2110-1-5-1

Private

The Manor House, Ottery St Mary.

5 Jan 1899

Dear Sir

As an old BNC man, & a great admirer of your tale of John Burnet of Barns, perhaps you will excuse me if I say a word or two on the legend of Verdant Green as referred to in your recenlty published book on the dear old College. I am now an elderly grey-bearded fellow, having taken my B.A. in 1853 - but I was young once, with a round & ruddy countenance, & shortsighted enough to compel

me to wear spectacles even then. On the outside of the book as it originally came out, was, as you probably have seen, a portrait of a youth of that description, & I suppose there may have been some resemblance to me therein - for I know many of my friends & acquaintances, & others, - as I then thought unkindly attached the name to me - or me to the name. Now, I believe the rudiments of the story came out first as a Xmas No of the Illustrated London News, or some similar Paper before I entered into residence - in 1851. At any rate, the 1st edition must

have appeared I think in 1852 in Jany of which year I did go up to reside in B.N.C. & at the top of the Kitchen Staircase, where I lived very comfortably all the time I was in College. But beyond the unfortunate resemblance of my face to the outside of the book, I altogether disclaim any right to the name. There is not one single circumstance in the description of the weak but amiable freshman which bears the remotest resemblance to anything in my own story; or character (I think) - though I daresay strangers accepted the whole medley of amusing absurdity & fathered them on my innocent

head, & set the myth afloat. That my 'adventures' were in any sense the 'original' of the youth is entirely untrue, & there are plenty of old BNC men who could certify that, if it were worthwhile. But as you have given indirectly a kind of currency to the idea that there even was a real V.G. in the College, I thought it worth while to tell you the truth about it, & leave it to you to modify the tale in any future edition. Of course, I don't care to have my name mentioned in the matter now, nor is it of any great moment, but the legend is in itself utterly baseless beyond what I have stated - & that being so,

it is beneath the dignity of a book which has, I hope, a higher aim than the propagation of a fiction. I see my edition of the 1st part of the 'Adventures' is dated 1853 - but I believe the book came out earlier, for I recollect that I heard the name applied to myself very soon after I went up, in Jan 1852, & was at first somewhat indignant! but afterwards I never felt anything but gentle amusement, & followed the story with interest - but alas! it has not turned out true as a prophecy, or fore shadowing of the events of any