Acquired as part of a large collection of letters addressed to William Angus Knight, Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of St. Andrews and Wordsworth scholar. Items in the collection have been individually accessioned and cataloged.
Written on mourning stationery.
The year of writing is not provided however he gives the place of writing as Glasgow. Caird was a Professor of Moral Philosophy at Glasgow from 1866-1893.
Concerning Knight's request to give a lecture series in the spring; saying "I have now seen the Secretary of Q.M. College - Miss Calloway. She thinks that there w'd be no use in trying a course of lecture in April. It is her experience that nobody will begin anything new then, & if a course is prolonged into May, there is a difficulty in getting young ladies even to complete their attendance...suggesting alternate times he might lecture and suggesting he apply to the council by the middle of that month; cautioning him that "The young ladies are already enrolled in as many classes as they are likely to take & the general public in Glasgow is too much occupied with music & dinners to be drawn to more than an occasional lecture. Session before last, a course of ten popular lectures was given....but it brought in very little tho' some of the lectures were well attended...Q.M. College is at present in low water in a pecuniary way, & would not undertake any risk : otherwise it might be expected to do something for such a course;" saying he would be happy to put him up if he does come to Glasgow and apologizing that he "...cannot give a more promising account of this matter."