MS Eng 1461
Bailey, Benjamin, 1791?-1853. Scrapbook: Guide.
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
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Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
© 2004 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
Repository: Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
Location: Keats Room b
Call No.: MS Eng 1461
Creator:
Bailey, Benjamin, 1791?-1853.
Title: Scrapbook,
Date(s): 1817-1849.
Quantity:
1
box (.5 linear ft.)
Abstract: Scrapbook of letters and compositions by
and about Benjamin Bailey, a friend of the English poet John Keats.
*51M-8
Manuscript deposited by Arthur
Amory Houghton Jr., Wye Plantation, Queenstown, Maryland. Purchased at
Sotheby's London, 1951 June 19, lot 459; received: 1951 July 20. Gift: 1970 Dec. 7.
This scrapbook was formerly owned by Henry J.S.
Bailey (d.1936).
Many of the notes included in this finding aid are taken from: Hyder E. Rollins. "Benjamin
Bailey's Scrapbook." Keats-Shelley Journal, Vol.VI, Winter, 1957, and are
marked: Rollins. Extensive details about this scrapbook can be found in this article.
Benjamin Bailey (1791?-1853) was an undergraduate at Oxford University who
later became the Archdeacon of Colombo. He has been called "the best trained scholar of Keats'
acquaintance." He was a friend of the English poet John Keats.
Items are arranged as bound into the scrapbook.
Includes autograph compositions by Benjamin Bailey (including sermons,
poems,
essays), letters to Bailey, correspondence between various others, Bailey family miscellany, and compositions by various others. Some of the
material concerns the poet John Keats.
Spine title: M.S.S.
autographs, &c. Fly leaf signed: B. Bailey Colombo. 1844. Titlepage Part I: Manuscripts,
Autographs, and other Papers. No.1. Collected in 1842-48-50. Titlepage Part II: Manuscripts,
Autographs, and other Papers. No.2 Collected in 1842-1844. Includes autograph lists of contents
of volume.
- For detailed description of
contents of this scrapbook see: Hyder E. Rollins. "Benjamin Bailey's Scrapbook." Keats-Shelley Journal, Vol.VI, Winter, 1957, copy in Manuscript Department curatorial
file.
-
(1)
Bailey, Benjamin, 1791-1853. Moral principle. A.MS. (unsigned) essay; Oxford,
1817.
15f.(22p.)
-
(2)
Bailey, Benjamin, 1791-1853. Letters on church government. A.MS. (unsigned) essay; [n.p.] 1825.
24f.(40p.)
-
(3)
Mill, William Hodge, 1792-1853. MS.L. (copy) to G. V. Withers;
Alexandria, 17 Jul 1838.
14f.(28p.)
Rollins: Mill was the "first
principal of Bishop's College, Calcutta, and later regius professor of Hebrew at Cambridge
(1848-1853), wrote aboard H.M.S. 'Megaera,' Alexandria, to Withers, a professor in Bishop's
College, giving details about his 'long and by no means slow ramble through Upper and Middle
Egypt and Nubia' during four months beginning January 21.
-
(4)
Clarke, Adam, 1762?-1832. 2 A.L.s. to Mary Anne (Clarke) Smith;
Coleraine and [n.p.] 3 Jun and 22 Jun 1832.
1s.(3p.); 1s.(2p.)
Also includes
2 scraps of letters from Mrs. Adam Clarke to [ ? ]; a note of Clarke's
about "My Letter to the Americans;" his calling card; and two impressions of his seals.
Rollins: Clarke was "editor of Haydon Hall, Middlesex." Wrote to "his daughter Mary Ann (Mrs.
Richard) Smith."
-
(5)
Smith, Mary Anne (Clarke). [2 poems to her children]. A.MS.s.; Stoke Newington, 7-8 Sep 1842.
1s.(4p.)
Poems includ pen and
ink drawings.
First poem addressed: "To my beloved
children, Mary Leslie and John Finch Smith." Second poem addressed: "To John Finch Smith."
-
(6)
Tooth, Eliza T. Quatorzain addressed on her Birthday 25th Novr 1842 To my beloved friend Mrs.
Richd. Smith. After the interdicted correspondence in Ceylon, upon her writing her
beautiful Poem, 'Evening' Addressed by her, to the Rev. B. Bailey, in Aug. 1842. A.MS.s.; Stoke Newington, 25 Nov 1842.
1s.(2p.)
Copy sent
to Benjamin Bailey.
Rollins: Beginning "Souls are no sex-
they freely intermix," and signed "Eliza T. Tooth [?]," of Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, this
last poem was mailed to Bailey, and is postmarked November 26, 1842.
