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Letter to Ruth Mallory from ’95 Arlington Avenue Westmount, P.Q.’ [Letterhead] [‘i.e.at the Basil Williams Montreal’ is written in Mallory’s hand]

Brief Summary
Reports on recent lecture in New York, complains of his lectures being reported as Anti-Prohibition propaganda, and describes social visits with friends in New York and Canada.

Detailed Summary
He was delighted to be in Montreal with friends including Mrs Williams, who had visited the Holt with Evelyn Clutton-Brock whilst he was away on the 1921 expedition. His fortunes had changed from hateful N.Y. His first lecture in New York had not been encouraging with technical difficulties caused by a 2nd rate operator and the hall full theatre had been depressing. However, all the members of the American Alpine Club who had attended the dinner were in the audience and they went away saying nice things. Afterwards they had gone to a hotel to eat ices which was a pleasant little party consisting of the Wethams, Mrs Colden Sanderson, Frisken, Poel and an actress friend of his.

It was important for his lectures to have good press but when he read the papers at breakfast there was almost nothing. A New York Times had 1/3rd of a column but it was turned into Anti-Prohibition propaganda. The Tribune gave a very good and sympathetic report.

He had lectured at a Country Club outside the city which was a dull affair before catching a train to Montreal. Had a good walk up the mountain with a wonderful view of the southern branch of St Lawrence and Montreal. The countryside was all snow and ice and it had been -10 when he had arrived. The Canadians didn’t like the cold as too many days in t took it out of one.

His next lecture was in Detroit (Michigan) but Toronto fell through. Keedick’s business was very badly run. He planned to spend the weekend with a friend, Monsieur Williams, whom he had known and liked at Charterhouse at a winter sports place. He planned to learn to ski from John Williams who was aged aged 16 and thought him a promising pupil on skis. He said the difficulty was to learn to stop, and until one had you just had to fall down.

He was much more cheerful and put it down to staying there with delightful people instead of by himself in a hotel. He missed her and found it much harder being without her there than in India.

His lecture there had gone very well and the audience were very good natured and amused.

Letter to Ruth Mallory from New York [Waldorf-Astoria, New York letterhead crossed out and ‘change of address to Flanders Hotel, 135 W 47th St. is written in Mallory’s hand]

He had moved hotel from the Waldorf-Astoria to the Flanders Hotel which was cheaper, and was where Reginald Poel was also staying. He’d spent the morning writing letters about his engagements and had sent his manuscript to the American publisher of the second Everest book who would type two copies one of which he would send to Arnold.

Went for the second time to the Morgan library to see the Boswell Letters and then had tea with Edith Watlen at the hotel.

He had spend the weekend in the Lawrentian hills at St. Marguerite with John Williams who was teaching him to ski. He broke a ski on the first run but managed to hire some. It was hard work but glorious fun. Clear days were delightful but it was very cold at night and most Canadians did not enjoy the cold. He stayed with the Williams who were kind but had now returned to New York which was depressing.

The lecture tour wasn’t coming off as the public interest wasn’t wide enough. He only had three more lectures arranged. Asks her not to be terribly disappointed as they would be poorer than he had hoped for a bit.

He had attended an interesting dinner party where there were two men in favour of France’s policy in the Rhur which was unusual in America. There was a rumour that Turkey had sunk a French submarine. He said it would be good if something like that would bring America into European affairs. There was no continuity in American foreign policy but they were so light hearted about the faults of their own politics that he despaired of it getting better.

Was glad to receive copies of the Manchester Guardian as there was no foreign news in the New York newspapers. Lack of understanding of the issues even among the educated but expected to find a different ‘mental atmosphere’ in Boston.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from New York [no letterhead on 3 lined pages, but last page is on ‘Waldorf-Astoria, New York’ letterheaded paper]

Brief Summary
Describes his day to day activities – social engagements, an interview with the press, attending the American Alpine Club dinner, drinking gin during Prohibition and his impressions of New York.

Detailed Summary
[1 Feb] – Expresses sympathy that the family wanted everything to be done for them and she had no Vi to help and couldn’t go out freely in the evening and be gay. She must be lonely and he was lonely too at times.

He was sitting in a small restaurant having dinner. Life had been pretty full since he had returned to New York last Monday. He had dined with the Watlens on Monday evening. He had been woken early on Tuesday morning by the noises of 5th Avenue even though he was on the 12th floor. He mostly ate breakfast in the hotel and spend the morning preparing his speech or paying business calls. Before his speech there was music played by some very talented Russians. He spoke for about 20 mins and thought they were satisfied though not enthusiastic.

[Continues later] – He had visited the Oppenheimers [she was a relation of Aunt Jessie’s] and they had been to a revue which was appalling and his ear drums were split.

He had been interviewed by a young man who collected news for the press and was connected with the hotel. Then had a chance meeting with Tom Pym, head of Cambridge House in London and an old Cambridge friend. After dinner he went to the University Club, where he was a temporary member, to look at some of the new books and the Manchester Guardian Weekly.

On Wednesday morning he intended to work on his speech but had been interrupted by telephone calls and one or two letters. He had spoken to Mr Carson for over an hour. He was a ‘curious shrivelled respectable disillusioned observant journalistic person’. He had lunched with Dr Pierce and friends and then been taken to the Presbyterian hospital where they tested his lungs, finding out that his vital capacity was 2 x normal.

[2 Feb] – He had been for tea with Mrs Wheeler, a theatrical lady. At a dinner at the American Alpine Club he sat next to a parson who was keen to impart information but was without interest in anything he [Mallory] had to say. On the other side of him was a lady who had climbed a peak in Alaska and endured a temperature of -60 degrees and whose intelligence had remained frozen even since.

In his speech the parson had read three passages from the Everest book of 1921. He discussed the problem of climbing Mount Everest and afterwards sat at a round table and was bombarded with questions.

They drank nothing but water [due to Prohibition] but afterwards he went with an Alpine Club man to the swellest of N.Y. clubs. They went down to the old wine cellar which was lined with lockers and retrieved a bottle of gin from one of them. The barman mixed three long drinks known as ‘Tom Collins’.

On Thursday he had gone downtown to meet George Walton and another man called Hubbard at the Corn Exchange. They had gone to Hubbard’s club for lunch at the top of one of the highest buildings in N.Y. They went up in the express lift to floor 35 and then slowly up to 40.

He had then met Mrs Cobden Sanderson for tea. Then was busy with arrangements until Poel came to see him. Poel was an old friend from Cambridge days, the nephew of William Poel, who helped to start their Marlowe Society at Cambridge. Poel gave him a ticket for Hamlet, in which he played the ghost.

His lectures in Philadelphia had gone well and he had enjoyed it. Lists upcoming lectures. He had been to see manuscripts of Boswell’s letters to Temple in Pierpont Morgan’s Library.