2742. Joseph Arnould to RB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 15, 118–119.
13. Markham Square, Chelsea
July 17th [1848] [1]
Dear Browning. The above address will show you that since I wrote last we have changed our abode, to which various reasons have conduced, the foremost being my wife’s health, which required, what we have here found, a more airy & open situation than Victoria Square: we have gained by the change in every respect save one, viz in being at a greater distance from our invaluable neighbour Chorley, who is kind enough however still to keep up his old practice of paying us a Sunday visit, almost as the weeks come round: another thing has also happened to me since I wrote last, viz. that I have at length brought out a huge laborious law book on which I have been at work for the last 4 years; [2] the Judges, to whom I sent copies officially, speak well of it & although it has only been out 3 weeks, I have had the pleasure of hearing it publicly commended from the Bench i.e. by the Judge in open court, & have already been cited as an authority in the Court of Common Pleas– Lord Denman, [3] our Chief Justice, very civilly asked me to dine with him on the strength of the copy I presented to him & altogether as far as credit & commendation goes I have good reason to be satisfied with my success: whether in the result it will bring me law business—my main object in writing it—remains to be seen: but I am told that ultimately it must do so: if so, it will be of a lucrative nature as the subject is on Sea Policies & Shipping Insurances—matters in which, as the interests concerned are valuable, the lawyer’s remuneration is proportionably great. We are all expecting here your appearance in a regular form & I believe your public is extending from year to year: what a delightful life you must be leading in dear old Florence, a city, to my mind, the most charming of all residences, except during July & August, when as far as my recollection serves me the heat is almost insupportable: my sister has written to me to say how delighted they should be to see you, if you could take the trouble of finding them out—they are now living near the Porta St Gallo end of Via larga—at (I think) the Casetta Steystead, but unluckily I have not the exact address as I always write to her “Poste restante”: her husband’s name is Count Boratynski: [4] I shall be very glad if in the course of some ramble in Florence you can look in upon them. You will I know be glad to learn that Governor Grey has at last given Domett a good birth [sic]: the place of colonial Secretary for the province of New Munster, in New Zealand, with a salary of £400 a year. I have just (3 days ago) had a letter from him announcing this good news: he writes in good spirits & with all his usual kind & fine feeling enquires much about you, & desires his kindest regards: of course you, like myself will be very rejoiced at his being thus reconciled to life & its activities by taking office under a man whom he so cordially admires & approves of as Grey.
Poor Dowson, of whose illness I think I told you, is lingering on in a struggle, now alas quite hopeless, between Life & Death. [5] I saw him a week ago wasted away to the ghost of his former self—his hair all grey—his voice a whisper—his cheeks two hollows; but I am glad to tell you he keeps up his spirit indomitably, is cheerful, serene, tranquilly resigned to the inevitable; he asked as he always does about you, and is glad to learn of your enquiries about him—— Chorley as usual at this time of the year is greatly overworked, but I think I never saw him go through the labour with less exhaustion: surely his time must come for being appreciated as he deserves: that which has hitherto fought against him is his rigid honesty & entire sincerity of purpose. I do long to see him obtaining some of that generally high estimation which he so well merits, & which it would do him so much good to obtain: I fear his play has no chance of being acted: [6] what an admirable book Fo[r]ster has written about Goldsmith! [7] I take it one of our best biographies.
I dont know how it is we don’t see more of your sister: my wife is unfortunately so great an invalid as to be unable to go about much and I know your Sister finds a difficulty in leaving Mrs Browning: this added to the distance (now alas increased!) between our respective dwelling places, is I suppose the cause of our being unable more often to realize the pleasure of meeting– I trust Maria (who is really I believe improving) will soon be strong enough for a journey to Hatcham, & I hope directly my wife is strong enough to entertain friends that Sarianna will once more give us the great pleasure of staying a little while with us: Maria joins with me in the most cordial kind regards & best wishes to yourself & Mrs Browning of whom we trust in your next letter to hear good accounts & I am,
my dear Browning
your ever sincere friend
Joseph Arnould
Address, on integral page: Robert Browning / Poste Restante / Florence / Italy.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Alexander Turnbull Library.
1. Year provided by postmark.
2. A Treatise on the Law of Marine Insurance and Average (1848), which continues to be used as a primary source in its field; see letter 2715, note 1.
3. Thomas Denman (1779–1854), 1st Baron Denman, was Lord Chief Justice from 1832 to 1850.
4. Emile Edmund Gerome Boratynski (né Jurkiewicz, 1810?–76), a Polish artist, married Eliza Anne Arnould (b. 1815) on 1 October 1840 at Saint Anne, Soho. Boratynski, whose studio was on the Borgo Santa Croce, was made an honorary professor in the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1848. By 1853 he had left Florence.
5. Christopher Dowson, Jr. (1807–48) died on 20 September 1848.
6. A reference to Old Love and New Fortune, which was first performed on 18 February 1850; see letter 2165, note 2.
7. The Life and Adventures of Oliver Goldsmith: A Biography in Four Books was published at the end of April 1848.
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