Francis HORNER (1778–1817). Letter from the author, Lincoln’ - Lot 42

Francis HORNER (1778–1817). Letter from the author, Lincoln’s Inn, November 28, [1810], to Thomas Robert Malthus; 3½ pages, in-8 (traces of a tab); in English. A very interesting letter to Malthus, concerning Ricardo and the mental state of George III. He asks Malthus for a favor: he forgot to give an article on “the question of depreciation” to Francis Jeffrey [editor of the Edinburgh Review], and wants to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands; credit should be given to David Ricardo and Robert Mushet, who were the first to draw the public’s attention to this subject. He asks Malthus to write a few pages on Ricardo’s treatise (*The High Price of Bullion*), despite their differences of opinion. He also hopes that Ricardo will review Charles Bosanquet’s book (*Practical Observations on the Report of the Bullion Committee*). He then discusses King George III’s mental state: the Privy Council has consulted the physicians (“The Privy Council has examined all the physicians”), and each offers his opinion (“an expectation of the King’s recovery”); Heberden is hopeful, basing his optimism on the alleviation of symptoms, the integrity of the King’s faculties during his lucid intervals, and the similarity of his current illness to his previous episodes: “he relied upon the improvement in the symptoms, the ‘integrity of the King’s faculties’ (during lucid intervals, I presume), and the similarity of his current illness to previous episodes”; Reynolds believed that recovery was certain, and Willis that it was likely… [On February 5, 1811, the future George IV was named Prince Regent; George III would not die until 1820.]