Toasted organ
Sir: I am extremely glad to be corrected about the original title of Clough's poem, (Letters, 12 December), if only because this is a delightful confirmation of how much more about English literature J. I. M. Stewart knows than most people. Readers may also wish to know that Mr Goodwin Weinberg of New York has pointed me to a letter from Clough to Tom Arnold, 24 February 1849: 'It is too ludic- rous not to tell someone, but too appalling- ly awkward to tell anyone on this side of the globe: — in the Gath and Ascalon of the Antipodes you may talk of it, and laugh at your pleasure.'
The name Toper-na-Fuosich, which appeared on the map used by Tom Arnold and his friend Shairp (a Balliol Scotsman later jobbed in by Matthew Arnold as Oxford Professor of Poetry), was stated in the Literary Gazette of 18 August 1849 to correspond to Tobair na Feosag (or Feosaig(e) ), an ancient Highland toast to the female genital organs. The editors of Clough's letters distance themselves from this view, rightly or wrongly I cannot say. Anyway, I apologise for my error and would like to express amazement at the things people know.
Peter Levi
Austin's Farm, Stonesfield, Oxford
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