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[Letter of Francis William Newman to Dr. J. Chapman] 10 Circus Road, Dear Sir, I know that you are sometimes glad to form acquaintance with persons able to write theological articles in the Westminster Review. I am acquainted with a Mr. Ross, (who has married a sister of my ward Edward Sterling,) & desire to stimulate him to write. He was a clergyman in the Scotch Church, who took the line of Mr. Frederic Maurice, and was ejected from the Church by coming to disbelieve in eternal punishment. He has since gone into far wider discrepancy from every thing orthodox; & although Lady Byron, admiring his talents, tried to keep him afloat as a preacher at Brighton, it proved quite impossible, since he outstepped his hearers too fast. He certainly has a great deal of knowledge of considerable keenness in criticism. I do not know him much; & when I first met him, he did not impress me as a man of any strength of judgment,—in part perhaps because he was too anxious to engage my good opinion, & (I fancied) tried to flatter me. But I must say that he wins upon my esteem, as to talent of discernment. Whether he would write well, I do not know. In every case probably he needs practice; for the habit of preaching and of writing essays is not the same. He is now without any fixed occupation, and has only too much time. His friends tell him, that if he desires (as he does desire) to write for reviews, he must write articles for approbation,—a thing which it is hard to get him to do, because he does not know what sort of article & what subject is wanted. Would you be willing to indicate any subjects (books for critique &c &c) for articles which you desire, & for which, if ably executed, & within such & such limits of time, you would be willing to pay. If I could lay such before him, I might perhaps induce him to write for the hope of being approved. Sincerely yours,
P.S. I may add, that I judge Mr. Ross to be in age but little short of 40.—He has studied Schleiermacher & other Germans carefully.
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