Edward Taylor an Louis Spohr in Kassel

Dr. Louis Spohr
Hesse Cassel
Germany


Red Lion Court
Fleet Street
June 24. 1842

My dear & honoured Friend

I have seldom sat down to write with a more heavy heart, nor had to discharge a more unwelcome duty than now devolves upon me. It is as I suspected – Your Prince¹ has received the letter from the Duke of Cambridge & has replied to it by a refusal. This I learned yesterday. Let me now detail to you, more circumstantially what has taken place. – When I rec.^d2 your last letter, in which you said that you had reason to believe, from the Prince’s Secretary, that he had not received any letter from the Duke of Cambridge, I thought it better immediately to call on his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, whom I have the pleasure to know very well, (I have no personal knowledge of the Duke of Cambridge) & ask him to ascertain whether the Duke of Cambridge had written to your Prince, & whether he had received any answer. To the first question the Duke of Sussex immediately replied ”I know he has written, for he told me that he had –” adding ”You know, Taylor, if my brother makes a promise, he will certainly fulfil it.” The Duke of Sussex added further ”I will see him, & ascertain whether he has had an answer.”
Yesterday I received a letter from the Duke of Sussex, as follows.
”I received, yesterday, a letter from my brother the Duke of Cambridge, communicating to me the very unpleasant intelligence that he had received a refusal from the Electoral Prince of Hesse Cassel.”
I will not copy the rest of the letter, which expresses his Royal Highness’s opinion of your Prince’s character and conduct. I will only say that if the Prince³ has been very anxious to deserve & to obtain the bad opinion of every member of our Royal family, he has completely suceeded. The Dukes of Sussex & Cambridge are very much surprised, & very much grieved.The conduct of the Duke of Cambdrige was most kind. He knew that the application of our Gouvernment, thro’ the Ambassador, had been refused, but, disregarding all etiquette, he said – ”I will request the Prince Of Hesse Cassel as a favour to myself –” and he did so. – I have now reason to believe that Prince Albert declined to write, because he did not chuse to have any communication with him.
And thus, my beloved & honoured friend, end all our hopes, all our dreams of pleasure – all the fond anticipation we had indulged of seeing you here again! How difficult is it to reconcile the mind to such an act of petty despotism. I had hoped that our path would have been in⁴ sunshine – alas! it is overhung(?) with gloom. But I must not give way to the feelings, when the event calls upon me for renewed energy. And, believe me, it shall not be wanted. All our singers are appointed – Madame Caradori Allen – Miss Rainforth – Miss Hawes (Nicotis) Hobbs (Daniel)⁵ Phillips (Cyrus) Balf[e (]Belshazzar) – and they have all got their several par[ts]. They are full of admiration of them, and we shall have two rehearsals in London in July.
Next week I go to Norwich, where I shall have several Rehearsals of the Chorus. Every thing that I can do to ensure success shall be done.
I need not to tell you of the grief which this news occasions at Norwich – and among all the members of the Orchestra here. How anxiously they have enquired of me, from time to time ”Is Spohr coming?” and they hardly believe it possible that any person can be guilty of⁶ such an act of petty & malicious despotism as to prevent you.
I heard with great regret that you had a return of a complaint from which you have before suffered, and hope to learn from you that the Bath to which you have resorted, have relieved you.
Adieu – dear friend – adieu! If we are to meet no more in England – I will live upon the hope of seeing you again in Germany. Remember me most kindly to Madame Spohr and believe me, with the truest regard & affection –

Your sincere friend
Edw. Taylor