A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4), Samuel Smiles [good beach reads txt] 📗

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 74

The Chevalier Breakfasted Here To-Day, And Afterwards We Were All Three

Closeted Together. The Chevalier Entered Into It Excellently. He

Thought, However, That We Could Not Depend Upon Malcolm, Barrow, Etc.,

_Keeping To It_; But This I Do Not Fear. He, Of Course, Has No Idea Of

Your Influence Or Connections. With Regard To The Delicate Point I

Mentioned, The Chevalier Is Willing To Make Any Sacrifice In His

Personal Comforts For Lockhart's Advancement; But He Feels That His

Son-In-Law Will "Lose Caste" By Going To Town Without Anything

Ostensible. He Agrees With Me That M. Cannot Accept An Official

Situation Of Any Kind, As It Would Compromise His Independence, But He

Thinks _Parliament For M. Indispensable_, And Also Very Much To _Our

Interest_. I Dine At Abbotsford To-Day, And We Shall Most Probably Again

Discuss Matters.

 

 

 

Now, These Are The Points Which Occur To Me. When M. Comes To Town, It

Will Be Most Important That It Should Be Distinctly Proved To Him That

He _Will_ Be Supported By The Great Interests I Have Mentioned To Him.

He Must See That, Through Powles, All America And The Commercial

Interest Is At Our Beck; That Wilmot H., Etc., Not As Mere

Under-Secretary, But As Our Private Friend, Is Most Staunch; That The

Chevalier Is Firm; That The West India Interest Will Pledge Themselves

That Such Men And In Such Situations As Barrow, Etc., Etc., Are

_Distinctly In Our Power_; And Finally, That He Is Coming To London, Not

To Be An Editor Of A Newspaper, But The Director-General Of An Immense

Organ, And At The Head Of A Band Of High-Bred Gentlemen And Important

Interests.

 

 

 

The Chevalier And M. Have Unburthened Themselves To Me In A Manner The

_Most Confidential_ That You Can Possibly Conceive. Of M.'S Capability,

_Perfect Complete Capability_, There Is No Manner Of Doubt. Of His Sound

Principles, And Of His Real Views In Life, I Could In A Moment Satisfy

You. Rest Assured, However, That You Are Dealing With A _Perfect

Gentleman_. There Has Been No Disguise To Me Of What Has Been Done, And

The Chevalier Had A Private Conversation With Me On The Subject, Of A

Nature _The Most Satisfactory_. With Regard To Other Plans Of Ours, If

We Could Get Him Up, We Should Find Him Invaluable. I Have A Most

Singular And Secret History On This Subject When We Meet.

 

 

 

Now, On The Grand Point--Parliament. M. Cannot Be A Representative Of A

Government Borough. It Is Impossible. He Must Be Free As Air. I Am Sure

That If This Could Be Arranged, All Would Be Settled; But It Is

"_Indispensable_," Without You Can Suggest Anything Else. M. Was Two

Days In Company With X. This Summer, As Well As X.'S And Our Friend, But

Nothing Transpired Of Our Views. This Is A Most Favourable Time To Make

A Parliamentary Arrangement. What Do You Think Of Making A Confidant Of

Wilmot H[Orton]? He Is The Kind Of Man Who Would Be Right Pleased By

Such Conduct. There Is No Harm Of Lockhart's Coming In For A Tory

Borough, Because He Is A Tory; But A Ministerial Borough Is Impossible

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 75

To Be Managed.

 

 

 

If This Point Could Be Arranged, I Have No Doubt That I Shall Be Able To

Organise, In The Interest With Which I Am Now Engaged, A Most _Immense

Party_, And A _Most Serviceable One_. Be So Kind As Not To Leave The

Vicinity Of London, In Case M. And Myself Come Up _Suddenly_; But I Pray

You, If You Have Any Real Desire To Establish A Mighty Engine, To Exert

Yourself At This Present Moment, And Assist Me To Your Very Utmost.

Write As Soon As Possible, To Give Me Some Idea Of Your Movements, And

Direct To Me Here, As I Shall Then Be Sure To Obtain Your Communication.

The Chevalier And All Here Have The Highest Idea Of Wright's _Nous_, And

Think It Most Important That He Should Be At The Head Of The Legal

Department. I Write This Despatch In The Most Extreme Haste.

 

 

 

Ever Yours,

 

 

 

B.D.

 

 

 

On Receiving The Above Letter And The Previous Communications, Mr.

Murray Sent Them To Mr. Isaac D'israeli For His Perusal.

 

 

 

_Mr. Isaac D'israeli To Mr. Murray_.

 

 

 

Hyde House, Amersham,

 

 

 

_September_ 29, 1825.

 

 

 

My Dear Friend,

 

 

 

How Deeply I Feel Obliged And Gratified By Your Confidential

Communication! I Read Repeatedly The Third Letter Of Our Young

Plenipotentiary. I Know Nothing Against Him But His Youth--A Fault Which

A Few Seasons Of Experience Will Infallibly Correct; But I Have Observed

That The Habits And Experience He Has Acquired As A Lawyer Often Greatly

Serve Him In Matters Ol Business. His Views Are Vast, But They Are Baaed

On Good Sense, And He Is Most Determinedly Serious When He Sets To Work.

