Edinburgh 19th Feb.
1869
My Dear Mamma,
Many thanks for all the good things which arrived safely this afternoon — or rather were awaiting me when I came home in the afternoon.
You have taken me quite by storm in your demand for a portrait of myself — you must know it is not the price I grudge. I don’t want the bother of being taken now as I must be taken at any rate next year for our class portrait — But if it must be it must. I will see about it before the end of the Session but I suppose there is no hurry — It is difficult for me to get time during Photographers’ hours –
I shall have rather a nice job with Mr R.[oger] but I suppose I may get him clearly to understand that he must charge.
Wd you like Mary Jane larger than George I mean the head larger? If so it wd make a very big affair.[2]
I suppose I need not hurry this either if it has to be done during the session — I don’t think there is much to tell this week. I have got through my Herschell [sic] paper but no one has made more than half marks.
I have got another batch of Ladies’ papers today. Oh, by the bye I met some of the Ladies’ Class last Saturday when I was at Bell’s at dinner — the Murray-Dunlops & Moody Stewarts. Mrs Bell unwisely told that I was the Examiner.
I believe our Theol: row is quite over unless it appear in the Watchword for Reid is a strong Beggite. The Miss. Soc. affair is not exactly a Row — i.e. the men who are opposing us are men who tho’ violent are I think above making the matter personal.
I read yesterday to Smeaton & was highly praised (as every one is). He had evidently read my Exegesis. He said that he wd have like me to take up the doctrine of the passage more fully — but quite understood my motive in taking up rather the real linguistic difficulty. If I wd study Biblical Dogmatic I wd do something in Exegesis — & a great many other compliments. Gray has been again tremendously praised by Candlish & asked to preach his Sermon in St George’s.
Marcus Dods is not coming to Edinburgh. Mrs Laing[3] died this week after a very tedious illness –- Cancer in the Stomach I believe. Mr Laing has been much knocked up with anxiety for some time.
I am well, except for a swollen eye wh. seems likely to become a stye. Many thanks to Papa for his encouragement[4] about my Paper.
Yr aff. Son,
W.R.S.
I had a letter fr. John Hud.[5] this week. Still very anxious to go with me but only if I could teach him English at least wh. I declined.
[1] CUL ADD 7449 C153 MS
[2] It seems that his mother Jane wished a composite photograph of the family which would include Mary Jane.
[3] Unidentified.
[4] From the point, the remainder of the sentence and the postscript are crosswise wise at the head of the letter.
[5] Unidentified: “Hud.” is probably an abbreviation for Hudson.