Record

HSF - Correspondence of Sir John Frederick William Herschel, and the Herschel family
- 3 - Letters of William James Herschel
  - 20 - Letters from William James Herschel, largely to family members, with related correspondence

RefNo	HSF/3/20/4
Level	Item
Title	Letter from William James Herschel, Dacca [Dhaka], to 'Dearest Mother' [Margaret Brodie Herschel]
Creator	Herschel; Sir William James; second baronet (1833-1917); British developer of fingerprinting and judge
Date	27 March 1872
Description	Their first full week has been a very full time. He parted satisfactorily with the Lieutenant Governor, with the suggestion that there would always be a room open to William if he wished to consult. [George Campbell] is a difficult man to understand, a theoretician who wants to impress his theories upon a land which considers itself the most intellectual in India and best fitted to judge for itself. He expects his subordinates to carry through his ideas, whereas the Bengal Civil Service has been accustomed to moulding the ideas of the Lieutenant Governor. Campbell does not get the cooperation he needs to make great changes. He seems to have welded the great departments more together than before. William thinks his theories matter less than whether the service is shaken up towards an earnest attitude to its work, but he thinks that gains may fall down when Campbell departs. William notes the dampness of the air and its effect on health, including fevers. They contemplate going to Shillong. He is sorry to hear that Edward wishes to withdraw, and comments upon Cookson's opinion on the disposal of unmarried daughters' shares [under the will of Sir John Frederick William Herschel]. William notes that Johnny [John Herschel] is now a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, which would have been a pleasure to his father. He returns [George Biddell] Airy's letter, saying that he has earned his honour [a knighthood] and might be excused his pride. William is 'longing for the Illustrated about St Paul's' and the idea of a general subscription.
Extent	8p.
Format	Manuscript
PhysicalDescription	Ink on paper
AccessStatus	Open

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