John Stuart Mill: A Criticism with Personal Recollections

INTIMACY WITH ROEBUCK. 39
Roebuck came over from America, to enter the English
bar, I believe, about 1824. He called at the India House
on his relative, Peacock, who offered to introduce him to
a
"
disquisitive youth," in the office, and took him to Mill s
room. The intimacy that sprung up was even greater than
appears from the Autobiography. Mill had already begun his
friendship with George John Graham, who also took to Roe
buck, so that the trio became inseparable. Mill used, on his
way to the India House, to pick up Roebuck at his chambers,
and Graham somewhere else, and they walked together to the
city.
Mill spends a page or two in giving the origin of the differ
ence of opinion between Roebuck and himself, with reference
to poetry and to Wordsworth in particular, which led to the
diminution and ultimate cessation of their intimacy. Roebuck
treated the whole of this account as without any basis of fact.
According to him, the coolness arose, on his foolishly (such
was his own expression) remonstrating with Mill on the danger
to his future prospects from his relation to Mrs. Taylor.
In the early days of his intimacy with Graham and Roebuck,
he took them down once or twice to spend the Sunday at the
summer lodgings ot the family. He seemed unconscious of
his father s dislike to his having them for friends
: the reason
of the dislike I can only surmise. On one of these visits his
father was markedly discourteous ;
and Roebuck was the very
man not to be put upon in any way. He retorted the incivil
ity , and the consequence may be supposed. On Monday
morning, Roebuck and Graham went up to London, by the
regular coach ; Mill stayed behind, and then walked to town
(from Croydon). On next seeing his friends, he told them
what happened between him and his father ; he had, he said,
"
vindicated his position". The scene left a great impression
in the family. The children have a recollection of their
mother being, on one occasion, in a state of grief, saying, "John
all on account of Graham and
was going to leave the house,