I received your request to apply immediately to the Literary Fund, on Saturday the 7th instant, & on Monday the 9th I wrote to the Society by the earliest post in the morning, & left it to you, by letter, to corroborate my statement by written Certificate.

I did not apply in May last because such Certificate was declined by Mr Condor. Josiah Conder, former editor of the , was now a prominent Congregationalist, anti-slavery activist, and the chief editor of newspaper where Hone had served as sub-editor since the mid 1830s. Due to his physcial infirmities (as well as a somewhat prickly relationship with Conder), Hone had stepped down from this position earlier in 1840. [return]

My present application has no "error" in it, but will be inefficient unless corroborated by Testimonials. — See Mr Blewitt's letter to me,Octavian Blewitt was the Secretary of the Royal Literary Fund. [return] which please to return at your leisure.

I enclose from Mr Woollaston, surgeon, here a Certificate as to health & infirmity

But the two Certifcates, required by the Rules, as to my pecuniary difficulties (vide Rule 2), with recommendations (vide Rule 4) from gentlemen having personal knowledge of my moral character & distressed circumstances I must have still to be supplied by your acitivity.

Mr Rodd & Mr. J. P. Collyer,The bookseller Thomas Rodd and the Shakespeare scholar John Payne Collier were long-time friends of Hone's; both eventually wrote "testimonials" in support of his Literary Fund application. [return] each well knows the other, can certify & recommend accordingly — Their Certificates should be separate, &c. apparently without concert.

Observe, my dear Sir, Pray observe, literally what I have written & am about to write.

Without these things are done, my application will be wholly inefficient.

The Rules must be complied with (Vide Mr Blewitt's letter) of Mr Duncan's Zeal I have no doubt, but he cannot contravene the Rules.

Enclosed are many suggestions for the Advertisement in the "Patriot."