Edinburgh,
March 4th[2]
My Dear Mamma,
Today my Hebrew Class met me and gave me a very nice letter and a present of Ewald’s Poets of the Old Covenant[3] and Schultz’s Old Testament Theology.[4] Both are very valuable books [and] I got leave to choose them. They are very handsomely bound; but the great point is the really hearty way in which they were obviously given.
Willie Gray who came to town to Dr Duncan’s funeral[5] yesterday called here early this morning. His sister Lizzie is in a very poor way it seems — rather in an alarming state. The rest I believe are well. Gray himself seems to be getting on. He was asked recently to preach at Manchester but declined.
I believe another letter from Black in good spirits has reached his friend Gibson (an advocate). I mean to go down to Gibson’s after the Theological tonight and see the letter.
You will have seen the steps that the Anti-unionists are taking in Glasgow [with] the formation of a Free Church Defence Association. It is very melancholy. [6]
Alice’s hand is still paining her. The Burn [sic] however is by no means extensive and can’t be long of coming right. One of the fingers is almost quite better.
The warts by the way went quite away very soon after we came here.[7]
I had to read a sketch of a Sermon on Ro[mans] 5: 20 (last clause) [8] in Blaikie’s Class today. Three students read such a sketch every Friday & then students — three or more — and B. himself criticise. Kippen read along with me. Blaikie was pleased with both (not with the third man) and especially I think with mine. He thought that it indicated a vein that when expanded in actual preaching wd prove very effective. I fear I shan’t get so good an estimate from Candlish. My discourse is in his hands just now. My proof sheets as you know came this week. I got Davidson to read them and he thinks the article will be very useful. We had C. McCombie[9] hear [sic] one evg. He gave me some account of the look of things in Aberdeen & of the way in which Dr D. Brown was drawn from Findlay by my Test[imonial]s. I believe Meyer’s friends have put out testimonials lately. It is said that McCombie is to be married soon.
We are (apart from A’s burn) all well. I don’t know if I should add that that means fully well; for prps. I have never clearly expressed that I am quite over (& have been so for a good while) my indisposition of some time ago.
Yr aff. Son
Wm Robertson Smith
[1] CUL ADD 7449 C163 MS
[2] The year “1870” has been added in pencil at some later stage.
[3] Ewald’s Die poetischen Bücher des alten Bundes (3rd edn 1866–67) seems not to have been translated into English at that time. See 1868-03-24.
[4] Schultz, Hermann (1836–1903): a Protestant theologian and philosopher, held chairs successively in Göttingen, Basle, Strasbourg and Heidelberg. In 1890 he succeeded Friedrich Ehrenfeuchter as Protestant abbot of Bursfelde. His Old Testament Theology was first published in 1869.
[5] Dr John (Rabbi) Duncan had died on February 26, 1870. His post in the New College Hebrew chair was of course taken by A. B. Davidson.
[6] An interesting indication of Smith’s pro-union stance by this stage.
[7] In her memoirs, Alice makes no mention of the burn to her hand but describes how her brother had threatened not to take her to Edinburgh if her warts did not clear up.(COTM pp.102f.).
[8] “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
[9] C. McCombie: unidentified but undoubtedly a member of the distinguished farming family from the Alford area, famed for introducing the Aberdeen-Angus breed of cattle. He was possibly a brother of William McCombie (1809–1870) who became a notable journalist and writer, being founder and editor of the Aberdeen Daily Free Press from 1853 until his death.