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

Of Need. The

Arrangement Has Relieved Us All Of A Great Burden Of Annoyances And

Perplexities And Fears."

 

 

 

Another, And The Last Of Lockhart's Letters On This Subject, May Be

Given:

 

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 112

 

 

_Mr. Lockhart To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Chiefswood, _September_ 19, 1831.

 

 

 

Dear Murray,

 

 

 

In Consequence Of My Sister-In-Law, Annie Scott, Being Taken Unwell,

With Frequent Fainting Fits, The Result No Doubt Of Over Anxieties Of

Late, I Have Been Obliged To Let My Wife And Children Depart By

Tomorrow's Steamer Without Me, And I Remain To Attend To Sir Walter

Thro' His Land Progress, Which Will Begin On Friday, And End, I Hope

Well, On Wednesday. If This Should Give Any Inconvenience To You, God

Knows I Regret It, And God Knows Also I Couldn't Do Otherwise Without

Exposing Sir W. And His Daughter To A Feeling That I Had Not Done My

Duty To Them. On The Whole, Public Affairs Seem To Be So Dark, That I Am

Inclined To Think Our Best Course, In The _Quarterly_, May Turn Out To

Have Been And To Be, That Of Not Again Appearing Until The Fate Of This

Bill Has Been Quite Settled. My Wife Will, If You Are In Town, Be Much

Rejoiced With A Visit; And If You Write To Me, So As To Catch Me At

Rokeby Park, Greta Bridge, Next Saturday, 'Tis Well.

 

 

 

Yours,

 

 

 

J.G. Lockhart.

 

 

 

P.S.--But I See Rokeby Park Would Not Do. I Shall Be At Major Scott's,

15th Hussars, Nottingham, On Monday Night.

 

 

 

It Would Be Beyond Our Province To Describe In These Pages The Closing

Scenes Of Sir Walter Scott's Life: His Journey To Naples, His Attempt To

Write More Novels, His Failure, And His Return Home To Abbotsford To

Die. His Biography, By His Son-In-Law Lockhart, One Of The Best In The

Whole Range Of English Literature, Is Familiar To All Our Readers; And

Perhaps Never Was A More Faithful Memorial Erected, In The Shape Of A

Book, To The Beauty, Goodness, And Faithfulness Of A Noble Literary

Character.

 

 

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 113

 

In This Work We Are Only Concerned With Sir Walter's Friendship And

Dealings With Mr. Murray, And On These The Foregoing Correspondence,

Extending Over Nearly A Quarter Of A Century, Is Sufficient Comment.

When A Committee Was Formed In Sir Walter's Closing Years To Organize

And Carry Out Some Public Act Of Homage And Respect To The Great Genius,

Mr. Murray Strongly Urged That The Money Collected, With Which

Abbotsford Was Eventually Redeemed, Should Be Devoted To The Purchase Of

All The Copyrights For The Benefit Of Scott And His Family: It Cannot

But Be Matter Of Regret That This Admirable Suggestion Was Not Adopted.

 

 

 

During The Year 1827 Mr. Murray's Son, John Murray The Third, Was

Residing In Edinburgh As A Student At The University, And Attended The

Memorable Dinner At Which Scott Was Forced To Declare Himself The Author

Of The "Waverley Novels."

 

 

 

His Account Of The Scene, As Given In A Letter To His Father, Forms A

Fitting Conclusion To This Chapter.

 

 

 

"I Believe I Mentioned To You That Mr. Allan Had Kindly Offered To Take

Me With Him To A Theatrical Fund Dinner, Which Took Place On Friday

Last. There Were Present About 300 Persons--A Mixed Company, Many Of

Them Not Of The Most Respectable Order. Sir Walter Scott Took The Chair,

And There Was Scarcely Another Person Of Any Note To Support Him Except

The Actors. The Dinner, Therefore, Would Have Been Little Better Than

Endurable, Had It Not Been Remarkable For The Confession Of Sir Walter

Scott That He Was The Author Of The 'Waverley Novels.'