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 76

The Chevalier And M. Seem To Have Received Him With All The Open

Confidence Of Men Struck By A Stranger, Yet A Stranger Not Wholly

Strange, And Known Enough To Them To Deserve Their Confidence If He

Could Inspire It. I Flatter Myself He Has Fully--He Must, If He Has

Really Had Confidential Intercourse With The Chevalier, And So

Confidently Impresses You With So High And Favourable A Character Of M.

On Your Side, My Dear Murray, No Ordinary Exertions Will Avail. You,

Too, Have Faith And Confidence To Inspire In Them. You Observe How The

Wary Northern Genius Attempted To Probe Whether Certain Friends Of Yours

Would Stand Together; No Doubt They Wish To Ascertain That Point. Pardon

Me If I Add, That In Satisfying Their Cautious And Anxious Inquiries As

To Your Influence With These Persons, It May Be Wise To Throw A Little

Shade Of Mystery, And Not To Tell Everything Too Openly At First;

Because, When Objects Are Clearly Defined, They Do Not Affect Our

Imaginations As When They Are Somewhat Concealed.... Vast As The Project

Seems, Held Up As It Will Be By Personages Of Wealth, Interests,

Politics, Etc., Whenever It Is Once Set Up, I Should Have No Fears For

The Results, Which Are Indeed The Most Important That One Can Well

Conceive.... Had The Editor Of "Paul Jones" Consulted Me A Little, I

Could Probably Have Furnished Him With The Account Of The Miserable End

Of His Hero; And I Am Astonished It Is Not Found, As You Tell Me, In

Your American Biography. [Footnote: The Last Paragraph In Mr.

D'israeli's Letter Refers To "The Life Of Paul Jones," Which Has Been

Already Mentioned. As The Novel "Aylmer Papillon," Written In 1824, Was

Never Published, The Preface To "Paul Jones" Was Benjamin's First

Appearance As An Author.]

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Young Disraeli Still Remained With Mr. Lockhart At

Chiefswood.

 

 

 

_Mr. B, Disraeli To John Murray_.

 

 

 

_September_, 1825.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Am Quite Sure, That Upon The Business I Am Upon Now Every Line Will Be

Acceptable, And I Therefore Make No Apology For This Hurried Despatch. I

Have Just Received A Parcel From Oliver & Boyd. I Transmitted A Letter

From M. To Wright, And Which [Footnote: This Is An Ungrammatical

Construction Which Lord Beaconsfield To The End Of His Days Never

Abandoned. _Vide_ Letter On P. 318 And Lothair _Passim_.--T.M.] Was For

Your Mutual Consideration, To You, _Via Chronometer_, Last Friday. I

Afterwards Received A Note From You, Dated Chichester, And Fearing From

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 77

That Circumstance That Some Confusion Would Arise, I Wrote A Few Lines

To You At Mr. Holland's. [Footnote: The Rev. W. Holland, Mr. Murray's

Brother-In-Law, Was A Minor Canon Of Chichester.] I Now Find That You

Will Be In Town On Monday, On Which Day I Rather Imagine The Said

Letter From M. To Wright Will Arrive. I Therefore Trust That The

Suspected Confusion Will Not Arise.

 

 

 

I Am Very Much Obliged To You For Your Letters; But I Am Very Sorry That

You Have Incurred Any Trouble, When It Is Most Probable That I Shall Not

Use Them. The Abbotsford And Chiefswood Families Have Placed Me On Such

A Friendly And Familiar Footing, That It Is Utterly Impossible For Me To

Leave Them While There Exists Any Chance Of M.'S Going To England. M.

Has Introduced Me To Most Of The Neighbouring Gentry, And Receives With

A Loud Laugh Any Mention Of My Return To Edinburgh. I Dined With Dr.

Brewster The Other Day. He Has A Pretty Place Near Melrose. It Is

Impossible For Me To Give To You Any Written Idea Of The Beauty And

Unique Character Of Abbotsford. _Adio!_

 

 

 

B.D.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Murray Continued To Transmit The Correspondence To Mr. Isaac

D'israeli, Whose Delight May Be Conceived From The Following:

 

 

 

_Mr. D'israeli To John Murray_.

 

 

 

_October_ 9, 1825.

 

 

 

My Dear Friend,

 

 

 

Thanks! My Warmest Ones Are Poor Returns For The Ardent Note You Have So

Affectionately Conveyed To Me By Him On Whom We Now Both Alike Rest Our

Hopes And Our Confidence. The More I Think Of This Whole Affair, From

Its Obscure Beginnings, The More I Am Quite Overcome By What He Has

Already Achieved; Never Did The Finest Season Of Blossoms Promise A

Richer Gathering. But He Has Not The Sole Merit, For You Share It With

Him, In The Grand View You Take Of The Capability Of This New

Intellectual Steam Engine.

 

 

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 78