Viewing page 17 of 28

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

150
will perceive. I have done more than I promised. He has a duplicate (ie) an exact copy) finished with the greatest care much written the time agreed upon, and the best of the two by far, on account of the purity of the marble. All this he knows, but then there are other circumstances to aggravate his case. They are as follows --- In Decr 1846 fearing that I should not be able to fulfill all my contracts in due time, and yet have a copy of the Slave of my own to exhibit in America before that for Mr Robb would go and be seen there (a thing I had for a longtime contemplated) I wrote to tell my late sincere friend Mr Wilde requesting him to obtain for me if possible Mr Robbs permission to exhibit for my own advantage his Slave. His answer more than realized my expectations it was this a contained in Mr Wildes letter "Certainly let Mr Powers exhibit the Statue wherever & as long as he likes". There was but one condition which was, that his name should not be associated with the exhibition and this from a sence of delicacy on his part. But I had already expressed to many my hopes that Mr Robb would allow me to exhibit the work before his answer reached me 
To conceal the ownership of the statue according to his express desire - now became impossible if I should exhibit his statue, but most fortunately the release by Sir Chas Coote of the one for him, enabled me to send the other out to America as my own property and yet keep my good faith with all parties. Thus I became free from every obligation whatever to Mr Robb. having performed, thus far, even more than the nature of our understanding required of me --.