About 400 letters to Clark and some
letters written by Clark are held in the
Clark papers, University of Tasmania Archives. See also letter
to Clark from William Piguenit.
Clarks
Letters to Edward Ivey
It is at C4/C 218. The 'Ted' of this letter is Edward Ivey, a close
friend of Clark's from the 1870s and, as numerous 1870s and 1880s
letters from W T Gill and Joseph G Witton to Clark, in the Clark
Papers, make clear, Ivey was an active member of the Minerva Club.
[Link to the MC] Ivey, a grocer, was active in Hobart mercantile
life. A degree of defensiveness shown by Clark in this letter implies
that Ivey, to whom Clark clearly seeks to justify himself, was a
democrat in some emphatic sense. Other letters from Ivey to Clark
in the Clark Papers (C4/C215-17) confirm close personal friendship
and some kind of link between Ivey and the Clark family. Clark's
sensitivity as to his democratic credentials is also evident in
his 1890s essay 'Why I am a Democrat'. [Link to this]
The letters offer a rare glimpse in the Clark papers of the complex
hurly-burly, implied 'understandings', and practical give-and-take
of the underside of Tasmanian politics. Other references to these
dimensions, in the Clark Papers, are to be found in letters to Clark
immediately following his indignant resignation, on an issue of
'principle', from the ministry of Edward Braddon in late 1897. (R.
Ely) Link to PDF version.
31 March 1891
My dear Ted,
I duly received your letter to me of the 25th not having previously
received the telegram from you and Evans. I have also received
a letter from Evans and am pleased to hear that election matters
are proceeding as satisfactorily as stated by him and you. I
cannot understand why the Trades and Labour Council should have
any difficulty in selecting Miles and myself as their candidates
although we ran separately. It might happen at any time that
four our [sic] five candidates of exactly the same political
principles would be running for two seats and any organisation
such as the Trades and Labour Council could select any two of
them and make a ticket of them although the whole four or five
were running quite separately from one another. I would like
you to make a special point of seeing Bob Taylor and disabusing
his mind of any impression that I ever wished to run with Dobson
in preference to Miles. Bob is an old friend of mine and he
worked vigorously for me at the last general election and I
feel grieved to think that he could believe that I ever wavered
in my adherence to the democratic party or desired to ally myself
with a plutocrat who believes in the division of society into
the "upper", "middle" and "lower"
classes on the basis of property and money. My only object in
running separately is to avoid unnecessarily alienating electors
who are prepared to vote for Dobson and myself or Giblin [sic]
and myself and also to avoid creating any impression that I
or the Ministry have made any compact with Miles to help him
and Reynolds in the matter of their contract for the construction
of the Mount Zeehan Railway. I was also placed in a delicate
position by Dobson coming voluntarily to me and telling me that
he intended to go into parliament to sit behind me and to support
my colleagues and myself. In the face of a voluntary announcement
of that character from him I felt that I was bound so far as
my public, the same day that I sent my last telegram to you
I wrote to Evans and told him that I was astonished to learn
that he confirmed Miles statement about my consent to
hold joint meetings and I reminded him that I distinctly told
Miles and Cuthbert at my house that as a Minister I would be
compelled to open the campaign at the Town Hall without association
with any other candidate and defend the conduct of the ministry
during the last four years and give an indication of our intentions
in the future. I am not at all sure that Miles would defend
all our legislation and all our ministerial acts, and it would
be ridiculous to have a candidate on the platform with me condemning
some of the actions of myself and my colleagues. I will leave
you to do whatever you think best for me, but I would like to
run alone so far as public announcements are concerned.
I am
Yours Faithfully
A. Inglis Clark |
3 November 1899
My dear Chief Justice,
It is now nearly two months since I received an American newspaper
containing an announcement of your appointment to the office
of Chief Justice of Massachusetts. Since then I have been twice
on circuit and have been compelled to postpone all my private
correspondence until I found myself settled at home again for
a few weeks, otherwise I should have sent my congratulations
to you by an earlier mail.
I have not anything new in my own life to tell you. I often
wish that you were much nearer to me than you are so that I
might discuss a point of law with you. A short time ago I differed
from my colleagues on a question relating to the distribution
of the assets of a deceased insolvent who left personal property
in several colonies in which there was a conflict of laws. I
found several American decisions in support of my opinion but
we could not discover any English authority directly on the
point.
If at any time you deliver a judgement on a point of common
law in which you think I would be interested I shall be pleased
to receive a copy of it if it is reported in a form convenient
for transmission by post.
My wife wishes me to convey to you her congratulations and we
both desire you to convey out kind remembrances to Mrs Holmes.
I am
Your Sincerely
A. Inglis Clark |
26 October 1901
My dear Chief Justice,
I have postponed the writing of this reply to your last letter
to me until I had a copy of my book to send to you. The publication
of it was delayed by various causes for a period of three months
beyond the date at which I expected it to appear. But I am pleased
to be able to say that the wearisome [sic] work of correcting
proof sheets and compiling index etc has come to an end, and
I am sending a copy of the book to you with this letter.
The Federal Judiciary Bill has not yet been introduced into
the Federal Parliament. On that I have nothing to report to
you about the Federal Bench. There are abundant indications
of work for the High Court as soon as the Judges are appointed.
The people of Australia were all greatly horrified [sic] to
hear of the assassination of President McKinley and they hope
that the American people will take effective steps to put down
the propaganda of anarchism.