 

 

 

"This Acknowledgment Was Forced From Him, I Believe, Contrary To His Own

Wish, In This Manner. Lord Meadowbank, Who Sat On His Left Hand,

Proposed His Health, And After Paying Him Many Compliments, Ended His

Speech By Saying That The Clouds And Mists Which Had So Long Surrounded

The Great Unknown Were Now Revealed, And He Appeared In His True

Character (Probably Alluding To The _Expose_ Made Before Constable's

Creditors, For I Do Not Think There Was Any Preconcerted Plan). Upon

This Sir Walter Rose, And Said, 'I Did Not Expect On Coming Here Today

That I Should Have To Disclose Before 300 People A Secret Which,

Considering It Had Already Been Made Known To About Thirty Persons, Had

Been Tolerably Well Kept. I Am Not Prepared To Give My Reasons For

Preserving It A Secret, Caprice Had Certainly A Great Share In The

Matter. Now That It Is Out, I Beg Leave To Observe That I Am Sole And

Undivided Author Of Those Novels. Every Part Of Them Has Originated With

Me, Or Has Been Suggested To Me In The Course Of My Reading. I Confess

I Am Guilty, And Am Almost Afraid To Examine The Extent Of My

Delinquency. "Look On't Again, I Dare Not!" The Wand Of Prospero Is Now

Broken, And My Book Is Buried, But Before I Retire I Shall Propose The

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 114

Health Of A Person Who Has Given So Much Delight To All Now Present, The

Bailie Nicol Jarvie.'

 

 

 

"I Report This From Memory. Of Course It Is Not Quite Accurate In Words,

But You Will Find A Tolerable Report Of It In The _Caledonian Mercury_

Of Saturday. This Declaration Was Received With Loud And Long Applause.

As This Was Gradually Subsiding, A Voice From The End Of The Room Was

Heard [Footnote: The Speaker On This Occasion Was The Actor Mackay, Who

Had Attained Considerable Celebrity By His Representation Of Scottish

Characters, And Especially Of That Of The Famous Bailie In "Rob Roy."]

Exclaiming In Character,' Ma Conscience! If My Father The Bailie Had

Been Alive To Hear That Ma Health Had Been Proposed By The Author Of

Waverley,' Etc., Which, As You May Suppose, Had A Most Excellent

Effect."

 

 

 

Chapter 26 ( Napier's "Peninsular War"--Choker's "Boswell"--"The Family Library," Etc.) Pg 115

 

The Public Has Long Since Made Up Its Mind As To The Merits Of Colonel

Napier's "History Of The Peninsular War." It Is A Work Which None But A

Soldier Who Had Served Through The War As He Had Done, And Who,

Moreover, Combined With Practical Experience A Thorough Knowledge Of The

Science Of War, Could Have Written.

 

 

 

At The Outset Of His Work He Applied To The Duke Of Wellington For His

Papers. This Rather Abrupt Request Took The Duke By Surprise. The

Documents In His Possession Were So Momentous, And The Great Part Of

Them So Confidential In Their Nature, That He Felt It To Be Impossible

To Entrust Them Indiscriminately To Any Man Living. He, However,

Promised Napier To Put In His Hands Any Specified Paper Or Document He

Might Ask For, Provided No Confidence Would Be Broken By Its

Examination. He Also Offered To Answer Any Question Napier Might Put To

Him, And With This Object Invited Him To Stratfieldsaye, Where The Two

Generals Discussed Many Points Connected With The Campaign.

 

 

Chapter 26 ( Napier's "Peninsular War"--Choker's "Boswell"--"The Family Library," Etc.) Pg 116

 

_Colonel W. Napier To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Bromham, Wilts,

 

 

 

_December_ 5, 1828.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

My First Volume Is Now Nearly Ready For The Press, And As I Think That

In Matters Of Business A Plain Straightforward Course Is Best, I Will At

Once Say What I Conceive To Be The Valuable Part Of My Work, And Leave

You To Make A Proposition Relative To Publication Of The Single Volume,

Reserving Further Discussion About The Whole Until The Other Volumes

Shall Be In A More Forward State.

 

 

 

The Volume In Question Commences With The Secret Treaty Of

Fontainebleau Concluded In 1809, And Ends With The Battle Of Corunna. It

Will Have An Appendix Of Original Documents, Many Of Which Are Extremely

Interesting, And There Will Also Be Some Plans Of The Battles. My

Authorities Have Been:

 

 

 

1. All The Original Papers Of Sir Hew Dalrymple.

 

 

 

2. Those Of Sir John Moore.

 

 

 

3. King Joseph's Correspondence Taken At The Battle Of Vittoria, And

Placed At My Disposal By The Duke Of Wellington. Among Other Papers Are

Several Notes And Detailed Instructions By Napoleon Which Throw A

Complete Light Upon His Views And Proceedings In The Early Part Of The

War.

 

 

 

4. Notes Of Conversations Held With The Duke Of Wellington For The

Especial Purpose Of Connecting My Account Of His Operations.