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

A Few Plates, To Be Published By Subscription.

We Have Inserted Your Name, As We Have No Doubt Of Your Doing Everything

You Can For The Poor Poet. The Advertisement, Which Is Excellent, Is

Written By Mr. Scott."

 

 

 

Hogg Was Tempted By The Duke Of Buccleuch's Gift Of A Farm On Eltrive

Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 10

Lake To Build Himself A House, As Scott Was Doing, And Applied To Murray

For A Loan Of L50, Which Was Granted. In Acknowledging The Receipt Of

The Money He Wrote:

 

 

 

_Mr. James Hogg To John Murray_.

 

 

 

_August_ 11, 1818.

 

 

 

.... I Am Told Gifford Has A Hard Prejudice Against Me, But I Cannot

Believe It. I Do Not See How Any Man Can Have A Prejudice Against Me. He

May, Indeed, Consider Me An Intruder In The Walks Of Literature, But I

Am Only A Saunterer, And Malign Nobody Who Chooses To Let Me Pass.... I

Was Going To Say Before, But Forgot, And Said Quite Another Thing, That

If Mr. Gifford Would Point Out Any Light Work For Me To Review For Him,

I'll Bet A Ms. Poem With Him That I'll Write It Better Than He Expects.

 

 

 

Yours Ever Most Sincerely,

 

 

 

James Hogg.

 

 

 

As Scott Still Remained The Great Unknown, Murray's Correspondence With

Him Related Principally To His Articles In The _Quarterly_, To Which He

Continued An Occasional Contributor. Murray Suggested To Him The

Subjects Of Articles, And Also Requested Him To Beat Up For A Few More

Contributors. He Wanted An Article On The Gypsies, And If Scott Could

Not Muster Time To Do It, He Hoped That Mr. Erskine Might Be Persuaded

To Favour Him With An Essay.

 

 

 

Scott, However, In The Midst Of Pain And Distress, Was Now Busy With His

"Rob Roy," Which Was Issued Towards The End Of The Year.

 

 

 

A Short Interruption Of His Correspondence With Murray Occurred--Scott

Being Busy In Getting The Long Buried And Almost Forgotten "Regalia Of

Scotland" Exposed To Light; He Was Also Busy With One Of His Best

Novels, The "Heart Of Midlothian." Murray, Knowing Nothing Of These

Things, Again Endeavoured To Induce Him To Renew His Correspondence,

Especially His Articles For The _Review_. In Response Scott Contributed

Articles On Kirkton's "History Of The Church Of Scotland," On Military

Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 11

Bridges, And On Lord Orford's Memoirs.

 

 

 

Towards The End Of The Year, Mr. Murray Paid A Visit To Edinburgh On

Business, And After Seeing Mr. Blackwood, Made His Way Southward, To Pay

His Promised Visit To Walter Scott At Abbotsford, An Account Of Which

Has Already Been Given In The Correspondence With Lord Byron.

 

 

 

James Hogg, Who Was Present At The Meeting Of Scott And Murray At

Abbotsford, Wrote To Murray As Follows:

 

 

 

_James Hogg To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Edinburgh, _February_ 20, 1819.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Arrived Here The Day Before Yesterday For My Spring Campaign In

Literature, Drinking Whiskey, Etc., And As I Have Not Heard A Word Of

You Or From You Since We Parted On The Top Of The Hill Above Abbotsford,

I Dedicate My First Letter From The Metropolis To You. And First Of All,

I Was Rather Disappointed In Getting So Little Cracking With You At That

Time. Scott And You Had So Much And So Many People To Converse About,

Whom Nobody Knew Anything Of But Yourselves, That You Two Got All To

Say, And Some Of Us Great Men, Who Deem We Know Everything At Home,

Found That We Knew Nothing. You Did Not Even Tell Me What Conditions You

Were Going To Give Me For My "Jacobite Relics Of Scotland," The First

Part Of Which Will Make Its Appearance This Spring, And I Think Bids

Fair To Be Popular....

 

 

 

Believe Me, Yours Very Faithfully,

 

 

 

James Hogg.

 

 

 

After The Discontinuance Of Murray's Business Connection With Blackwood,

Described In The Preceding Chapter, James Hogg Wrote In Great

Consternation:

Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 12

 

 

 

_Mr. James Hogg To John Murray_,

 

 

 

Eltrive, By Selkirk, _December_ 9, 1829.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

By A Letter From Blackwood To-Day, I Have The Disagreeable Intelligence

That Circumstances Have Occurred Which I Fear Will Deprive Me Of You As

A Publisher--I Hope Never As A Friend; For I Here Attest, Though I Have

Heard Some Bitter Things Against You, That I Never Met With Any Man

Whatever Who, On So Slight An Acquaintance, Has Behaved To Me So Much

Like A Gentleman. Blackwood Asks To Transfer Your Shares Of My Trifling

Works To His New Agents. I Answered, "Never! Without Your Permission."

