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

 

 

In The Following Letter Lockhart Definitely Declined The Editorship Of

The _Representative_.

 

 

 

_Mr. Lockhart To John Murray_.

 

 

 

_October_ 7, 1825.

 

 

 

"I Am Afraid, That In Spite Of My Earnest Desire To Be Clear And

Explicit, You Have Not After All Fully Understood The Inexpressible

Feeling I Entertain In Regard To The _Impossibility_ Of My Ever Entering

Into The Career Of London In The Capacity Of A Newspaper Editor. I

Confess That You, Who Have Adorned And Raised Your Own Profession So

Highly, May Feel Inclined, And Justly Perhaps, To Smile At Some Of My

Scruples; But It Is Enough To Say That Every Hour That Has Elapsed Since

The Idea Was First Started Has Only Served To Deepen And Confirm The

Feeling With Which I At The First Moment Regarded It; And, In Short,

That If Such A Game _Ought_ To Be Played, I Am Neither Young Nor Poor

Enough To Be The Man That Takes The Hazard."

 

 

 

Sir Walter Scott Also Expressed His Views On The Subject As Follows:

 

 

 

_Sir W. Scott To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Abbotsford, _Sunday_,

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Lockhart Seems To Wish That I Would Express My Opinion Of The Plan Which

You Have Had The Kindness To Submit To Him, And I Am Myself Glad Of An

Opportunity To Express My Sincere Thanks For The Great Confidence You

Are Willing To Repose In One So Near To Me, And Whom I Value So Highly.

There Is Nothing In Life That Can Be More Interesting To Me Than His

Prosperity, And Should There Eventually Appear A Serious Prospect Of His

Bettering His Fortunes By Quitting Scotland, I Have Too Much Regard For

Him To Desire Him To Remain, Notwithstanding All The Happiness I Must

Lose By His Absence And That Of My Daughter. The Present State, However,

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 79

Of The Negotiation Leaves Me Little Or No Reason To Think That I Will Be

Subjected To This Deprivation, For I Cannot Conceive It Advisable That

He Should Leave Scotland On The Speculation Of Becoming Editor Of A

Newspaper. It Is Very True That This Department Of Literature May And

Ought To Be Rendered More Respectable Than It Is At Present, But I Think

This Is A Reformation More To Be Wished Than Hoped For, And Should Think

It Rash For Any Young Man, Of Whatever Talent, To Sacrifice, Nominally

At Least, A Considerable Portion Of His Respectability In Society In

Hopes Of Being Submitted As An Exception To A Rule Which Is At Present

Pretty General. This Might Open The Door To Love Of Money, But It Would

Effectually Shut It Against Ambition.

 

 

 

To Leave Scotland, Lockhart Must Make Very Great Sacrifices, For His

Views Here, Though Moderate, Are Certain, His Situation In Public

Estimation And In Private Society Is As High As That Of Any One At Our

Bar, And His Road To The Public Open, If He Chooses To Assist His Income

By Literary Resources. But Of The Extent And Value Of These Sacrifices

He Must Himself Be A Judge, And A More Unprejudiced One, Probably, Than

I Am.

 

 

 

I Am Very Glad He Meets Your Wishes By Going Up To Town, As This, Though

It Should Bear No Further Consequences, Cannot But Serve To Show A

Grateful Sense Of The Confidence And Kindness Of The Parties Concerned,

And Yours In Particular.

 

 

 

I Beg Kind Compliments To Mr. D'israeli, And Am, Dear Sir, With Best

Wishes For The Success Of Your Great National Plan.

 

 

 

Yours Very Truly,

 

 

 

Walter Scott.

 

 

 

 

Although Mr. Lockhart Hung Back From The Proposed Editorship, He

Nevertheless Carried Out His Intention Of Visiting Mr. Murray In London

A Few Weeks After The Date Of The Above Letter. Mr. J.T. Coleridge Had

Expressed His Desire To Resign The Editorship Of The _Quarterly_, In

Consequence Of His Rapidly Increasing Practice On The Western Circuit,

And Mr. Lockhart Was Sounded As To His Willingness To Become His

Successor. Mr. Murray Entertained The Hope That He Might Be Able To Give

A Portion Of His Time To Rendering Some Assistance In The Management Of

The Proposed Newspaper. As Sir Walter Scott Had Been Taken Into Their

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 80

Counsels, Through The Medium Of Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Murray Proceeded To

Correspond With Him On The Subject. From The Draft Of One Of Mr.

Murray's Letters We Extract The Following:

 

 

 

_John Murray To Sir Walter Scott_.