-
(7)
Freeman, M. [2
sonnets]. A.MS.s. poems; [n.p.] 10-12 Sep 1830.
3s.(4p.)
Rollins: Mr. Freeman's poems, beginning "Dead must his heart be, - when the blooming
year" and "Hast thou not, gentle reader, oft times known."
-
(8)
Bailey family. [Autograph of Benjamin Bailey's father, and astrological nativity of his grandfather cast by Vincent Wing]; [n.p., n.d.]
2s.(2p.)
Contents noted in volume as: "Sundry papers in print
and Manuscript. -Autograph of my late Father, & Astrological Scheme of Nativity by Vincent
Wing, of my Grandfather. [Itemized as follows:] 1. Early Autograph of my late Father [died
1822] . . . 5. Astrological Scheme of my Grand Father's Nativity Cast by Vincent Wing."
Rollins: On the verso of one leaf are pasted wax impressions of the "Seal of the Bp of
Madras." and "My own Seal. BB:"
-
(9)
Bailey, Benjamin, 1791-1853. [Epitaphs and memorial poems on Hamilton (Gleig) Bailey]. A.MS. and printed copies; Colombo, Ceylon,
1832-1834.
6f.(6p.)
Hamilton Bailey was the wife of Benjamin Bailey.
Rollins: Contains Bailey's autograph and printed copies of the inscription on his wife's tomb at
Colombo (she was born at Stirling on April 19, 1793, and died at Colombo on March 31, 1832),
which concludes with eight verses by him; unsigned poems in manuscript and print - "For a
Sketch," March, 1834, "On a Profile," May, 1833, "On the Counterpart," May, 1833, "On a
Portrait," August, 1834 (perhaps once belonging to this item is an untitled poem inserted after
the letter [item (13) below].
-
(11)
Rough, Sir William, d.1838. 2 A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey; [Colombo, n.d.]
(1p.)
With this is transcript by Rough of the opening of John Dryden's "To the pious memory of the accomplished lady Mrs Anne
Killigrew." 1s. (2p.)
Rollins: Two brief notes from Sir William Rough
(died 1838), poet and chief-justice of the supreme court, Ceylon; and a copy by Sir William of
Dryden's "Anne Killigrew."
-
(12)
Villett, [Mme]. A.L.
(signature wanting) to Benjamin Bailey;
Marseilles, 10 Feb 1833.
2f.(4p.)
Rollins: Letter in English from Mme Villett, "an old
woman of 73," evidently a Protestant, on the death of the husband of "little Mrs Budd," of Malta,
who, penniless and with six children, managed to get to Marseilles, where she is running a
lodging house; on the illness of M. Villett and of Mrs. Turnbull, wife of the English consul.
Presumably the writer had belonged to Bailey's small church.
-
(13)
Bailey, Benjamin, 1791-1853. When sorrow dims the soul within [first line]. A.MS.s. (initials) poem; [Colombo, Ceylon] 24 Oct 1842.
1s.(1p.)
-
(14)
Houghton, Richard Monckton
Milnes, 1st baron, 1809-1885. 2 A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
London, 18 Dec [1848] and
17 Jul [n.d.] each.
1s.(4p.) laid in.
Inserted at point where Bailey removed 2 A.L.s. of John Keats to send to Milnes.
Rollins: The most interesting piece in the scrapbook.
A separate heading runs, "2 Letters of John Keats, '1818.' 1 Taken out to be sent to Richard
Monckton Milnes Esqr Editor of Keats' 'Remains.' Octor 13. 1848. BB." Actually Bailey wrote to
Milnes on October 15 and 16, enclosing one Keats letter (No. 26 in M.B. Forman's 1952 edition).
He there refers to "two letters (one of which I inclose [sic] you) which I had placed in a book of
autographs I collected and bound up a few years ago." Evidently the second letter (No. 28) was
removed from the volume at some later date. Here also is the first draft in Bailey's hand of the
long biographical letter about the poet which, after being copied by his daughter Mrs. Mitford,
was forwarded to Milnes." [The text of these letters is reproduced in full in the Rollins article].
-
(15)
Bailey, Benjamin, 1791-1853. A.L.s. (draft) to Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st baron Houghton; Ratnapoora, Ceylon, 7 May 1849.
26f.(51p.) laid in.
Biographical
reminiscences of Keats, written at the request of Milnes.
This item has been removed
from this scrapbook and is now cataloged as: Keats 4.2.1.
-
(16)
Cook, John, 1771-1824. 5 A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
St.
Andrews,
25 Jul 1820-Nov 1824.
10f.(18p.)