I suppose that you had a good time in England. I often wish
that Australia was as near to California as Massachusetts is
to England. I should then see Boston every three or four years,
and would probably be preparing now for a journey there early
next year. But I must bow to the geographical configuration
of the earth and all its consequences and must wait in patience
until my time to cross the Pacific Ocean again arrives. My wife
sends her kindest remembrances to Mrs Holmes and yourself.
I am
Ever Sincerely Yours
A. Inglis Clark |
Oliver Wendell Holmes to Clark:
Click
to enlarge image
Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Supreme Judicial Court,
Court House Boston
March 1901
Dear Judge,
I hope I shall find your book awaiting me on my return from
England to which pleasing centre of Evil doing I purpose to
turn my weary steps on the 22nd for a short vacation. I have
been pretty hard at work since September 1, the beginning
of our Judicial year and shall be glad to forget law and all
the frets of daily life in the wash of the ocean and the whirl
of London.
I have done little outside of the law. A little very
little touch of the Latin classics now then
a tribute to advancing time as I shouldnt have
wished to die without having read Lucretius or quite as ignorant
of Horace as I was. I actually recurred a day or two ago to
the Aeneid, after 50 years, and read some of it this morning
before coming here to my shop. I even found myself enjoying
it I have always suspected people of Cant who said
they did and this is my punishment.
I dont remember whether I sent you a little introduction
that I wrote to an Edition of Montesquieus Esprit des
Lois it was written a year ago and I had a very few
extra copies with too pretentious a title page for which I
am not responsible. I send one by this mail.
I dont think of any event in which I have taken part
that would interest you except perhaps the universal difficulties
of Marshall on Feb 4 . From one point of view right enough
but in the personal estimate rather indiscriminate
I hope when you write Constitutional decisions you
will not emulate some of our judges who having only half a
page to say take 50 pages to say it in I was remarking
yesterday to one of my brethren that we appreciate the boa
constrictor but not the asp here. For my part I prefer an
unpretentious little thing virulent with originality and insight
to these swelling discourses padded with quotations form every
accessible source. However I must go to work. We always recall
the visit of you and Mrs Clark with great pleasure and hope
that some day it may be repeated
Sincerely yours
O.W. Holmes
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Clark's letters to Holmes are held in the Holmes
papers in the Harvard Law School Library, Box 39, Folder 19. They
are also on microfilm.
Agnes McLaren's letter to her
brother Andrew Inglis Clark, 1897
Agnes Clark,
Andrew Inglis Clark's sister
5 Peterboro Street,
Christchurch.
March 17th 1897
My dear Andrew,
As Duncan told me at lunch time that a mail left tonight to
catch the "Monowai" I thought I would just drop
a line to wish you all "bon voyage". I always feel
pleased when travelling to get a word at any of the stopping
places and concluded that you might feel somewhat similar.
I was sorry to hear that your
health had not been satisfactory of late. Nothing is so much
to be desired as health i.e. so far as this world goes, and
I sincerely hope that your rest and change will completely
set you up for years if it is our Lord's will to tarry, but
my firm conviction is that his coming is much nearer than
the vast majority expect or imagine, and my sincere prayers
for yourself and all near and dear to you is that you may
be found ready "when He comes."
I do hope that you got into Auckland
in day-light for I am sure that Grace and all of you would
enjoy the scenery. It was truly grand in my opinion, in fact
I admired it really more than the entrance to Sydney with
all its boasted beauty.
From the papers I learnt that
your visit is principally to America, will you go to Florida
and see cousin John Inglis or will that be too far away. I
used to correspond with him regularly but have had so many
household duties etc of late years that I got quite careless
about letter-writing excepting to our own folks at the old
house at home. Oh Andrew what changes have taken place there
since I left. I often picture it without dear mother and I
cannot think it can be home at all now, and then poor old
Grandpa and now Harry Minnis gone it must be truly desolate
especially to his poor mother. I often think of her and wish
she would go for a thorough change tho' of course I know time
or place would not matter to her, the sorrow would go with
her anywhere and everywhere.
Mr. and Mrs. Stead and family
are going by the same steamer as yourselves. They expect to
be away eight or nine months. He too has not been well for
some time and is seeking rest and change. No doubt it is very
desirable when folks are worn in either mind or body but I
am so nervous about all these wars and rumours of wars that
I should anticipate all sorts of dangers and mishaps, of course
it is foolish in a sense for the Lord can and will guard and
protect his own at all times and under all circumstances.
Duncan often says to me "I wonder if it will ever be
our turn Aggie to have a real rest or change", but I
say not at all likely, I believe it will be our lot to work
'til the end of the chapter. My great hope is that our health
may be spared to work on as long as we are in the body, but
neither D[uncan] nor myself have been at all well lately.
We are of course breaking up and cannot expect any other at
our age. I feel sorry often when he seems depressed about
getting into years and nothing to fall back upon after as
he says we have both been such white slaves for so many years,
but I have such faith in the Lord's coming at an early date
that I don't seem to think about old age and want. I just
crave for strength to work on until the time comes to be taken
away. I only meant to write a few words and here I am running
on like I do to Annie when once I start.
Give my love to Grace and the
boys and tell them that I hope they will thoroughly enjoy
themselves and see everything worth seeing at the various
places of call. Duncan sends kind regards to all and every
wish for your thorough enjoyment of the trip. He has been
greatly depressed since Clara's death, it gave us both a shock
which you can easily imagine.
This letter must do for both
you and Grace and now again hoping you will both derive great
benefit from the rest etc.
I am
with much love
Your affectionate sister
Agnes
McLaren
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