A FINE LINGUIST TRITHEN (Francis Henry, d. 1854, Russian-born Taylorian Professor of Modern European Languages at Oxford, December 1848-1850)

Autograph Manuscript Translation of a Russian Poem The Orphan, beginning "Into the wood they sent me ... Into the wood for blackberries", but instead "I went up to the hillock Upon my mother's grave - there bitter tears I wept ...", the mother asks "Oh - who is weeping over me ... Go home, daughter. There another mother Will comb thy hair Wash thy lips There a young man Will say words of love", a few original corrections, early identification in pencil and 'from Dr Trithen Oxford' in early ink, 22 lines, 2 sides 4to., no place, no date, circa

A rare item. Dr Trithen had taught modern languages at Rugby and worked for a time as Supernumerary Assistant at the British Museum. His chair was created to provide room for Slavonic Studies, the first such at Oxford. The first lectures whose title has survived were The language and literature of Russia, beginning on 2nd November 1849. Always thoughtful for others and much liked, he suffered a breakdown some time in 1850 and was sent home to Odessa, where he died. Max Muller became Deputy Professor and succeeded him in 1854, but was not interested in the Slavonic side, and such studies were in abeyance till 1865.
With an early pencilled note, unsigned, in the same hand as the identification, saying that Dr Trithen was "Born at Odessa, he was consequently a Russian subject, though a Pole or Swiss by extraction. - his first employment was by the Emp[eror] of Russia, who sent him to study the dialects of the Amour & to form of them a written language. Dr. Trithen could speak 28 different tongues & as a linguist was second only to Mezzofanti the librarian of the Vatican".

Item Date:  1850

Stock No:  56351      £275

             Add to Wish List     Order/Enquire