Disraeli, Benjamin

making repeated and often imaginative excuses for his delays in honouring his debts ranging from physical incapacity ("...I am confined to this place by a broken shin..."), to vital political engagements ("...business of the utmost importance..."), to the dilatory actions of lawyers, assuring him of imminent repayment, arranging for the settlement of debts on third-parties, thanking him for his "zeal & friendliness", and ordering items of clothing, some letters with calculations of money owed and related notes (presumably in Culverwell's hand) on blanks, 76 pages, 4to and 8vo, some with address leaves, various locations including the Carlton Club, Bradenham House, Richmond, and the Carlton Club, [1835] to 12 June 1844, nicks, one letter with tear affecting text

Benjamin Disraeli Letters: 1835-1837, ed. Gunn et al. (Toronto, 1982)

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"...What should I be without my debts? Dear companions of my life that never desert me! All my knowledge of human nature is owing to them: it is in managing my affairs that I have sounded the depths of the human heart, recognized all the combinations of human character, developed my own powers, and mastered the resources of others. What expedient in negotiation is unknown to me? What play of countenance have I not observed? Yes, among my creditors, I have disciplined that diplomatic ability, that shall some day confound and control cabinets..." (Disraeli, Tancred, chapter 44)

A LIVELY CORRESPONDENCE REVEALING DISRAELI'S CHRONIC INDEBTEDNESS. When these letters were written in the 1830s Disraeli was better known as a dandy than a politician, so it is perhaps fitting that Richard Culverwell, tailor and draper of 53 Great Marylebone Street, London, was one of his long-suffering creditors. The editors of the Disraeli Letters have established that the bulk of the correspondence dates to a period between August and November 1835, when Disraeli was working as secretary to the former Lord Chancellor Lord Lyndhurst, cementing his connections to the Tory party, and - evidently - struggling to meet his obligations. Culverwell continued to extend credit, and Disraeli continued to push the terms, until 1837, when the tailor asked for the repayment and received, the high-handed response of a man whose honour has been touched: "When your claims were paid off you would have found that I did not forget an honest man who had served me zealously like yourself, & that my custom would have remained with you, altho' I required no pecuniary assistance. I am sorry that at the tenth hour, having served me for some years you sho[ul]d see fit to withdraw your aid, when I was on the point of no longer requiring it." Whether Disraeli really was offended by Culverwell's request, or whether this was yet another device to extend his credit further, is uncertain. The final letters have a much more impersonal tone, but Culverwell's notes on the back of one letter reveals that he was still owed £310 plus two years of interest in August 1839 and debts were still outstanding in June 1844.