Edinburgh, Friday
? Feby. 1870[2]
My Dear Father,
After consultation with Davidson I resolved to decline Clark’s offer. I called on Clark[3] who was very kind and said perhaps I might wish to publish something later.
McGregor and Davidson are increasingly hopeful — McG especially at the vote at Dundee[4] where I had 6 to Salmonds’s 12 although all were his neighbours and most men long ago pledged to support Salmond in the Presbytery. One at least McG knows will not feel that this binds his vote at the Assembly. And in general McG. thinks that I should come off better at the Assembly than now.
I think I mentioned writing a note on Rothe for Blaikie at the beginning of the session.[5] It was a sort of correction of the Contemporary Review. McG. through Calderwood has sent it up to the Review & hopes it may appear.[6] It is short but I think calculated to be useful. I don’t think there is any other news that does not fall to Nell save that the Editor of the “Revue” is to send me some copies of my Mill Paper.
We are glad that Bertie liked his book.
Your aff. Son
Wm R. Smith
[1] CUL ADD 7449 C136 MS
[2] The date and question mark have been pencilled in by the original editor. The most likely date would have been February 4, the first Friday of the month in 1870.
[3] The publisher, Thomas Clark, had evidently offered to publish a piece by WRS – possibly the article “The question of prophecy in the critical schools of the Continent” which appeared opportunely in the British Quarterly Review of April, 1870.
[4] Smith writes Dundeed for Dundee.
[6] It did not appear in The Contemporary Review.