Arthur Llewelyn Davies to J M Barrie - 1906

Description

Letter from Arthur to Barrie, 13 November 1906

[No original available]

Transcription

Egerton House, Berkhamsted.
Nov. 13, 1906.

Dear Jimmy,
I intended to show you the enclosed letter, which provides a reference which may possibly be useful. It is from Malcolm Macnaghten. His father is Lord Macnaghten, the best of our judges and a great friend of the Lord Chancellor. The Council of Legal Education is composed of judges and King’s Counsel. Other professional supporters would be Lord Justice Vaughan Williams, Mr. Justice Walton and Mr. Justice Bigham – none of them on the Council of L.E.
Yours,
A.Ll.D.
I don’t want the letter back.

Peter's comments:

Evidently J.M.B., who by now had a good many influential contacts, was helping in the matter of finding a salaried post for Arthur, whose ability to practice in the ordinary way must by now have been recognised as gone. He had held a lectureship under the Council of L.E. until 1903, when, in view of his then increasing practice, he resigned it.

The letter from Malcolm McNaughton was:

12 Nov. 1906

My dear Arthur,
It was very good of you to write, for we were anxious – and it was indeed a very great relief to get your letter.
The weather must be very much against you at present – but I trust that if you give up coming to the Temple for the present, the trouble will soon abate.
Father is very ready to speak to the L[ord] C[hamberlain] and was going to do so – but of course the latter’s illness makes it impossible for the present. I understand from Father that at a meeting of the Council of Legal Education he said something about you and about his intention of speaking to the L.C. and everyone present– I don’t know who they were – joined in commending you, and Father was, I gather, authorised by them to back up what he may say with their support and concurrence. So I do not think there need be any doubt but that if, when the L.C. is well again, you are wanting a post in his gift, your claims will be so strongly supported as to make it reasonably certain that you will get what you want.
Goodbye, and many thanks for your letter and don’t answer this.
Yours aff.
M.M.M.