12 GEOEGE JOHN EOMANES 1873- 



To James Bovianes, Esq. 



18 Cornwall Terrace : April 24. 



My dearest James, — I am sure you will be as much 

 pleased with the result of my labours as I am myself. 

 I remember so well our speculating upon the probable 

 chances of success, and how low we set them down. 

 Had I known for certain that Cunningham was going 

 to compete, I think I should have given up altogether. 

 His essay does seem to have been extraordinarily 

 good, and yet he cannot get a second prize, because 

 the foundation requires that every penny of the 

 interest shall go to the first man. As this seems 

 rather hard lines for Cunningham, I have to-day 

 written to the Divinity Professor offering to share 

 the prize money, on condition that the University 

 recognise Cunningham as a prizeman. 



The extraordinary thing about the whole affair is, 

 not so much the award, as the opinion which the 

 adjudicators entertain of the work. I do not know how 

 it is that, stranded on a sandbank and in a half dead- 

 and-alive state, without thinking I was doing any- 

 thing unusual, I should have written the prize essay. 



But I don't care how it is so long as it is so, as 



writes, ' You certainly have achieved a great success, 

 handicapped as you were in so many ways.' This, 

 of course, relates to the award ; but, as I said before, 

 what surprised me most is that I should not only be 

 first, but such a good first. The praise given by each 

 of the adjudicators separately, in as strong terms as 

 it is possible in donnish phraseology to convey it, was 



