Listings for Reader:
Samuel Romilly
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Maria Edgeworth : Patronage
'I was indeed surprised to find my name in "Patronage" but my surprise was principally caused by finding such honourable mention made of me and by seeing myself in company with those whom I have no pretensions to associate with. No person but Miss Edgeworth would call "Patronage" a trivial performance, but even she has not a right to call it so. Like most of her other works, under the form of a mere book of amusement it conveys the most important lessons. I hope that the publication of it will add greatly to the lively satisfaction she must feel when she reflects how greatly her writings have contributed to improve the condition of mankind, and what mischievous follies and frailties they have in numerous individuals corrected or repressed'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Romilly Print: Book
[unknown] : [novel by a lady novelist]
'The pleasure we had in reading "Patronage" has been even increased by reading the [torn and illegible] but I should not say we, for Sir Samuel could not get past the first volume. Surely it is vastly inferior to all her other publications and the only moral I can find out is that ladies should not go without pockets. It had to me all the defects of her other novels without any of their beauties, and the impression on my mind all the time I was reading it was similar to that of a tormenting dream, wherever you getg to the same disagreeable objects present themselves'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Romilly Print: Book
Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque : [pamphlet on press freedom]
'Benjamin Constant is writing some of the most successful pamphlets of the day., particularly one in favour of the liberty of the press which Lady Holland has just sent to Sir Samuel, together with a very excellent one of Gallois's on the same side'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Romilly
George Gordon, Lord Byron : Sketch from Private Life, A
'I send you some lines which he [Lord Byron] printed but did not publish, and which were handed about [italics] confidentially everywhere [end italics]. The usual consequence has happened, they appeared in one of the Sunday newspapers, and of course were copied on Monday a hundred times over. I send you what were in the "Morning Chronicle" with an unintelligible preface, and a paragraph which appeared the next day, by which you will see what a persecution Lady Byron is enduring. Sir Samuel says that the "Farewell" is a greater instance of wickedness than he thought was possible could have existed in human nature - and that the "Sketch from Private Life" is a miserable blackguard production without merit. - Indeed I cannot help thinking that he has hurt himself more than Lady Byron by abusing the person of a Maid Servant who was Nurse to Lady Milbanke, and who is grown old in faithful service to the Family'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Romilly Print: Unknown
George Gordon, Lord Byron : Fare thee well
'I send you some lines which he [Lord Byron] printed but did not publish, and which were handed about [italics] confidentially everywhere [end italics]. The usual consequence has happened, they appeared in one of the Sunday newspapers, and of course were copied on Monday a hundred times over. I send you what were in the "Morning Chronicle" with an unintelligible preface, and a paragraph which appeared the next day, by which you will see what a persecution Lady Byron is enduring. Sir Samuel says that the "Farewell" is a greater instance of wickedness than he thought was possible could have existed in human nature - and that the "Sketch from Private Life" is a miserable blackguard production without merit. - Indeed I cannot help thinking that he has hurt himself more than Lady Byron by abusing the person of a Maid Servant who was Nurse to Lady Milbanke, and who is grown old in faithful service to the Family'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Romilly Print: Unknown
George Gordon, Lord Byron : [poems]
'Have you read Lord Byron and his horrid Incantation? Can you doubt but that it is intended as a curse on his wife? Her nerves must be strong if she can read it without shuddering. He is in Italy travelling with two ladies in his Suite. In "Childe Harold" there is a novel enjoyment of a storm such I should think as a demon would feel, but I think that the stanza which describes the appearance of the morning after is beautiful. Sir Samuel says that he has lost his ear, and that his last poems are decidedly the worst he has written. Surely the man who wrote "Darkness" must be mad or nearly approaching to it. Is there not something exceptionally riduculous in the idea of the two men, who survived the rest, frightening each other to death at last by their ugliness, ''een of their mutual ugliness they died", that is the line I think'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Romilly Print: Book, Unknown
Jeremy Bentham : Papers Relative to Codification and Public Instruction
'What a pity it is that Mr B[entham] carries this oddity of language [which AR has just been joking about] into his works. It makes them unreadible [sic] and of much less use than they otherwise would be. He has just published a singular Book the title of which is "Bentham on Codification", a great deal very excellent, Sir Samuel says, but most injudicious and injurious to the good cause, not only from throwing a ridicule on it, but also from going so much too far, for it is scarcely attempted to be disguised that Republicanism is his great object'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Romilly Print: Book
James Mill : History of British India, The
'Mr Mill's great work on India will soon be published in 3 vol. quarto. Sir Samuel saw the two first, and seems to think that it will be extremely curious, and very well done, but finds the style very bad'.
