Letter from Thomas Watts to Sampson Low

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line 1: Newspaper cutting attached to letter containing offensive language:

UNCLE TOM PERVERTED. – An Italian translation
of Mrs Stowe's celebrated "Uncle Tom" has been
largely circulated in the Papal States, with, strange to
say, the sanction of the authorities. At the first blush
it appears almost incredible that a book so Protestant
in its doctrines should have found favour with the
Court of the Vatican. The enigma, however, is easily
solved. It seems that the Pope read the book some
time ago, and that he was charmed with it, whereupon
an enterprising translator set to work, and converted
Uncle Tom and the other virtuous niggers to Catholicism,
Whereas Legree and Co. are represented as staunch
Orthodox Protestants, and in the concluding scene the
ferocious Legree knouts poor Uncle Tom to death be-
cause he refuses to disbelieve in the "Immaculate Con-
ception!"British Museum
line 2: Dec 16th 1858
line 3:
line 4: Dear Sir
line 5: It is certainly one of the
line 6: most striking features in the unprece-
line 7: dented popularity of Uncle Tom's
line 8: Cabin that it has been translated
line 9: into so many languages, and among them
line 10: into so many obscure ones, languages
line 11: into which it has been found so hard
line 12: on many occasions for popularity to penetrate.
line 13: Even the masterpieces of Scott and Dickens
line 14: have never been translated into Welsh, while
line 15: the American novel has found its way in
line 16: various shapes into the language of the ancient
line 17: Britons. There is a complete and excellent translation

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line 1: by Hugh Williams with plates by
line 2: Cruickshank published in London there
line 3: is an abridged one by W. Williams and
line 4: published in Swansea, there is a strange
line 5: incorporation of it almost entire, into the
line 6: body of a tale by the Rev. W. Reesprofessing to be called
line 7: Aelwyd f'Ewythr Robert" or Uncle Robert's Hearth. Probably with the
line 8: exception of the Scriptures and the Prayer Book no other book
line 9: had before previously received the honour of a second translation
line 10: into Welsh except the Pilgrim's Progress.
line 11: In the east of Europe it has found
line 12: as much acceptance as in the West. The Edin-
line 13: burgh Review mentioned some time ago that
line 14: there was a translation into Magyar. There are in fact
line 15: three, one by Jrinyi, one by Talan, and
line 16: one probably an abridged one for the use of
line 17: children. There are two, one by 'J.B.', one
line 18: Malavasic, into the Wendish, and two
line 19: one by Popp and one by space left deliberately blank into the
line 20: Wallachian. There is one in Polish by
line 21: Dudacki, and a translation of the
line 22: adaptation of Miss Arabella Palmer into

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line 1: Russian. A full translation into Russian
line 2: appears to have been forbidden till lately
line 3: but it might get into circulation among the
line 4: serfs, among whom it might be as hazardous
line 5: to introduce it as the Portuguese version published
line 6: in Paris among the slaves of Brazil. Of course the book exists also in Danish, Swedish and Welsh andOf course
line 7: in the great literary languages of the continent
line 8: the circulation has been immense. In the
line 9: 'Bibliographic de la France' at least four
line 10: versions are mentioned which have seen through
line 11: various editions and in the Leipzig Catalogues
line 12: the end of 1853 for Michaelmas 1852
line 13: and Easter 1853 the distant German versions enume-
line 14: rated amount to no less than thirteen. In the
line 15: Asiatic languages the only version I have yet seen is the
line 16: American.
line 17: Copies of all these versions in all
line 18: these languages have been purchased or ordered for the
line 19: British Museum. It is customary in all great
line 20: libraries to make a collection of the versions of
line 21: the Scriptures in various languages and dialects to afford
line 22: serve among other purposes for theses of philolo-
line 23: gical study. I suggested to Mr Panizzi,
line 24: then of the Head of the Printed Book department

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line 1: that in this point of view it would be
line 2: of considerable interest
line 3: to collect the versions of Uncle Tom. The
line 4: translation of previously the same text
line 5: by thirteen different translators at precisely the same epoch of a language
line 6: is a circumstance perhaps altogether unprecedented, and it is
line 7: also not likely to ruin as the
line 8: tendency of modern alterations in the law of copyright
line 9: is to place ?? in the liberty of translation.
line 10: The ?? of such a book as Uncle Tom's
line 11: Cabin is very different from that of such a book
line 12: as Thomas à Kempis in the information it
line 13: offends to the student of a language. There is every
line 14: variety of style from that of animated narration
line 15: and passionate correctionoratory to the most familiar dialogue
line 16: and dialogue not only in the language of the upper
line 17: classes but of the lowest. The student who has ever
line 18: mastered Uncle Tom's Cabin in Welsh or Wallachian
line 19: is not likely to meet any further difficulties in
line 20: his progress through Welsh or Wallachian prose. These
line 21: considerations united to
line 22: those of another character which had
line 23: previously led to the collection by the Museum
line 24: of translations of the plays of Shakespeare

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line 1: the Antiquary.
line 2: The Pickwick Club finds as interesting
line 3: evidence of the literary tales of ages and
line 4: nations, led to the adaption of my views and
line 5: many of these versions have already found their
line 6: way to the shelves of the Museum, while others
line 7: are in the ?? When all are ass??
line 8: the notes
line 9: and prefaces of the various translations would
line 10: furnish ample materials for an instructive article in a
line 11: review.
line 12: I regret that my account
line 13: of these versions should be so much less extended
line 14: than I had hoped to make it, but especially at
line 15: this period of the year the duties of an officer of the
line 16: British Museum render it almost impossible for him
line 17: to make any use whatever of the measures committed
line 18: to his keeping, which are as a rule as closed
line 19: to him as they are often to the public. You must
line 20: excuse on this account all my shortcomings and
line 21: believe me
line 22: Dear Sir
line 23: Yours very truly
line 24: Thomas Watts
line 25: Mr. Low