 

 

 

_October_ 13, 1825.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir Walter,

 

 

 

I Feel Greatly Obliged By The Favour Of Your Kind Letter, And For The

Good Opinion Which You Are Disposed To Entertain Of Certain Plans, Of

Which You Will By Degrees Be Enabled To Form, I Hope, A Still More

Satisfactory Estimate. At Present, I Will Take The Liberty Of Assuring

You, That After Your Confidence In Me, I Will Neither Propose Nor Think

Of Anything Respecting Mr. Lockhart That Has Not Clearly For Its Basis

The Honour Of His Family. With Regard To Our Great Plan--Which Really

Ought Not To Be Designated A Newspaper, As That Department Of Literature

Has Hitherto Been Conducted--Mr. Lockhart Was Never Intended To Have

Anything To Do As Editor: For We Have Already Secured Two Most Efficient

And Respectable Persons To Fill That Department. I Merely Wished To

Receive His General Advice And Assistance. And Mr. Lockhart Would Only

Be Known Or Suspected To Be The Author Of Certain Papers Of Grave

National Importance. The More We Have Thought And Talked Over Our Plans,

The More Certain Are We Of Their Inevitable Success, And Of Their

Leading Us To Certain Power, Reputation, And Fortune. For Myself, The

Heyday Of My Youth Is Passed, Though I May Be Allowed Certain Experience

In My Profession. I Have Acquired A Moderate Fortune, And Have A Certain

Character, And Move Now In The First Circles Of Society; And I Have A

Family: These, I Hope, May Be Some Fair Pledge To You That I Would Not

Engage In This Venture With Any Hazard, When All That Is Dearest To Man

Would Be My Loss.

 

 

 

In Order, However, To Completely Obviate Any Difficulties Which Have

Been Urged, I Have Proposed To Mr. Lockhart To Come To London As The

Editor Of The _Quarterly_--An Appointment Which, I Verily Believe, Is

Coveted By Many Of The Highest Literary Characters In The Country, And

Which, Of Itself, Would Entitle Its Possessor To Enter Into And Mix With

The First Classes Of Society. For This, And Without Writing A Line, But

Merely For Performing The Duties Of An Editor, I Shall Have The Pleasure

Of Allowing Him A Thousand Pounds A Year; And This, With Contributions

Of His Own, Might Easily Become L1,500, And Take No Serious Portion Of

His Time Either. Then, For His Connection With The Paper, He Will Become

Permanently Interested In A Share We Can Guarantee To Him For Three

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 81

Years, And Which, I Am Confident, Will Be Worth, At The End Of That

Period, At Least L3,000; And The Profits From That Share Will Not Be

Less Than L1,500 Per Annum. I Have Lately Heard, From Good Authority,

That The Annual Profit Of The _Times_ Is L40,000, And That A Share In

The _Courier_ Sold Last Week (Wretchedly Conducted, It Seems) At The

Rate Of L100,000 For The Property.

 

 

 

But This Is Not All. You Know Well Enough That The Business Of A

Publishing Bookseller Is Not In His Shop Or Even His Connection, But In

His Brains; And We Can Put Forward Together A Series Of Valuable

Literary Works, And Without, Observe Me, In Any Of These Plans, The

Slightest Risk To Mr. Lockhart. And I Do Most Solemnly Assure You That

If I May Take Any Credit To Myself For Possessing Anything Like Sound

Judgment In My Profession, The Things Which We Shall Immediately Begin

Upon, As Mr. Lockhart Will Explain To You, Are As Perfectly Certain Of

Commanding A Great Sale As Anything I Ever Had The Good Fortune To

Engage In.

 

 

 

Lockhart Finally Accepted The Editorship Of The _Quarterly_, After

Negotiations Which Brought Mr. Disraeli On A Second Visit To Scotland,

But He Undertook No Formal Responsibility For The New Daily Paper.

 

 

 

In London Disraeli Was Indefatigable. He Visited City Men, For The

Purpose Of Obtaining Articles On Commercial Subjects. He Employed An

Architect, Mr. G. Basevi, Jun., His Cousin, With A View To The Planning

Of Offices And Printing Premises. A Large House Was Eventually Taken In

Great George Street, Westminster, And Duly Fitted Up As A Printing

Office.

 

 

 

He Then Proceeded, In Common With Mr. Murray, To Make Arrangements For

The Foreign Correspondence. In The Summer Of 1824--Before The New

Enterprise Was Thought Of--He Had Travelled In The Rhine Country, And

Made Some Pleasant Acquaintances, Of Whom He Now Bethought Himself When

Making Arrangements For The New Paper. One Of Them Was Mr. Maas, Of The

Trierscher Hof, Coblentz, And Mr. Disraeli Addressed Him As Follows:

 

 

 

_Mr. B. Disraeli To Mr. Maas_.

 

 

 

_October_ 25, 1825.

 

Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 82

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Your Hospitality, Which I Have Twice Enjoyed, Convinces Me That You Will

Not Consider This As An Intrusion. My Friend, Mr. Murray, Of Albemarle

Street, London, The Most Eminent Publisher That We Have, Is About To

Establish A Daily Journal Of The First Importance. With His Great

Influence And Connections, There Is No Doubt That He Will Succeed In His

Endeavour To Make It The Focus Of