The “Pope” of Holland House
John Whishaw to Thomas Smith, 22 January 1818
Jan. 22, 1818.
I HAVE read “Rob Roy,” but with no great attention. It
seems to be quite worthy of its distinguished author, but inferior in point of
interest and general merit to its predecessors. Generally speaking, I think it has
not been very successful, but there are great authorities the other way,
particularly Mackintosh and Smyth.
I forget whether I told you that Mackintosh is appointed Law Professor to the East India College. It
will be a great advantage, I trust, to that establishment.
I have not yet read any part of Mill’s book,1 but Mallet and I are going to look into him this evening. I am afraid
that, although perhaps a useful library
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book, it is far from being a good history. It
seems to be wholly deficient in the tone, temper, and dignity which belong to
historical composition.
We have been much pleased with a little book called “Notes on a Journey in
America” by Morris Birkbeck. It
contains in a small compass a very interesting and instructive account of the
United States.
Franklin’s memoirs are
just published, but I have not seen them; and Captain
Hall’s account
of the Lewchew Islands will appear in a few days. New “Tales of my Landlord” are talked
of in Scotland. What a crowd of entertaining publications, and how much better than
battles of Austerlitz and Jena, or even Leipsic or Waterloo!
Morris Birkbeck (1764-1825)
Radical writer and friend of Robert Owen who in 1817 emigrated to the United States; the
following year he published a widely popular book encouraging others to do the same.
Captain Basil Hall (1788-1844)
Scottish seaman and traveler; after education at Edinburgh high school he entered the
Navy in 1802; he published
Fragments of Voyages and Travels
(1831-33) and other works.
Sir James Mackintosh (1765-1832)
Scottish philosopher and man of letters who defended the French Revolution in
Vindiciae Gallicae (1791); he was Recorder of Bombay (1803-1812) and
MP for Knaresborough (1819-32).
John Lewis Mallet (1775-1861)
The son of the French journalist Jacques Mallet du Pan; he was Secretary of the Audit
Office.
James Mill (1773-1836)
English political philosopher allied with the radical Joseph Hume; he was the father of
John Stuart Mill.
William Smyth (1765-1849)
The son of a Liverpool banker, he was educated at Eton and Peterhouse, Cambridge, and was
Professor of Modern History at Cambridge (1807). He published of
English
Lyricks (1797) and
Lectures on Modern History
(1840).
