43 Sackville St.
Monday March 25th
My dear Father.
You never sent me the demonstration of your theorem about the concurrent axes of the Trapeziums which arise from the successive omission of the sides of a pentagon <illegible deletion>. I take it ill, but perhaps you think that I do not deserve it, as I have not sent you anything mathematical worth looking at. I have today made by my debut at this reading room of the British Museum, and have been learning the ways of the place. I merly <sic> looked at Brit Brittons architectural antiquities of Great Britain, <1> published in 1807. It is a well known book, and one that I have never seen. John Britton was I believe a Wiltshire man, and I think he is looked upon as one of the principal originaters of the modern study of Gothic architecture. He gives a drawing of the cloisters of Lacock, internal, taken from the north-east angle, and looking along the east walk. It is not a pleasing view and is exaggerated in size and in height. The illustrations in the work vary much in merit, some being very good. It is creditable to our county to have raised Aubrey <2> and Britton, though we are charged with being Beotian, <3> and deficient in intellect. Did we not raise Sir Richard Colt Hoare? <4> The reading room is a pleasant place enough with a vast dome, which seems to be mostly constructed of canvas for ventilation. There is a refreshment room now in the Museum, which is very convenient for if you read for any length of time you require support. Also on the public days you may diversify the occupation by looking at the collections, but I suppose not on the private days. Our weather is much warmer but rainy. The reaction of from cold to heat was rather trying.
Love to all –
Your affect son
Charles –
Notes:
1. John Britton (1771 – 1857), The architectural antiquities of Great Britain, represented and illustrated in a series of views, elevations, plans, sections, and details, of ancient English edifices: with historical and descriptive accounts of each (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, etc., 1807).
2. John Aubrey (1626 – 1697), antiquary.
3. Boastful.
4. Sir Richard Colt Hoare (1758 – 1858), historian of Wiltshire.