BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF LETTERS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3137, 2 October 1922, Page 8

BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF LETTERS.

(Bv Rudolph de Cordova)

Tlie Prime Minister's secretary's re ply to Major-General Sir F. Maurice (who asked the Premier to withdraw his statement that certain information supplied to him by the general was incorrect or he would send the original letter to the press) that the Prime Minister referred him "with it 11 courtesy" to a. short observation made in similar circumstances by the Duke of Wellington. "Publish and lie damned," draws attention to the fact that the Iron Duke was one of the most noted of all laconic letter writers. Another of his famous letters was to Sarah. Countess of Jersey, who wrote to him, "The Emperor Nicholas is coming to see me. How shall I receive him:-' Yours, etc., Sarah Jersey .'' He replied, "Receive him as you do vour other visitors. Yours. Wellington, F.M.". Lady Jersey answered. "But lie loves me.—Yours, etc., Sarah Jersey." Not to be outdone in brevity or in dramatic effectiveness. the Duke replied, "Receive him as you do your other lovers.--Yours, etc., Wellington. K.M." A third example of the duke's laconic mind if) furnished by a letter he wrote to Sir Charles Russell when that gentleman endeavored to obtain a subscription from him for the restoration of the Church of Swatlowfield, "Dear Sir Charles,- —1. too, am restoring ;; church and it' we can both agree to give the same amount, no money need pass between us." Not less famous as a quotation than the Duke of Wellington's letter t<v the anonymous lady is one Mr Stanley, the (blonial Secretary, wrote to Sir James Graham, the First Lord of the Admiralty, when Lord John Russell announced the breaking up of Earl Grey's Cabinet on May 27, 1834. Re wrote. "My dear Graham, —Johnny has upset the coach. —Yours, etc.. Stanley." For direct sententiousness. few letters are more renowned than those exchanged by Rich, the manager o ; f Covent Garden Theatre, and Qniri, the fanioius actor of his day. They had a great quarrel, and Quin retired 1 from the theatre in high dudgeon and lietook himself to Rath. While there Rich arrived, and Quin, desiring to bury the hatchet, wrote. "Dear Rich, — 1 am at Bath." In reply Rich wrote. "Dear Quin, —Stay there and be damned." Sir Walter Scott used to declare that" the finest example of this kind of let-ter-writing which he knew was Lord Maedona.ld's letter to the head of* the Glengarry family, "My dear Glengarry. As soon as you can prove yourself to he my chief 1 shall be ready to acknowledge you. In the meantime I am yours, Macdonald." Among other notable instances ol the same sententious brevity are the following:— At one time Senium, St. Levan. and Buryan constituted a deanery which was held for several decades bv Mr Stanhope. In 1867, when a church at Gravesend was to be restored, the then Duke of York, desiring the appointment of Air Stanhope, wrote to the Bishop of Cork: "Dear Cork,—Ordain Stanhope.—Yours, York." The reply came: "Dear York,— Stanhope ordained. — Yours Cork." Scarcely less succinct was a letter once written by General Sir Robert Boyd, when Governor of Gibraltar, to his agent in England when ordering l his private »stores. The letter, telegraphic in its brevity, ran as follows: "Browne,—Beef.—Boyd." The answer re received was equally brief: " Boyd,—Beef.—Browne.'' Laconics are not limited to English. 'The name of Talleyrand is associated; with a famous one. A lady wrote to tell him of the death of her husband. He replied, "Dear Marquise,- Helas. —Yours sincerely, Talleyrand." A little while later she wrote to tell him of her. approaching marriage. This time his letter ran, "Dear Marquise. — Ho, ho. —Y'ours sincerely. Talleyrand."