ABSTRACT

Joseph Blanco White was born in Spain to an Irish migrant family. He trained for the Roman Catholic church, but doubts about his faith and the ongoing Napoleonic Wars led him to leave the country for the United Kingdom. There he studied theology, before entering the Anglican church; late in life he became a Unitarian. He wrote widely on a range of topics, particularly religion, and on Spanish politics, especially commenting on the ongoing Spanish nationalist movement in South America. The account captures the combination of sorrow, anxiety and hope that he felt as he made this momentous decision during a period of significant political unrest. Persons of an affectionate temper take pleasure in a state of mind which, though not positively pleasurable, derives a charm from its being an unquestionable token of undying love to the objects of our earliest attachments.