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

Chapter 26 ( Napier's "Peninsular War"--Choker's "Boswell"--"The Family Library," Etc.) Pg 117

 

5. Notes Of Conversation With Officers Of High Rank In The French,

English, And Spanish Services.

 

 

 

6. Original Journals, And The Most Unreserved Communications With

Marshal Soult.

 

 

 

7. My Own Notes Of Affairs In Which I Have Been Present.

 

 

 

8. Journals Of Regimental Officers Of Talent, And Last But Not Least,

Copies Taken By Myself From The Original Muster Rolls Of The French Army

As They Were Transmitted To The Emperor.

 

 

 

Having Thus Distributed All My Best Wares In The Bow Window, I Shall

Leave You To Judge For Yourself; And, As The Diplomatists Say, Will Be

Happy To Treat Upon A Suitable Basis. In The Meantime,

 

 

 

I Remain, Your Very Obedient Servant,

 

 

 

W. Napier.

 

 

 

About A Fortnight Later (December 25, 1827) He Again Wrote That He Would

Have The Pleasure Of Putting A Portion Of His Work Into Mr. Murray's

Hands In A Few Days; But That "It Would Be Disagreeable To Him To Have

It Referred To Mr. Southey For An Opinion." Murray, It Should Be

Mentioned, Had Published Southey's "History Of The War In Spain." Some

Negotiations Ensued, In The Course Of Which Mr. Murray Offered 500

Guineas For The Volume. This Proposal, However, Was Declined By Colonel

Napier.

 

 

 

Murray After Fuller Consideration Offered A Thousand Guineas, Which

Colonel Napier Accepted, And The Volume Was Accordingly Published In The

Course Of 1828. Notwithstanding The Beauty Of Its Style And The Grandeur

Of Its Descriptions, The Book Gave Great Offence By The Severity Of Its

Criticism, And Called Forth A Multitude Of Replies And Animadversions.

More Than A Dozen Of These Appeared In The Shape Of Pamphlets Bearing

Their Authors' Names, Added To Which The _Quarterly Review_, Departing

From The General Rule, Gave No Less Than Four Criticisms In Succession

Chapter 26 ( Napier's "Peninsular War"--Choker's "Boswell"--"The Family Library," Etc.) Pg 118

This Innovation Greatly Disgusted The Publisher, Who Regarded Them As So

Much Lead Weighing Down His _Review_, Although They Proceeded From The

Pen Of The Duke's Right-Hand Man, The Rt. Hon. Sir George Murray. They

Were Unreadable And Produced No Effect. It Is Needless To Add The Duke

Had Nothing To Do With Them.

 

 

 

Mr. Murray Published No Further Volumes Of The "History Of The

Peninsular War," But At His Suggestion Colonel Napier Brought Out The

Second And Succeeding Volumes On His Own Account. In Illustration Of The

Loss Which Occurred To Mr. Murray In Publishing The First Volume Of The

History, The Following Letter May Be Given, As Addressed To The Editor

Of The _Morning Chronicle_:

 

 

 

_John Murray To The Editor Of The Morning Chronicle_.

 

 

 

Albemarle Street, _February_ 13, 1837.

 

 

 

Sir,

 

 

 

My Attention Has Been Called To An Article In Your Paper Of The 14th Of

January, Containing The Following Extract From Colonel Napier's Reply To

The Third Article In The _Quarterly Review_, On His "History Of The

Peninsular War." [Footnote: The Article Appeared In No. 111 Of

_Quarterly_, April 1836.]

 

 

 

"Sir George Murray Only Has Thrown Obstacles In My Way, And If I Am

Rightly Informed Of The Following Circumstances, His Opposition Has Not

Been Confined To What I Have Stated Above. Mr. Murray, The Bookseller,

Purchased My First Volume, With The Right Of Refusal For The Second

Volume. When The Latter Was Nearly Ready, A Friend Informed Me That He

Did Not Think Murray Would Purchase, Because He Had Heard Him Say That

Sir George Murray Had Declared It Was Not 'The Book.' He Did Not Point

Out Any Particular Error, But It Was Not 'The Book,' Meaning, Doubtless,

That His Own Production, When It Appeared, Would Be 'The Book.' My

Friend's Prognostic Was Not False. I Was Offered Just Half Of The Sum

Given For The First Volume. I Declined It, And Published On My Own

Account, And Certainly I Have Had No Reason To Regret That Mr.

Bookseller Murray Waited For 'The Book,' Indeed, He Has Since Told Me

Very Frankly That He Had Mistaken His Own Interest."

 

 

Chapter 26 ( Napier's "Peninsular War"--Choker's "Boswell"--"The Family Library," Etc.) Pg 119

In Answer To The First Part Of This Statement, I Beg Leave To Say, That

I Had Not, At The Time To Which Colonel Napier Refers, The Honour Of Any

Acquaintance With Sir George Murray, Nor Have I Held Any Conversation Or

Correspondence With Him On The Subject Of Colonel Napier's Book, Or Of

Any Other Book On The Peninsular War. In Reply To The Second Part Of The

Statement, Regarding The Offer For Colonel Napier's Second Volume Of

Half The Sum (Viz. 500 Guineas) That I Gave For The First Volume

(Namely, 1,000 Guineas), I Have Only To Beg The Favour Of Your Insertion

Of The Following Letter, Written By Me To Colonel Napier, Upon The

Occasion Referred To.

