Description

Description: In this significant autograph letter signed, Whewell writes about Sir John Malcolm, a colonial administrator in India and Governor of Bombay, who was also one of the architects behind the early principles that British rule be for benefit of the East India Company, as well as, Indians; and of indirect rule. It is addressed to Malcolm’s daughter-in-law, Mrs. Georgina Malcolm, with whom Whewell had a long correspondence. The letter captures Whewell’s concern about the British historian John William Kaye’s misrepresentation of Sir John in his impending work and his persuasion of Kaye to not to sacrifice truth for an antithesis.

“My dear Mrs Malcolm,

I should have been very glad to talk with you about the life of my dear friend Sir John Malcolm, but I have some doubts whether by talking we could have done much to alter Mr. Kaye’s purpose. During the two days he has been with me here, I have done my best to set him right when I thought he was in danger of going wrong. It will be impossible to inspire him with enthusiasm which you and I feel for Sir John. He has studied Indian politics in another school and has got other heroes. But I think he has a great desire to speak worthily of Sir John’s achievements in the great turns of his life, and may be kept from doing injustice by vigilant criticism of his work in detail. If submits the sheets to your husband as they are finished; and you and he must weed out what is wrong _? and _?. You see that from the application of such criticism the amount of difference between Sir John and Sir George Barlow, as to the mutiny [British Officer’s Mutiny in Madras 1809] and the ___  is made a very tolerable history. You cannot alter the basis of Mr. Kaye’s views as he is advanced too far to stop him in his work; so the best course is that you and Kate and other such and reasonable people should set as many points right as you can and prevent foolish young persons, Lady Malcolm and the like from tormenting themselves. I tried to persuade Mr. Kayes, I do not know with what success, not to sacrifice truth to antithesis in his comparison of Sir John Malcolm and Sir Charles Metcalf [a Colonial administrator who liberated the press in West Bengal, souring his relations to the East India Company]. I told him that a family which sent a long list of sons into the army, the navy, the India service, the university, and commercy could not in any memorable way be spoken of as the family of a Scottish farmer. He seemed to cling  _?__ to his antithesis, he I think was shaken at last. I made his __?__   with several persons (Sedgewick amongst them) who had known Gilbert Malcolm here; and shown him that he was admired here, not as a proud man but with actions won [?]. Of course Mr. Kaye who knows so much more about Indian matters than I do is not likely to be much influenced by my opinion alone then. I shall be very glad if I am able to see more of you in London (or elsewhere) than I have lately been, that is clear! Very little. I shall be in town officially about April 27 but I fear I shall have little time for any unofficial engagements. Then I am always your affectionate friend./W Whewell.”

Four page letter written March 24, 1854 from Trinity Lodging, Cambridge on a folded sheet of 7” x 9” ivory paper edged in mourning black with an embossed seal at the left hand corner. The handwriting is difficult to read. Item #A01864

William Whewell (1794-1866) was one of the most influential scientists of the 19th c… a scientist, Anglican priest, philosopher, historian of science and theologian. He was known for his wordsmithing–invented the word scientist–and aided scientists with neologisms to describe their discoveries. He influenced the works of John Herschel, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, and Michael Faraday among others. He coined the terms anode, cathode and ion for Faraday. He taught Moral Philosophy at Trinity College, was named a Master of the College in 1841, and then became its Vice-Chancellor in 1842 and 1855.

Mrs. Georgina Malcolm (1807-1886) was a translator of German theology (including Martin Luther’s Letters to Women) and novels, and a great correspondent (Duke of Wellington, the wit Sydney Smith amongst them); her correspondence has been published. She was the first translator of Gustav Freytag’s novel Soll and Haben as Debit and Credit in which he clearly professed the superiority of the Germans. She married Col. General George Alexander Malcolm, Sir John Malcolm’s son.

Sir John William Kaye (1814-1876) was a significant British military historian who served as a civil servant and army officer in India. His crucial work, A History of the Sepoy War in India 1857-1858 is in two volumes (1870, 1876). He also published books on Charles Metcalfe (1854) and Sir John Malcolm (1856).

Condition: A few scattered light spots, mailing fold lines. Generally in very good condition.