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A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1805
Sydney Smith to Francis Jeffrey, [February 1804]
INTRODUCTION & INDEXES
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
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Author's Preface
Contents
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Index
Editor’s Preface
Letters 1801
Letters 1802
Letters 1803
Letters 1804
Letters 1805
Letters 1806
Letters 1807
Letters 1808
Letters 1809
Letters 1810
Letters 1811
Letters 1812
Letters 1813
Letters 1814
Letters 1815
Letters 1816
Letters 1817
Letters 1818
Letters 1819
Letters 1820
Letters 1821
Letters 1822
Letters 1823
Letters 1824
Letters 1825
Letters 1826
Letters 1827
Letters 1828
Letters 1829
Letters 1830
Letters 1831
Letters 1832
Letters 1833
Letters 1834
Letters 1835
Letters 1836
Letters 1837
Letters 1838
Letters 1839
Letters 1840
Letters 1841
Letters 1842
Letters 1843
Letters 1844
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No date, but believed about 1805.
My dear Jeffrey,

You are raving mad if you take the least notice of ——. Let nothing—not even the pleasantry and success of an answer you might write—tempt you to do it. It is quite out of his power to do you the least harm, and out of yours to do him any: he is perfectly invulnerable by his degradation, and, from the same cause, innoxious. I beg and entreat you to lay aside all thoughts of an answer. I have read through his pamphlet, and never read such dull trash. What is the history of my escape?

I cannot say I am much struck with your Reid. I do not quite agree with you in your observation upon the science of metaphysics, nor with the differ-
14MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.
ence you have attempted to establish between observation and experiment; but there is in that article quite enough of acuteness, good sense, and good writing to render it an ornament to the work, the character of which will not, in my opinion, suffer by the present number. The two articles which pleased me most were Izarn and D’Agnesi; I suspect them both to be from Playfair. ——’s review is too coarse—some parts absolutely ungentlemanlike. The great horror of the review is the ge in gelidus being made long; I was forced to break it to Elmsley by degrees.

If I were to write on in the Review, I would certainly not conceal myself, but I am much afraid it may not be in my power. I am engaging in my profession, and determined to write a book. We shall be heartily glad to see you if you come here. You will take some time in getting acquainted with the R——s, but you will succeed at last, and they are really worth the trouble: but do not talk lightly before them on serious subjects,—you will terrify them to death. I shall always love Edinburgh very dearly. I know no man of whose understanding and principles I have a higher opinion than I have of yours. I will come and visit Edinburgh very often if I am ever rich, and I think it very likely one day or another I may live there entirely. I write with a bad headache, but I write speedily to remonstrate, in the strongest manner, against your pamphlet. I am sure John Murray will agree with me: my kindest regards to him; he is an admirable man. Adieu!

Sydney Smith.