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 from "Wood Close / Grasmere."
Complimenting him on his two volumes on Wordsworth; saying "The work when complete will form a noble monument of the poets; saying he has made a few editorial notes and pointing out a specific error; adding "I am very glad to hear that you are expected by Miss Richardson at the beginning of October. We must leave on the 9th - I should like very much to have a drive with you towards Hawkshead - There are one or two points on which I think further light may be thrown - & I am getting too lazy to do anything alone. The copse, called by you 'Bane Riggs' (originally I suppose part of Lady Wood) has been lately cropped and the 2 'heath clad rocks' are exposed in all their glory except some stunted firs on the western or lower one - the Eastern one is covered with splendid heath & is evidently exactly as it was in Wordsworths time - We must have a sit there. In the Rectory possession is a drawing, done by a Mr. Buckle in 1821, of the Church - It includes the firs close to the Tower exactly as reported to you by me on Mr. Green's information. The drawing is good & would make a suitable illustration for the Excursion; " adding, in a postscript, that the local bookseller has "....ordered more copies of your 'Lake District' this season than in any former one."