Two Autograph Letters Signed (both 'G Long') from Professor George Long to Professor George Ticknor of Harvard, the first describing Fellowships at Cambridge University, the second regarding the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.

Letter One: 4to, 3 pp. 66 lines of text. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with a small hole in the second leaf caused by the cutting away of the seal, resulting in minor loss to a few words of text. Addressed, on verso of second leaf of bifolium, to 'Professor Ticknor | Boston | Mass.' Undated, but with red postmark dating the letter to December, and docketed by Ticknor 'S. [sic] Long. | Dec. 1825.' Long responds to a request from Ticknor for information regarding 'the nature & tenure of our Fellowship' at Cambridge. 'I believe you will find most possessors of these stipends acquainted with little besides the sum they annually receive - I never read the college statutes, tho' I have often seen them: they are written in barbarous Latin & I am certain many legal questions might arise out of them to the benefit of the tribe of Lawyers.' He can tell Ticknor 'a little about usage [...] I think it was intended Fellows shd reside, but the present rules of our university interpret old statues, as they ought, liberally & usefully'. He discusses whether a fellow need reside, with reference to 'Trinity Coll. [Cambridge] of wh. I am a member', and 'the adjoining Coll. of St. Johns at Cant: a clergyman having completely lost his character was expelled from the Coll. and deprived of a valuable Tutorship'. He discusses his own circumstances: 'I was elected to a fellowship exactly a year before I came to America, & at least 10 months before I received the proposal of Mr Gilmer.' [Francis Walker Gilmer (1790-1826)] 'Mr Owen who is also a fellow of Trin. Coll - A fellow of our Coll. went out to India a few years since - several live almost entering on the continent Waddington who is a fellow was in Abyssinia a year or two ago: all these wanderers can be ordered home'. He also informs Ticknor that 'Dobree our Greek Professor is dead', and expresses 'a great desire to explore Canada'. He would also like to visit Ticknor in Boston, but 'it is not possible at this season. The rains are descending, & the floods are coming, & the roads are now impassable - I shall try to wade thro' the mud as far as Washington.' Letter Two: 3pp., 4to. 76 lines of text. Good, on lightly-aged paper, and again with a small hole to the second leaf of the bifolium caused by the removal of the seal, resulting in minor loss to a couple of words of text. Addressed to Ticknor at Harvard, with New York postmark of 17 July, the year being supplied from the context. The letter discusses the decision by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge to 'publish Quarterly a Journal of Education: [...] It is one main part of this design to give accurate accounts of and fair criticisms upon the Universities, Schools, and Coll. of Gt. Britain. Next in importance we rank the Institutions of the U.S. [...] We wish to be sure of facts, our object is truth unmixed with any national, sectarian, or any other arian prepossessions: we wish to tell the truth, and nothing else, but we wish to tell it completely, temperately, and with a good spirit'. Long invites Ticknor to be 'our Correspondent in the Northern part of your Union, and more especially for the N. E. States'. He gives an outline of the 'kind of information we want', including 'Some description of Harvard'. He gives an impression of the practicalities of the enterprise, while pointing out that 'The Society have intrusted to me the management of the Literary part of this journal: the commercial business is between them & the Committee.' Long edited the Journal between 1831 and 1835.