Rollins: John Cook,
professor of Hebrew at St. Andrews (1802-1824), a great admirer of Bailey's. While writing the
last letter Cook had expected Bailey and his wife to dinner on Friday (the 19th) at four o'clock.
Soon John Cook, Jr. (1808-1869), professor of ecclesiastical history at St. Andrews (1860-1868),
informed Bailey, November 28, "My excellent father departed this life at 10 o'clock this
morning." [See item (17) below].
-
(18)
Skinner, John. 5
A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
Inchgarth,
10 Sep 1828-18 Jul 1829.
10s.(20p.)
Rollins: John Skinner (1769-1841), son of John
Skinner (1744-1816), the bishop of Aberdeen (1786-1816) and primus of Scotland (1788-1816),
and brother of William Skinner (1778-1857), who held the same offices, writes about various
things to Bailey at Marseilles.
-
(19)
Russell, Michael, bp. of Glasgow,
1781-1848. A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
Leith, 18 Jan 1848.
1s.(4p.)
Rollins: Michael Russell (1781-1848),
bishop of Glasgow and Galloway (1837-1848), discusses mainly details about Bailey's funds in
the Bank of Scotland from November 9, 1841, to December 31, 1847.
-
(20)
Bush, James. A.L.s.
to Benjamin Bailey;
Cullomton, Devon, 2 Nov 1849.
2f.(4p.)
Rollins: The Reverend Mr. James Bush, author of The
Choice: Or, Lines on the Batitudes (London, 1841), wrote to Bailey from his daughter
Mrs. Webster's house at Cullompton, Devon, saying, "Your Manual has reached Mr Wordsworth
by the Hands of one of my Daughters. Your Manuscript Poems shall be safely delivered to your
Brother." Bush was then on his deathbed, though the end did not come until December 11, as is
told in a letter from his son Paul, of South Luffenham, Stamford. [See item (21) below].
-
(22)
Marsh, Herbert, bp. of
Peterborough, 1757-1839. 3 A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
Peterborough,
23 May 1822-11 Jul 1826.
8f.(8p.)
Rollins: Item concerns Bailey's curacy in Peterborough. To Herbert Marsh (1757-1839),
bishop of that diocese (1819-1839), he had written announcing his intention of resigning the
Dallington living at Christmas. The bishop replied urging him to stay through the following
September, and suggesting that if Mr. Trottman by that time have deacon's orders Bailey
nominate him as a successor. The bishop sent to Westgate, Kent (?), a testimonial, saying that he
had instituted Bailey to the vicarage of Dallington on December 21, 1819, "which Living he held
about three years. During the whole of that period he conducted himself to my entire
satisfaction." In a final letter, Herbert Peterborough forwards Bailey a letter from Bishop Gleig,
and asks him to inform the bishop "that the privilege of receiving Letters free does not extend to
packets which weigh more than an ounce."
-
(25)
Blomfield, Charles James, bp. of
London, 1786-1857. 2 A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
London, 7 and 13 Jun 1831.
6f.(4p.)
-
(26)
Nevett, Charles Shaw. 2 A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
Dryburg
Abbey,
1831.
4f.(7p.)
-
(27)
Fletcher, Maria Jane (Jewsbury)
1800-1833. 6 A.L.s. to Benjamin Bailey;
India,
1833.
20f.(40p.)
Includes several poems.
-
(30)
[Bailey, Benjamin, 1791-1853]. On Southey's loss of mind. A.MS. (unsigned) poem; Colombo, 22 Mar 1841.
1s.(1p.)
A sonnet.
Rollins: "Given to James Bush of the Ship Thos Coutts, for my dear friend his father,
the Rev. Jas Bush, the neighbour and friend of Southey."
-
(31)
Mitford, E.L. [Poems] A.MS.s.; [n.p.] 1842.
3f.(5p.)
One poem is printed.
Rollins: An
"Imitation" of Psalm 20 (in E.L. Mitford's hand); printed, unsigned "Missionary Stanzas" ("Hail
Prophet! who from Patmos height!); a poem, September, 1842, by Mr. Mitford's mother ("Tell
not of vain delights - Transient, fading!"); and a fragment of a letter, Tuesday (1842), from E.L.
Mitford, Bailey's son-in-law, with "a come from the Cedars of Lebanon."
-
(33)
Wilson, Daniel, bp. of Calcutta,
1778-1858. 3 MS.L. (copies) to Alfred Wallis Street;
India, Jan-Feb 1848.
8f.(16p.)
Includes copies of 2
replies of Street.
Rollins: Dealing with the management of Bishop's College, Calcutta,
and the criticism made of it in the Calcutta Review.
hou01647
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