1851.
RAFFAEL’S CARTOONS.
175
To His Sjster-in-Law, Miss Horner.
Ipswich : Jnly 4, 1851.
My dear Susan,—I sat next but one at the luncbeon to-day given by the President and Yice-President of the IpswichMuseum to Prince Albert . Airy, President of the Associa-tion, between me and H.R.H. One of the incidents duringthe dinner was the Prince saying to me, ‘I will show youa geological illustration in your way; there is a glacier’(pointing to a huge block of Wenham Lake ice), ‘ and hereis the stream proceeding from its melting, and you see whereit is flowing to.’ We all looked, and the stream was justpouring over the edge of the table-cloth into Henslow’s lap,who, as President of the Museum, was sitting in the chair-man’s place. He had barely time to escape being wetthrough.
But now to my subject. After luncheon the Prince tookme aside and said, ‘ Are you to be with us to-morrow atthe Commission, when we want numbers, and have difficultjury business to decide ? I told him I could not be sure.
£ Then,’ said he, ‘ I must ask you to get, if you can, from yoursister, a copy of that statement of hers. 1 I am sorry I havemislaid it; I have hunted for it in vain. Teil her if she willonly put the facts fully, it will do. Evans is now at Yenice,and we shall have lost no time. But to ensure a report Imust put the affair in hand before I leave town.’
You may therefore, if you have not a copy of the original(which I do not think was too long), make a shorter one ofthe facts of the case as to the danger of destruction, &c.That is the pressing part of the business. But still a Wordor two about their being so badly shown would be useful, Ithink, and the cold and discomfort to artists in winter.
I am sorry you should have to re-write it, but we haveat least the satisfaction of thinking it is not forgotten.
Believe me, my dear Susan, ever your affectionate brotlier,
1 Miss Horner had drawn up a statement of the danger and injury to Kaf-fael’s Cartoons at Hampton Court from damp and fire. They are now in Ken-sington Museum, and ander glass.