20 Surrey Grove Old Kent Road 26 April 1838

My Dear Fiott

I duly recd. your friendly letter of the 31st Ult.º — I lost no time in seeing the Dr. for he arrived in town on Friday night and I was in his presence last Saturday morning. I addressed him precisely to the same effect as I wrote you respecting Mrs. Creed. He said he did not know the transaction, on the part of Mr. Lee; I said that, Mrs. Lee had displayed the excellence of her heart and had been influenced by the plea of Mrs. C’s great distress and respect for you; that from what I remembered, and my present feelings, you had settled all accounts with Mrs. Creed; that the receipt had been found among his papers and furnished her impudence with the means of application, which I considered very artful, inasmuch as she did not await your answer. I said, “Doctor, Durum tenet necessitas” (Necessity holds hard) but I would express my hope that, in future, any person resorting to such applications might never be attended to. Every thing convinced me, from her studiously avoiding to name where the lad had lodged or afforded me the slightest clue, that her behaviour had been much of the nature of a begging letter, in short, my opinion is Mrs. Creed was driven by distress to do what in her husband’s life time she would not have done or he have allowed. 

I have sent a small parcel by Mr. Valpy which will reach you in about a fortnight. I intended to have sent it you free in a leather bag to Cajots, but Mr. V. was stated to me, by one of the Miss Lys, to have such an immensity of business and to have such an immense number of things that I could only trespass on his kindness to a very limited extent; Altho’ I give you my honor I would have passed the Devil to Antwerp and sent him, even to his own regions, if he wished it, by Diligence and thus have gotten rid of his Honor, Bag & Baggage. Mr. Valpy is the son of Dr. Valpy a very old acquaintance of mine.

Remember once for all that the Dr. is so completely under the influence of his Toad-eater that no person whatsoever besides has any influence direct or indirect with him. Astronomers well know that 2 Planets can never move in the same Orbit; this Toad-eater being again very much under the astronomical guidance of the black-hearted Villain who has not dared, but has underhandedly traduced me (and, consequently, never will forgive me) that all honest & gentlemanly proceedings are of no avail; therefore you and every body are virtually shut out from the Commons. When I called on the Dr. last Saturday I was desirous of seeing the papers you sent him; he has promised I shall; I asked his opinion; he coldly said, it was very proper, they were very well but not better than could be obtained from a number of persons in London who, for a Guinea or two, would at any time write as well and to the same effect. Now, as this is precisely the style of the Toad-eater, these were only his words echoed: The Dr. is doubtless learned in the Law and in Dead Languages, but, to my positive knowledge, he is not so in the living ones, except English; such a criticism, by odious Comparison, must consequently come from the Secretary for foreign Correspondence. In short the Dr’s soul is not his own beyond a certain point; If I be mistaken such is my conviction; & I have grounds.

Je vous prie de faire bien mes souvenirs a M. Le Procureur Vereken. His favorable opinion dwells on my mind.

The small parcel contains your Cock, spectacles, 2 Lists & some Dahlia Seeds. / Mrs. Lee has been very much indisposed with Influenza; but is fast recovering /

Comment va Mr. Jacques Brance? fait-il de grands progrès en Anglais? Comment s'occupe-t-il? Commence-t-il à réfléchir? Je sais d'avance qu'il y a longtemps qu'il a abandonné les enfantillages; faites en sorte de lui obtenir la lecture du Curé de Wakefield qui est bien traduit en Français.

As you are a right honorable Knight of the Brick I should tell you that the Dr. has been induced to take Mr. Epps from the Secretaryship of the Astronomical Society to be his Astronomer at Hartwell with an ample income, a residence &c. The poverty of the Society only enabled them to give Epps £80 Pr. Annum; I am glad of any good fortune that can fall to Epps’s lot, because I know of his being a worthy man; In my next I may have to say something farther upon Astronomical Intrigue & Mania; The Society or, more properly speaking certain individuals of it will take care that the Cow shall furnish them a terrestrial Milky way. I often think, if a man could stand and calmly look on what is exercising upon himself and draw his conclusions of the motives of action, what a field it would afford him for contemplation. I think such maneuvering cost my father about £40,000, or well on towards it. His first experiments cost him about £6000; his Toad-eaters humoured the thing, seasoned it to make it palatable; dinner time came; conversation and collision of sentiments led to prospective perfections; extraordinary abilities considered praise an homage; the partition is often very thin between praise and flattery; London rang with the name of March, whose name was Marchi, and the ultimate fruit of £40,000 produced barely £1200; others have stolen many of the ideas; the world has been benefitted, money has been circulated; men employed; the name of March almost forgotten and we may say with Lord Byron

"Let nothing ever give both you and me hopes, "Since not a pinch of dust remains of Cheops."

(Cross-written at the bottom): I have just seen the Lys family who all send their loves. Caroline wishes to know how you like Jack White.

of very pedantic memory. By the bye the Dr. said he had no Masonic Books but if he should fall in with some he will send them you. I have a little useful work some where; I will look for it and send it you.

I perceived too late I had begun my letter the wrong way of the paper altho’ I have written it the right way of the argument.

Your faithful S. March

[Side Note]: I sent the Doctor a small account of one whom I consider to have been a member of the Smyth family, & Mr. Mullins desires his best regards.

[Bottom Postscript]: Gavey who desires his best regards to you, I am sure feels like a Man and is a kind hearted sincere upright soul. He is not an Astronomer, but I consider him a Star of fidelity, that will never turn the channel of his employer’s money to support his own gratification or the Interests of a set of flatterers. Mr. Gavey sends you his best respects and wishes. I am told that the Ailesbury paper has touched the Dr. on his Astronomical pursuit; Great Men are the subject of envy. I conclude you have received my letters of the 23rd March & 22 Febry.