[James Wyatt, geologist and editor of the Bedford Times.] Autograph Letter Signed ('James Wyatt') [to the geologist/antiquary Samuel Sharpe], regarding geology, James Hervey, the qualities of a schoolmaster moved from Bedford to Northamptonshire.

4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged, with traces of glue from tipping-in affecting the lower part and underlining of Wyatt's expansive signature. Folded twice. 71 lines of text. Note in pencil at head of first page states that the letter was 'sent to Saml. Sharpe of Northampton author of The Moabite Stone', but the writer of the note has confused the Egyptologist Samuel Sharpe (1799-1881) with the real recipient, the geologist and antiquary Samuel Sharp (1814-1882), for both of whom see the Oxford DNB. The letter begins: 'My dear Sir | Your note, at the first glance, gave me pleasure as a renewal of friendly intercourse: but grieved me as I read on by informing me upon your painful indisposition'. He hopes that 'long-deferred genial sunshine' will enable him to 'come up smiling' and in his 'pristine form'. He thanks him for the copy of his 'interesting lecture on the Stone', which he will be reading more carefully that evening. When Sharp has recovered, '& when the weather has become more settled, and the new railway opened', Wyatt will 'run down to your parts for a day and look you up. I want to do a little bit of pilgrimage to James Hervey's place at Weston [i.e. Weston Flavell, the Northamptonshire living of James Hervey (1714-1758)] &c. &c. and I want to see your Museum.' The rest of the letter concerns 'the Man of our town who has come to yours'. He begins: 'In confidence I beg to say that I do not think he knows anything about Geology, but that the main object of obtaining the F[ellow.] G[eological]. S[ociety]. was to help him in his position as a pedagogue.' Despite this 'stern criticism' Wyatt regards the man as 'an estimable person, & I think the Trustees of the School ought to have given him the Head-mastership. He & the late Head master really founded the school out of a chaos of new trustees, bricks & mortar packed into the form of school-buildings and a mob of boys of "all sorts" suddenly shot into an unfinished concern. It was marvellous to me how these two men licked the materials into shape at all. The efforts killed one, and the other you have now in your part.' On the subject of 'people finding fault with the school, why - you and I have lived long enough to know that if you sell to some persons a quartern loaf for two pence they would say it was a d - d poor boon for it was not half so light as French rolls, nor so toothsome as pound-cake.' He praises the training the two masters gave to the boys, which allowed them to perform creditably 'under the science examinations instituted by the Kensington folks'. On the other hand, 'the domestic part of the establishment was rough [...] probably owing to the absence of any Steward & properly constituted housekeeper'. He knows nothing of 'this gentleman's antecedents. He is a University man, & has taken Priest's orders since he has been here.' He ends by stating that Sharp would 'like him as a mere acquaintance if no more. Of that you could soon form an opinion.'