 

 

 

Albemarle Street, _May_ 13, 1829.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Upon Making Up The Account Of The Sale Of The First Volume Of "The

History Of The War In The Peninsula" I Find That I Am At This Time Minus

L545 12s. At This Loss I Do By No Means In The Present Instance Repine,

For I Have Derived Much Gratification From Being The Publisher Of A Work

Which Is So Intrinsically Valuable, And Which Has Been So Generally

Admired, And It Is Some Satisfaction To Me To Find By This Result That

My Own Proposal To You Was Perfectly Just. I Will Not, However, Venture

To Offer You A Less Sum For The Second Volume, But Recommend That You

Should, In Justice To Yourself, Apply To Some Other Publishers; If You

Should Obtain From Them The Sum Which You Are Right In Expecting, It

Will Afford Me Great Pleasure, And, If You Do Not, You Will Find Me

Perfectly Ready To Negotiate; And In Any Case I Shall Continue To Be,

With The Highest Esteem, Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Your Obliged And Faithful Servant,

 

 

 

John Murray.

 

 

 

I Am Confident You Will Do Me The Justice To Insert This Letter, And

Have No Doubt Its Contents Will Convince Colonel Napier That His

Recollection Of The Circumstances Has Been Incomplete.

 

 

 

I Have The Honour To Be, Sir,

 

 

Chapter 26 ( Napier's "Peninsular War"--Choker's "Boswell"--"The Family Library," Etc.) Pg 120

 

Your Obedient Humble Servant,

 

 

 

John Murray.

 

 

 

It May Not Be Generally Known That We Owe To Colonel Napier's Work The

Publication Of The Duke Of Wellington's Immortal "Despatches." The Duke,

Upon Principle, Refused To Read Napier's Work; Not Wishing, As He Said,

To Quarrel With Its Author. But He Was Made Sufficiently Acquainted With

The Contents From Friends Who Had Perused It, And Who, Having Made The

Campaigns With Him, Could Point To Praise And Blame Equally Undeserved,

To Designs Misunderstood And Misrepresented, As Well As To Supercilious

Criticism And Patronizing Approval, Which Could Not But Be Painful To

The Great Commander. His Nature Was Too Noble To Resent This; But He

Resolved, In Self-Defence, To Give The Public The Means Of Ascertaining

The Truth, By Publishing All His Most Important And Secret Despatches,

In Order, He Said, To Give The World A Correct Account Not Only Of What

He Did, But Of What He Intended To Do.

 

 

 

Colonel Gurwood Was Appointed Editor Of The "Despatches" And, During

Their Preparation, Not A Page Escaped The Duke's Eye, Or His Own Careful

Revision. Mr. Murray, Who Was Honoured By Being Chosen As The Publisher,

Compared This Wonderful Collection Of Documents To A Watch: Hitherto The

General Public Had Only Seen In The Successful And Orderly Development

Of His Campaigns, As It Were The Hands Moving Over The Dial Without

Fault Or Failure, But Now The Duke Opened The Works, And They Were

Enabled To Inspect The Complicated Machinery--The Wheels Within

Wheels--Which Had Produced This Admirable Result. It Is Enough To State

That In These Despatches The _Whole_ Truth Relating To The Peninsular

War Is Fully And Elaborately Set Forth.

 

 

 

At The Beginning Of 1829 Croker Consulted Murray On The Subject Of An

Annotated Edition Of "Boswell's Johnson." Murray Was Greatly Pleased

With The Idea Of A New Edition Of The Work By His Laborious Friend, And

Closing At Once With Croker's Proposal, Wrote, "I Shall Be Happy To

Give, As Something In The Way Of Remuneration, The Sum Of One Thousand

Guineas." Mr. Croker Accepted The Offer, And Proceeded Immediately With

The Work.

 

 

 

Mr. Murray Communicated To Mr. Lockhart The Arrangement He Had Made With

Croker. His Answer Was:

 

 

 

Chapter 26 ( Napier's "Peninsular War"--Choker's "Boswell"--"The Family Library," Etc.) Pg 121

_Mr. Lockhart To John Murray_.

 

 

 

_January_ 19, 1829.

 

 

 

"I Am Heartily Rejoiced That This 'Johnson,' Of Which We Had So Often

Talked, Is In Such Hands At Whatever Cost. Pray Ask Croker Whether

Boswell's Account Of The Hebridean Tour Ought Not To Be Melted Into The

Book. Sir Walter Has Many Ms. Annotations In His 'Boswell,' Both 'Life'

And 'Tour,' And Will, I Am Sure, Give Them With Hearty Good Will.... He

Will Write Down All That He Has Heard About Johnson When In Scotland;

And, In Particular, About The Amusing Intercourse Between Him And Lord

Auchinleck--Boswell's Father--If Croker Considers It Worth His While."

 

 

 

Sir Walter Scott's Offer Of Information, [Footnote: Sir Walter's Letter

To Croker On The Subject Will Be Found In The "Croker Correspondence,"

Ii. 28.] To A Certain Extent, Delayed Croker's Progress With The Work.

He Wrote To Mr. Murray (November 17, 1829): "The Reference To Sir

Walter Scott Delays Us A Little As To The Revises, But His Name Is Well

Worth The Delay. My Share Of The Next Volume (The 2nd) Is Quite Done;

And I Could Complete