As The "Jacobite Relics" Are Not Yet Published, And As They Would Only

Involve You Further With One With Whom You Are Going To Close Accounts,

I Gave Him Liberty To Transfer The Shares You Were To Have In Them To

Messrs. Cadell & Davies. But When I Consider Your Handsome Subscription

For "The Queen's Wake," If You Have The Slightest Inclination To Retain

Your Shares Of That Work And "The Brownie," As Your Name Is On Them,

_Along With Blackwood_, I Would Much Rather, Not Only From Affection,

But Interest, That You Should Continue To Dispose Of Them.

 

 

 

I Know These Books Are Of No Avail To You; And That If You Retain Them,

It Will Be On The Same Principle That You Published Them, Namely, One Of

Friendship For Your Humble Poetical Countryman. I'll Never Forget Your

Kindness; For I Cannot Think That I Am Tainted With The General Vice Of

Authors' _Ingratitude_; And The First House That I Call At In London

Will Be The One In Albemarle Street.

 

 

 

I Remain, Ever Yours Most Truly,

 

 

 

James Hogg.

 

 

 

Murray Did Not Cease To Sell The Shepherd's Works, And Made Arrangements

With Blackwood To Continue His Agency For Them, And To Account For The

Sales In The Usual Way.

 

Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 13

 

 

The Name Of Robert Owen Is But Little Remembered Now, But At The Early

Part Of The Century He Attained Some Notoriety From His Endeavours To

Reform Society. He Was Manager Of The Lanark Cotton Mills, But In 1825

He Emigrated To America, And Bought Land On The Wabash Whereon To Start

A Model Colony, Called New Harmony. This Enterprise Failed, And He

Returned To England In 1827. The Following Letter Is In Answer To His

Expressed Intention Of Adding Mr. Murray's Name To The Title-Page Of The

Second Edition Of His "New View Of Society."

 

 

 

_John Murray To Mr. Robert Owen_.

 

 

 

_September_ 9, 1817.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

As It Is Totally Inconsistent With My Plans To Allow My Name To Be

Associated With Any Subject Of So Much Political Notoriety And Debate As

Your New System Of Society, I Trust That You Will Not Consider It As Any

Diminution Of Personal Regard If I Request The Favour Of You To Cause My

Name To Be Immediately Struck Out From Every Sort Of Advertisement That

Is Likely To Appear Upon This Subject. I Trust That A Moment's

Reflection Will Convince Which I Understand You Talked Of Sending To My

House. I Beg Leave Again To Repeat That I Retain The Same Sentiments Of

Personal Esteem, And That I Am, Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Your Faithful Servant,

 

 

 

John Murray.

 

 

 

Among The Would-Be Poets Was A Young Quaker Gentleman Of

Stockton-On-Tees Who Sent Mr. Murray A Batch Of Poems. The Publisher

Wrote An Answer To His Letter, Which Fell Into The Hands Of The Poet's

Father, Who Bore The Same Name As His Son. The Father Answered:

 

 

 

_Mr. Proctor To Mr. Murray_.

 

Chapter 19 (Works Published In 1817-18--Correspondence, Etc.--) Pg 14

 

 

Esteemed Friend,

 

 

 

I Feel Very Much Obliged By Thy Refusing To _Publish_ The Papers Sent

Thee By My Son. I Was Entirely Ignorant Of Anything Of The Kind, Or

Should Have Nipt It In The Bud. On Receipt Of This, Please Burn The

Whole That Was Sent Thee, And At Thy Convenience Inform Me That It Has

Been Done. With Thanks For Thy Highly Commendable Care.

 

 

 

I Am Respectfully, Thy Friend,

 

 

 

John Proctor.

 

 

 

The Number Of Persons Who Desired To Publish Poetry Was Surprising, Even

Sharon Turner, Murray's Solicitor, Whose Valuable Historical Works Had

Been Published By The Longmans, Wrote To Him About The Publication Of

Poems, Which He Had Written "To Idle Away The Evenings As Well As He

Could." Murray Answered His Letter:

 

 

 

_John Murray To Mr. Sharon Turner_.

 

 

 

_November_ 17, 1817.

 

 

 

I Do Not Think It Would Be Creditable To Your Name, Or Advantageous To

Your More Important Works, That The Present One Should Proceed From A

Different Publisher. Many Might Fancy That Longman Had Declined It.

Longman Might Suspect Me Of Interference; And Thus, In The Uncertainty

Of Acting With Propriety Myself, I Should Have Little Hope Of Giving

Satisfaction To You. I Therefore Refer The Matter To Your Own Feelings

And Consideration. It Has Afforded Me Great Pleasure To Learn Frequently

Of Late That You Are So Much Better. I Hope During The Winter, If We

Have Any, To Send You Many Amusing Books To Shorten The Tediousness Of

Time, And Charm Away Your