BYRON'S LETTERS TO DOUGLAS KINNAIRD ... - Get a Free Blog

moderate but secure interest {for} the money – – if you state rightly – there are hardly two
thousand pounds of outstanding debt – and if I state rightly – (supposing Lady B. to live)
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the whole of the year’s income for 1823 – might be saved. – I repeat to you that I have at this moment
– 3500 – in bank of the present year – and if I were to spend the odd 500 before J y – it would still leave
a surplus of 3000 – which would suffice for my year’s expenditure. Now if you can obtain anything
like a proper price from M. – that ought to more than cover any outstanding debts – and thus at least a
considerable portion of the income could accrue – and might be invested in exchequer bills – or
some other security – from which I might re=convert it ( if necessary) into cash. – I suppose that you
will laugh at all my {pecuniary plans} – but after having known the miseries of embarrassments – it is
natural to try to provide against their recurrence. – Let me know your notions to which I attach great
weight as you know
y rs . ever
N. B.
Byron to Douglas Kinnaird, from Genoa, October 31st 1822:
(Source: text from NLS Ms.43453; not in 1922 II; BLJ X 24)
[To, The Honorable / Douglas Kinnaird. / Messrs Ransom & C o . Bankers. / Pall Mall. / London. /
Angleterre. // Inghilterra.]
A single sheet.
Genoa. Oct r . 31 st . 1822.
My dear Douglas,
By last post – I sent you two more Cantos of D. J. – I now forward to you a note for
M r . Murray – with whom it is concluded. – You will I suppose try to arrange with some other
bookseller for the publication {(the 6 Cantos I mean)} – as well as for that of “Werner” and the
Oratorio – called “Heaven and Earth”. – This will however probably be difficult – and in that case –
perhaps you had better see John Hunt – (Leigh Hunt’s brother) with whom it will be easier to settle
some arrangement – I don’t mean as to Copy=right – for he has no capital – but as to publication – and
my receiving a certain portion of such profit as may arise therefrom. – I will however be guided by
your opinion – Murray’s is obviously a mere evasion; – he says that he has lost 16000 by a brother in
law – and as I take it is out of cash. – He has behaved ill too – in giving incorrect copies of the Vision
& c . to John Hunt – perhaps with the view of getting
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[above address:] him into a scrape, – M r . M. has perhaps another object in view – he knows that they
will be pirated – and that he can then [below address:] re=publish them too with impunity. – –
Some day or other – he will regret his present behaviour.
y rs . ever & truly
N. B.
Byron to Douglas Kinnaird, from Genoa, November 2nd 1822:
(Source: text from NLS Ms.43453; not in 1922 II; BLJ X 26-7)
[To, The Honorable Douglas Kinnaird. / Messrs Ransom & C o . Bankers. / Pall Mall. / London. /
Angleterre // Inghilterra.]
Genoa. Nov r . 2 d . 1822.
My dear Douglas,
I have forwarded to you the 10 th . & 11 th Cantos – (making six in all) with an answer to
your business epistle. – Also a letter enclosing a reply to M r . Murray’s note – which I consider with
you – as a mere evasion, & pretext. – That worthy person is a curious riddle; and I have chiefly to
regret having at the beginning of the year – at his own especial request to Hobhouse & Moore –
recalled my resolution to have nothing more to do with him. – – To dispose of the new Cantos
elsewhere – you will find difficult from the same reasons that operated with regard to the Vision & c .
which by the way – the loyal bookseller – despite of all instances to the contrary – put into M r . John
Hunt’s hands in it’s most republican and
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