Thomas Woolner letter to John Frederick Lewis, 1875 June 21

"June 21, '75. My dear Lewis, It rejoiced my life to see your hand again on paper, and I hope next Friday to behold your veritable countenance, and to hold that hand in my own. It is very good to offer me a bed, but will you smile on my petition? - Instead of staying all night and possibly putting you to some trouble, may I bring my wife to spend the afternoon with you? It will be a joy for her to remember all her life making her bow to you in your own house. There are two convenient trains in the evening, so that all will be comfortable. Alas, alas, my beloved "Lion and Lioness" went. I hated sending it at all; but was forced to send every one of my best to avoid the charge of "merely weeding". I put a reserve of £80, which I hoped would secure its return, but it reached £89. - From the numerous failures in monied circles, and the lateness of the season I was told the sale would be a poor one, and thought my reserve would secure me against purchase, but your renown was too much for my prudence, and I lost my treasure. I intend to lose no more money by bad investments as I did last year and the year before; nothing but jogtrots [?] for the future. Bitter as it was to get rid of my lovely pictures I must say it is a relief to be free from so much responsibility. I will tell you all about everything when we meet. I enclose for Mrs Lewis a pho: of my monument to Bishop [John] Patteson representing him as he lay in the canoe after having been stripped, and a mat thrown over him, and a palm branch with 5 knots placed in his hands.- Ever truly yours, T. Woolner" No photo present. Bishop Patteson was murdered in 1871 in the Solomon Islands; his body was found floating in a canoe, covered with a palm mat and holding a palm branch.