Thomas Beddoes to Davies Giddy, [early (before 10) August 1792]
Dear Giddy
I wish with all my heart that you may have been more successful than I was in divining the councils of the Despots. I had conceived that the Empress of Russia in invading Poland acted in concert with the tyrants of Hungary & Prussia. I imagined that they had agreed to exert every effort to check the present tendency of human affairs at the risqué of quarreling afterwards about the division of spoil, & that each had chosen the field of action most convenient. – I had often heard the Polish revolution praised here by way of throwing odium upon the French, but I hear no execrations uttered agt the E. of R. though I do not believe the sun ever looked upon a violation of justice, so entirely destitute of all pretext. And yet I can hardly suppose that the Oxford admirers of the proceedings in Poland are struck dumb with indignation. The executive part of the French govt certainly goes on excessively ill. Is it because the constitution is defective in this part, or because it was utterly impossible that the same person who was King of France as it was, shd be King of France as it is? The King of France cannot in any event remain a twelvemonth what he is; & I think they will cease to have a king before the term prescribed to make changes in the constitution from the complexion of the last French papers I expect in the next to hear of more than an implied dissention between the King & Assembly. What you say of the diminution of the salary of the ministers & of the King’s guards I believe to be perfectly just. The desire of attaching importance to their function – à faire valoir son ministèrie – wd also increase their devotion to their idol & of course operate unfavourably at the present crisis.
I was glad to receive your section of the lodes. It has always appeared to me that as long as we stood at a distance & considered lodes as fissures of all shapes & sizes displaying all the accidents of fracture & dislocation, our theory was satisfactory; but I learned in Cornwall that the moment you come to particulars, that moment you feel a most humiliating sense of the helplessness of your philosophy, which yet I suppose is of little value, unless it will apply closely to particulars. The dykes are doubtless veins: those steaks of granite at Port Leven are as fine examples of veins as can be shewn – & in the necessity we are under of looking to every analogy for the confirmation of our principles, I think it worth while to remark that as these granite, whyn, elvn porphyritic &c dykes, are processes of a large mass of similar matter in the depths of the earth, so this probably holds concerning the matter of veins. Mr Werner has published a theory of veins & it was probably for him that Hawkins wanted the information you sent him. H. is expected here soon, & I hope he will come – Sibthorpe is to join him next year &c as you probably know. I tell Sibthorpe he will certainly be buried in classical mould, & then, I am sure, he will well deserve to be canonized inter heroes scientiæ.
The Dean of Ch. Ch. is coming into Cornwall; wd you chuse to have him addressed to you? Mr Strange thinks of undertaking the same journey; If you do not know him already, I think you will be pleased with his conversation; & in the faith of my own good opinion of a man I never saw, I shall not hesitate to give him a letter to you. The physical geography of the north of Italy is a subject on which he will be able to give you much satisfaction.
We have lately had here a very respectable Scotchman, a friend of A. Smith. Smyth introduced him to me as Mr Millar of Edinr; & he himself talked largely of Edinr & was acquainted with all my acquaintance there. At last he mentioned a dispute on liberty & necessity, in which Gregory, Professor of medicine & a great grammarian & philosopher à la Monboddo, has offered a new argument in favour of liberty & dilated it into a book. The argument is: that supposing a man actuated by two motives, one propelling him to the E. & one to the West, he must go N. or S., but according to the hypothesis of necessity, he goes E. or W just as the stronger motive directs; therefore from the laws of motion, the doctrine is absurd. He related many other particulars, interesting only to those who know the individuals, whom they concern. I told him that since the loss of Hume & A. Smith, his country was in danger of coming into credit for ‘philosophy’, & such speculatists cd not maintain it ‘but there is one person upon whom the spirit of A. Smith has rested, & he is a namesake of yours, I mean, Professor Millar of Glasgow’. By the gloom of displeasure that instantly overspread our Smyth’s countenance, I suspected I had said something I ought not to have said before the parties who were present, & afterwards I found that our stranger was Professor Millar himself. Smyth has worked up the adventure into one of his best stories, & if he has any correspondent In Cornwall who happens to know me, you may have it in a much more agreable attitude & dress, than as it stands here in the simplicity of truth. This morning, I expressed an opinion concerning our connection with India in such a way as I hoped wd irritate Smyth to a vehement contradiction. Millar engaged in the dispute; & as I had been led to expect, shewed much particular information on the subject, & said many things tending to shew that our commerce with India only answers the purpose of conveying to Britain fortunes made out of the plunder of the natives.
The essence of a bad climate & a bad temper is that you can never be sure of them long together. Two days ago we were drooping from the sultriness of the weather – this day wd have been felt as cold in December. Surely this will be one among many motives that will carry numbers to France before the end of the century.
I send the <French> Justice of peace by Millet, supposing you may wish to see it. I will write a few lines by Edwards: – will you say if you have any wish to see the church dignitary above mentioned – Poor Flamank looks ill & dispirited – My compts to your father & thanks for his attention to my request –
T. Beddoes
MS: Cornish Archives MS DG 41/1/1