotle and the new edition of the Life of Goethe.
MS: Yale. Extracts published: Kitchel, pp. 220-221.
Saturday 21.
Since the last entry [18 April 1863] many things have occurred, mostly painful, which deserved a record. Polly has finished [Romola] which has been flatly received by the general public though it has excited a deep enthusiasm in almost all the 'e9lite. 185 Tennyson, Browning, Coleridge, 186 Monckton Milnes, Trollope, 187 and others speak of it with unbounded admiration. The Rev. F. D. Maurice has written to her two letters which are among the most exquisite things I ever read. His sister, Archdeacon Hare's widow has also written with great fervor, and asked Polly to go and see her.
We spent 10 delicious days of quiet at the Isle of Wight and a week at Worthing. Bertie and Thornie have come home. Thornie has failed to pass his second Indian Examination, and refused to go through the two years' ordeal again. Indeed he refused for a long while to choose any other career, having set his mind on going out to Poland to fight the Russians. The idea of his enlisting in a guerrilla band, and in such a cause was too preposterous, and afflicted us greatly. But for some time we feared that he would set us at defiance and start. Finally, he consented to join Bertie in Algiers and learn farming. He then went to Switzerland for a holiday and is there now. Meanwhile a petition is being got up to enable all the rejected candidates to have another trial for India. With what success I know not; nor am I sure Thornie will consent even to try again.
The Algerine scheme has fallen through, and I must look out for a Scotch farm for Bertie.
We have bought The Priory, at North Bank, for £2,000 for 49 years. But owing to the state of the funds we lost 90 £ on selling out. -- To-day we went over our house with Harris the builder to see about alterations. I have finished Aristotle and the new edition of the Life of Goethe.
Citation
Ghl Journal, GHL Journal, London, [22] August 1863, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/94304