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592 UN DEBAT : LES MENTALITES COLLECTIVES 2

The sea journey to Constantinople, hazardous though it was, seems to have been preferred to the overIand route through the Balkans. When British relations with France degenerated into- outright war in 1793, the Mediterranean was all but elosed to British travellers. Even British ambassadors to the Porte (Sir Robert Ainslie and Robert Liston) were <;oinpelIed to travel overland in 1794, and that same year a party of young university graduates and a Cambridge don followed suit.

Robert Stockdale (1761—1831) was a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, becoming Viee-Master and Biirsar of Pembroke in 1806.® His journey to Constantinople was in the capacity of tutor and companion to the wealthy Yorkshireman, John Bacon Sawrey Morritt of Rokeby (1772—1843). Morritt was edueated at St. John’s College, Cambridge w^There he took his B. A. degree just before setting out on his travels in 1794. On the death of his father in 1791 he had inherited the Rokeby ostate along with a considerable fortunę.^{1 2 3} Having independent means, Re was now able to plan his two year tour of the continent at leisure, and before leaving Britain he had arrange4 to meet his friends, the Wil-braham brothers, in Yienna. Randle Wilbraham (1773—1861) who had just graduated from Christ Church, Oxford, was likewise embarkipg on the Grand Tour, and on reaching Yienna and joining up with Morritt and Stockdale, determined to travel with them to Constantinople.^{4 5}

Their travels are interesting not least because all three have left -diaries and letters deseribing the journey. Morritt’s letters were published in 1914,® although his travel journal, once in the possession of the Karadja family in Bucharest, haS subseąuently disappeared. The personal letters and diaries of Randle Wilbraham and Robert Stockdale, however, have smvived in the possession of their families to this day, and from them have been selected the letters dealing with the part of their travel through the Balkans.⁶

Morritt and Stockdale had prepared for their journey in the usual way, by contacting people who had some experience of the Ottoman lands. Frederiek łforth (1766—1827) later 5th Earl of Guilford, and a noted philhellene, had been consulted about their tour and had intro-

1

⁸ J. A. Venn, ed., Alumni Caniabrigienses 1752—1900 (Cambridge, 1954) Part II, vol.

2

VI. p. 47; and “The Gentlemani Magazine” (1831) vol. PI, p. 38Q.

3

   The Annual Register (London, 1813) p. 281 ; and The Compact Edition of (he Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 1975) vol. I, p. 1127.

4

   Joseph Forster, ed., Alumni Oxonienses 1715—1886 (Oxford, 1888) vol. IV, p. 1552; Peter Townend, ed., Burkę*s Genealoglcal and Heroldie Historg of the Pceragc . . . (London, 19G7) pp. 2300 — 2301. Wilbraham was givcn an allowancc of i 800 per annum to cover the costs of his travels, until March 1796 when it was incrcased to £ 1,000 per annum on the death of his father. See : the Wilbraham Account Book 1780—1804, The Baker Wilbraham Papcrs, Rode Hall, Cheshire.

5

⁸ G. E. Marindin, ed., The Letters of John B. S. Morritt of Rokeby (London, 1914).

6

¹⁰ The authors express their gratitude to the owners of the Ilawkins, Stockdale and Baker Wilbraham Papers, Miss Johnstone, Colonel H. M. Stockdale and Sir Randle Baker Wilbraham respectively, for their kind permission to ąuote from their family rccords. Likewise thanks are dne to the archWal authorities of the Coiinty Record Offices of Cheshire, Northamp-tonshire and West 5ussex, for their assistance in locatingand facilitating access to materiał on loan or deposited in their care. (It is hoped to publish in the futurę a complete edition of these manuscript diaries and letters, parts of which are reproduced in this articie). •