57 



Owen's success would be to him, greatly interested 

 himself in furthering his application for the Bir- 

 mingham appointment. 



The first is a letter addressed to Joseph 

 Hodgson, who was one of the officials connected 

 with the Birmingham Hospital. 



Lincoln's Inn Fields : January 7, 1830. 



' My dear Sir, — The suddenness of Mr. 

 Owen's departure for Birmingham prevents me 

 from writing you a long epistle on the occasion ; 

 and therefore, without further preface, I beg leave 

 to recommend him strongly to your good offices ; 

 which, when you know him so well as I do, I 

 firmly believe you will not think ill bestowed. 

 You will find him exceedingly well informed in all 

 that relates to his profession, an excellent anato- 

 mist, and sober and sedate very far beyond any 

 young man I ever knew. If you succeed in de- 

 priving me of his assistance you will do me a 

 great disservice ; but if it is for his good I should 

 be very sorry that you should think me so selfish 

 as to wish him to remain here when he might, in 

 such situation as that to which he aspires, be so 

 much more advantageously employed, both to his 

 own advantage and that of your hospital institution, 

 as being more suited to his talents and his inclina- 

 tions than anything we have here to offer him as 

 an inducement to stay. I can only add, if he suc- 

 ceeds as he deserves, he cannot fail to do well ; he 



