The Project Gutenberg eBook, Edward FitzGerald and "Posh", by James Blyth

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Title: Edward FitzGerald and "Posh"
"Herring Merchants"

Author: James Blyth

Release Date: February 8, 2007 [eBook #20543]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EDWARD FITZGERALD AND "POSH"***

Transcribed from the 1908 John Long edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

EDWARD FITZGERALD AND "POSH"
"HERRING MERCHANTS"

INCLUDE A NUMBER OF LETTERS
FROM EDWARD FITZGERALD TO JOSEPH FLETCHER
OR "POSH," NOT HITHERTO PUBLISHED

BY
JAMES BLYTH

WITH SIXTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON
JOHN LONG
NORRIS STREET, HAYMARKET
MCMVIII

_Copyright by John Long, 1908_
_All Rights Reserved_

TO
W. ALDIS WRIGHT, ESQ., M.A.
VICE-MASTER OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
I DEDICATE THIS SKETCH
WITH MOST SINCERE THANKS FOR HIS
INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
AND FOR HIS PERMISSION TO PRINT
THE LETTERS OF EDWARD FITZGERALD
WHICH ARE NOW PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME

JAS. BLYTH

_March_, 1908

{"Posh" Fletcher in 1870. Taken for Edward FitzGerald: p0.jpg}

PREFACE

There can be no better foreword to this little sketch of one of the
phases of Edward FitzGerald's life than the following letter, written to
Thomas Carlyle in 1870, which was generously placed at my disposal by Dr.
Aldis Wright while I was giving the sketch its final revision for the
press. The portrait referred to in the letter is no doubt that
reproduced as the photograph of 1870.

"DEAR CARLYLE,

"Your 'Heroes' put me up to sending you one of mine--neither Prince,
Poet, or Man of Letters, but Captain of a Lowestoft Lugger, and
endowed with all the Qualities of Soul and Body to make him Leader of
many more men than he has under him. Being unused to sitting for his
portrait, he looks a little sheepish--and the Man is a Lamb with Wife,
Children, and dumber Animals. But when the proper time
comes--abroad--at sea or on shore--then it is quite another matter.
And I know no one of sounder sense, and grander Manners, in whatever
Company. But I shall not say any more;