Record Number: 13237

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I have just read Dugald Stewart's "Preliminary Dissertations". In the first place, it is totally clear of all his defects. No insane dread of misrepresentation; no discussion put off until another time, just at the moment it was expected, and would have been interesting; no unmanly timidity; less formality of style and cathedral pomp of sentence. The good, it would be trite to enumerate: - the love of human happiness and virtue, the ardour for the extension of knowledge, the command of fine language, happiness of allusion, varied and pleasing literature, tact, wisdom and moderation! Without these high qualities, we all know Stewart cannot write. I suspect he has misrepresented Horne Took, and his silence regarding Hartley is very censurable. I was amazingly pleased with his comparison of the universities to enormous hulks confined with mooring chains, everything flowing and progressing around them. Nothing can be more happy'.

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Until: 31 Dec 1816

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

county: Yorkshire

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Sydney Smith

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

3 Jun 1771

Socio-Economic Group:

Clergy (includes all denominations)

Occupation:

Clergyman

Religion:

Christian

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Dugald Stewart

Title:

[Dissertation printed in the Encyclopaedia Britannica]

Genre:

Philosophy

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

13237

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Nowell C. Smith

Title:

The Letters of Sydney Smith

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1953

Vol:

I

Page:

272

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Nowell C. Smith (ed.), The Letters of Sydney Smith (Oxford, 1953), I, p. 272, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=13237, accessed: 24 September 2023

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Additional Comments:

Letter to Francis Horner