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.
The signature has been excised.
The year of writing is not provided, however, it is likely it is 1880 from the discussion of "Scotch Sermons" which was published in 1880.
Written on the stationery of the University of Glasgow.
Reacting to criticism by MacLeod of Knight's "Scotch Sermons" published in 1880; saying "When he had spoken to me of the book as the manifesto of a party, I had certainly told him that, so little did it take that aspect to me that, before the publication of the book I had not seen any of the contributions save my own & did not even know the names of a number of the contributors. But I never dreamt that he should infer from this that I intended to attach the slightest blame to you in the matter. I added that either he or I must explain this in public. You will see his letter of explanation in the Herald today & which is, I understand, to appear in the Scotsman tomorrow. On reading it, I wrote to him to say that the phrase 'It is my opinion still' indicated a doubt as to the bearing of the preface of which, so far as I was concerned, I wished to disabuse his mind by telling him a fact which, as it was in some measure a confidential matter, I had not hitherto felt at liberty to mention, viz. that I had actually seen the preface before it appeared in print. I have left him to make what use he likes of my letter."