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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Norman Mudd
Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum, Cefalù, Sicily
Apr. 4, 1923 e.v.
Care Frater,
93.
I'm expecting Dunhill's to send you a pound of Tobacco to Southampton for me. Please get it through the frontier as well as you can. I wouldn't bother you; but one can't get Tobacco into this country, even by paying duty, without infinite pains, unless brought by hand—diplomatically.
If you have any school books suited for young children among your discarded effects bring them along or have them sent out here.
Be careful in Southampton. You may be subjected to unexpected annoyances. "Conceal thy tonsure, thy tenets and thy travelling". I should cross to France the same evening as you arrive. I think there is a midnight boat.
If you have time in Southampton buy the two biggest oil reading lamps that you can find. (If your time is short, buy them in Paris.) I don't know whether reflectors increase the power or not. What I want is to be able to read at night without straining my eyes. Bring extra chimneys and wicks. If there is some better lamp, acetylene, for instance, that will do, but in that case bring about a year's supply of carbide. One can't rely on buying anything here, or even at Palermo or Naples. We have no gas or electricity. Get best quality of chimneys and plenty of them.
As you know about astronomy bring a telescope with a 93-inch refractor.* I am very keen to see a bit more of the stars, also Saturn. Bring one or two astronomical books if you have them with photographs of the most interesting things. Seriously, I should like some sort of telescope here. The air is so clear and the nights so wonderful. But I take it that an instrument big enough to be really interesting would run into the hundreds or thousands, and require a concrete platform etc.
You will have to change from train to boat at Naples. Please go to the Galleria Umberto and buy me 4 boxes (26 in a box) of assorted Havana cigars, the biggest size and darkest colour you can find, but each box a different brand. Think of it, one can't even buy cigars in Palermo!!!
The boat leaves Naples for Palermo about 6 or 7 P.M. I will try to meet you in Palermo the following morning. You are due to land about 8 or 9 A.M. If I am unable, pick out the porter of the Hotel des Palmes and trust everything to him—getting through customs and all. Lunch at the Palmes and come here by the afternoon train. You must wire me from Modane what night you cross from Naples. If you wired from Naples ten to one I should not get the telegram in time.
If you can get Kohineer H.B. pencils—hexagonal—bring along a couple of dozen.
93 93/93
Yours fraternally,
The Beast 666
P.S. The mix up about your Journey has been very annoying. Probably the Gods arranged it. It arose from misinterpreting your telegram "Madeira next Gibraltar." I assumed that the Union Castle called there.
* This is a joke.
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