GALTON

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. The letter begins with a reference to 'Mrs Baker's death'. Pearson and his wife 'had not realised the gravity of her illness', as they had recently seen her 'so well and fresh in spirit'. He wishes he had been able to accept Peirce's suggestion of 'putting me up for tonight' in order to be 'present tomorrow', but he is 'overdone and had work till 6 o'clock arranged for today, so that to come down by the night train tonight & track back tomorrow night have been more than I could safely attempt'.

Postcard, 12 lines on one side, address on other. "I saw Galton F.W. Galton, sometime secretary to the Webbs] today, & he promised to put the pamphlet before his C[ommit]tee. He seemed to think that they would quite probably undertake the publication. I presume this would be acceptable in case no further progress has been made towards guarantee. He said they would not [underlined] subsidise publication by another body [...] a promising opening." Slater tarted the addess with "F.W." (crossed out) supporting identification of F.W. Galton.

Corrie was the son of Rev. Josiah Corrie (1725-1800) of Kenilworth. He was educated at Daventry Academy and New College, Hackney. He was a schoolmaster and a Unitarian minister at the Old Meeting House (1817-19), and president of the Birmingham Philosophical Society, to which, in 1819, he introduced Maria Edgeworth, who notes in a letter her admiration for his 'very agreeable benevolent countenance, most agreeable voice'. In William Field's memoir of Dr Samuel Parr he is numbered among the 'clerical friends' in whose company Parr 'delighted'.