Publication InformationTurin Janu'y 7 61 [62]

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My dear Sir

I have but a moment to thank you for your kind and interesting letter of, and to say that the essay you sent me never reached me. Trübner, to whom I applied for other copies through Mr Miller the Dispatch agent at London, says he never received any copies for me. Perhaps you could send one or two more.

I have never really believed that Fry would come

out here as Sec'y of Legation, though I have been assured repeatedly by the State Dept at Washington that he was "coming, coming." A letter from a friend at Paris received this morning leads me to suppose that he has given up the intention of crossing the Atlantic. This may be an error, but if it is indeed so, and the post would, as I hope, be acceptable to you, no time should be lost in moving at Washington. I am very desirous of aid, and very much more so of being freed from a vex-

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atious annoyance and incumbrance in the shape of a secretary appointed by Buchanan and, in spite of my earnest remonstrances, allowed to hold over by Mr Seward. He is an enemy to his own government, and being a Papist and a Bourbonist to that of Italy also.

I cannot ask your appointment, because Mr Seward told me, in plain words, that the President did not wish me to interfere in the matter, but I am quite willing that it should be known that your nomination as secretary would be

just the one I should make, if the office were at my disposal.

Mrs Marsh joins me in sincere regards to your mother and sister as well as yourself and in the hope that we may see you all in Italy before many weeks.

Yours very trulyGeo P MarshC. E Norton Esq

References in this letter:

In A review of a translation into Italian of the commentary by Benvenuto da Imola on the Divina commedia, 1861, Norton pronounced the translation by Giovanni Tamburini "worse than worthless."

Trübner & Co., founded 1851 in London by Nikolaus Trübner (1817-1884), a native of Germany, published scholarly works for, among others, the Early English Text Society and the Royal Asiatic Society.

A dispatch arranges the pick up and delivery of various materials, from mail to property.

William Fry, appointed by President Buchanan to be Secretary of Legation in Turin, resigned the post before ever filling it.

William Seward (1801-1872) was U.S. Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869.