“Woodbridge, Christmas Day.
“Dear Captain,
“Unless I hear from you to-morrow that you are coming over here, I shall most likely run over myself to Miss Green’s at Lowestoft—by the Train which gets there about 2.
“I shall look in upon you in the evening, if so be that I do not see you in the course of the day. I say I shall look in upon [sic] to-morrow, I dare say:—But, as this is Christmas time and I suppose you have many friends to see, I shall not want you to be at school every evening.
“This is Newson’s piloting week, so he cannot come.
“E. FG.”
Posh did not go to Woodbridge, so FitzGerald went to Miss Green’s, whence, on December the 28th, he wrote one of his most characteristic letters (in that it embraced interests so widely different) to Professor Cowell. The letter begins with a reference to M. Garcin de Tassy and his “annual oration,” and continues with some passages of great interest concerning the Rubáiyát and Attar’s “Birds.” (Dr. Aldis Wright’s Eversley Edition of Letters, II, 100.) Then from a delicate and dainty piece of criticism the poet turns to his herring business. “I have come here to wind up accounts for our Herring-lugger: much against us as the season has been a bad one. My dear
Captain [Posh], who looks in his Cottage like King Alfred in the Story, was rather saddened by all this, as he had prophesied better things. I tell him that if he is but what I think him—and surely my sixty years of considering men will not so deceive me at last!—I would rather lose money with him than gain it with others. Indeed I never proposed Gain, as you may imagine: but only to have some Interest with this dear Fellow.”
Well, he had his wish, though Posh maintains that there was gain in the business at a certain time to be referred to hereafter, and that there might have been plenty of gain but for the “interfarin’ parties” before mentioned.
From the first there was a difficulty in persuading Posh to keep any accounts of either outgoings or incomings. He seems to have paid a bill when he thought of it, or when he had the money for it handy. But no idea of book-keeping, even in its
most rudimentary form, was ever entertained by him.
And FitzGerald had, before ever the partnership was an accomplished fact, impressed on Posh the importance of remembering his debts.
Before the spring fishing began in 1868 the question of accounts came to the fore. On March the 29th the sleeping partner wrote from Woodbridge:—
“Dear Poshy,
“I have your Letter of this Morning:—I suppose that you have got mine also. I hope that you understood what I said in it—about the Bills, I mean—that you should put down in writing all outgoings, and in such a way as you, or I, might easily reckon them up: I mean, so as to see what each amounts to—No man’s Memory can be trusted in such matters; and I think that your Memory (jostled about, as you say, with many different calls, [sic no close to parenthesis] needs to have writing to refer to. Do not suppose for one moment that I do not trust you, my good fellow: nor that I think you have made any great blunder in what Accounts you did keep last year. I only mean that a man ought to be able to point out at once, to himself or to others, all the items of an Account; to do which, you know, gave you great Trouble—You must not be too proud to learn a little of some one used to such business: as Mr. Spalding, for instance.
“If you think the Oil and Cutch are as good, and as cheap, at Lowestoft as I can get them here, why not get them at once at Lowestoft? About that green Paint for the Lugger’s bottom:—Mr. Silver got some so very good for Pasifull’s Smack last year that I think it might be worth while to get some, if we could, from his Merchant. You told me that what you got at Lowestoft was not very good.
“I am very glad that the Lugger is so well thought of that any one else wants to build from her. For she was your child, you know.
“Mr. Durrant has never sent me the plants. I doubt he must have lost some more children. Do not go to him again, if you went before. I daresay I shall be running over to Lowestoft soon. But I am not quite well.
“E. FG.
“Remember me to your Family: you do not tell me if your Mother is better.”
The Mr. Spalding here referred to was at that time the manager for a large firm of agricultural implement makers. Subsequently he became the curator of the museum at Colchester, and the letters from FitzGerald to him which were handed to Mr. Francis Hindes Groome formed the most valuable part of the second part of Two Suffolk Friends called “Edward FitzGerald. An Aftermath.”