A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4), Samuel Smiles [good beach reads txt] 📗
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Objection. I Do Indeed Greatly Wish For A Figure By Thorwaldsen Here;
But No Taste Ought To Be Indulged To The Prejudice Of A Duty.
Chapter 27 (Moore's "Life Of Byron") Pg 137
With My Respectful Compliments To The Committee, I Beg You To Believe
Me,
Yours Truly,
John Ireland.
The Statue Was For Some Time Laid Up In A Shed On A Thames Wharf. An
Attempt Was Made In The House Of Commons To Alter The Decision Of The
Dean And Chapter, But It Proved Of No Avail. "I Would Do My Best," Said
Mr. Hobhouse, "To Prevail Upon Sir Robert Peel To Use His Influence With
The Dean. It Is A National Disgrace That The Statue Should Lie Neglected
In A Carrier's Ware-House, And It Is So Felt By Men Of All Parties. I
Have Had A Formal Application From Trinity College, Cambridge, For Leave
To Place The Monument In Their Great Library, And It Has Been Intimated
To Me That The French Government Desire To Have It For The Louvre." The
Result Was That The Subscribers, In Order To Retain The Statue In
England, Forwarded It To Trinity College, Cambridge, Whose Noble Library
It Now Adorns.
The Only Memorial To Byron In London Is The Contemptible Leaning Bronze
Statue In Apsley House Gardens, Nearly Opposite The Statue Of Achilles.
Its Pedestal Is A Block Of Parian Marble, Presented By The Greek
Government As A National Tribute To The Memory Of Byron.
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 138
Me. Disraeli's Earliest Appearance As An Author Had Been With The Novel
Of "Vivian Grey," Published After A Brief Visit To Germany While He Was
Still In His Eighteenth Year. Two Volumes Were Published In 1826, And A
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 139Third Volume, Or Continuation, In The Following Year. The Work Brought
The Author Some Notoriety, But, As Already Noticed, It Contained Matter
Which Gave Offence In Albemarle Street. After The Publication Of The
First Part, Which Was Contemporaneous With The Calamitous Affair Of The
_Representative_, Mr. Murray Saw But Little Of The Disraeli Family, But
At The Commencement Of 1830, Mr. Benjamin Disraeli Once More Applied To
Him For An Interview. Mr. Murray, However, In Whose Mind The Former
Episode Was Still Fresh, Was Unwilling To Accede To This Request, And
Replied In The Third Person.
_John Murray To Mr. B. Disraeli_.
"Mr. Murray Is Obliged To Decline At Present Any Personal Interview; But
If Mr. Benjamin Disraeli Is Disposed To Confide His Ms. To Mr. Murray As
A Man Of Business, Mr. Disraeli Is Assured That The Proposal Will Be
Entertained In Every Respect With The Strictest Honour And
Impartiality."
_Mr. B. Disraeli To John Murray_.
Union Hotel, Cockspur Street, 1830.
The Object Of My Interview With You Is _Purely Literary_. It Has Always
Been My Wish, If It Ever Were My Fate To Write Anything Calculated To
Arrest Public Attention, That You Should Be The Organ Of Introducing It
To Public Notice. A Letter I Received This Morning From My Elected
Critic Was The Reason Of My Addressing Myself To You.
I Am Sorry That Mr. Mitchell Is Out Of Town, Because He Is A Person In
Whom You Rightly Have Confidence; But From Some Observations He Made To
Me The Other Day It Is Perhaps Not To Be Regretted That He Does Not
Interfere In This Business. As He Has Overrated Some Juvenile
Indiscretions Of Mine, I Fear He Is Too Friendly A Critic.
I Am Thus Explicit Because I Think That Candour, For All Reasons, Is
Highly Desirable. If You Feel Any Inclination To Pursue This Affair, Act
As You Like, And Fix Upon Any Critic You Please. I Have No Objection To
Mr. Lockhart, Who Is Certainly An Able One, And Is, I Believe,
Influenced By No Undue Partiality Towards Me.
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 140
At All Events, This Is An Affair Of No Great Importance--And Whatever
May Be Your Determination, It Will Not Change The Feelings Which, On My
Part, Influenced This Application. I Have The Honour To Be, Sir,
Your Obedient Servant,
Benj. Disraeli.
P.S.--I Think It Proper To Observe That I Cannot Crudely Deliver My Ms.
To Any One. I Must Have The Honour Of Seeing You Or Your Critic. I Shall
Keep This Negotiation Open For A Couple Of Days--That Is, I Shall Wait
For Your Answer Till Tuesday Morning, Although, From Particular
Circumstances, Time Is Important To Me.
Mr. Disraeli Was About To Make A Prolonged Journey Abroad. Before He Set
Out He Again Wrote To Mr. Murray:
_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.
Bradenham, Berks, _May_ 27, 1830.
Sir,
I Am Unwilling To Leave England, Which I Do On Saturday, Without
Noticing Your Last Communication, Because I Should Regret Very Much If
You Were To Misconceive The Motives Which Actuated Me In Not Complying
With The Suggestion Therein Contained. I Can Assure You I Leave In
Perfect Confidence Both In Your "Honour" And Your "Impartiality," For
The First I Have Never Doubted, And The Second It Is Your Interest To
Exercise.
The Truth Is, My Friend And Myself Differed In The Estimate Of The Ms.
Alluded To, And While I Felt Justified, From His Opinion, In Submitting
It To Your Judgment, I Felt It Due To My Own To Explain Verbally The
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 141Contending Views Of The Case, For Reasons Which Must Be Obvious.
As You Forced Me To Decide, I Decided As I Thought Most Prudently. The
Work Is One Which, I Dare Say, Would Neither Disgrace You To Publish,
Nor Me To Write; But It Is Not The Kind Of Production Which Should
Recommence Our Connection, Or Be Introduced To The World By The
Publisher Of Byron And Anastasius.
I Am Now About To Leave England For An Indefinite, Perhaps A Long
Period. When I Return, If I Do Return, I Trust It Will Be In My Power
For The _Third Time_ To Endeavour That You Should Be The Means Of
Submitting My Works To The Public. For This I Shall Be Ever Ready To
Make Great Sacrifices, And Let Me Therefore Hope That When I Next Offer
My Volumes To Your Examination, Like The Sibylline Books, Their
Inspiration May At Length Be Recognised.
I Am, Sir,
Your Obedient Servant,
B. Disraeli.
_John Murray To Mr. Disraeli_.
_May_ 29, 1830.
Mr. Murray Acknowledges The Receipt Of Mr. Benjamin Disraeli's Polite
Letter Of The 27th. Mr. Murray Will Be Ready At All Times To Receive Any
Ms. Which Mr. B. Disraeli May Think Proper To Confide To Him. Mr. Murray
Hopes The Result Of Mr. Disraeli's Travels Will Complete The Restoration
Of His Health, And The Gratification Of His Expectations."
Nearly Two Years Passed Before Mr. Disraeli Returned To England From
Those Travels In Spain, The Mediterranean And The Levant, Which Are So
Admirably Described In His "Home Letters," [Footnote: "Home Letters,"
Written By The Late Earl Of Beaconsfield In 1830 And 1831. London,
Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 1421885.] And Which Appear To Have Exercised So Powerful An Influence On
His Own Character, And His Subsequent Career. Shortly After His Return,
He Wrote To Mr. Murray:
_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.
Bradenham House, Wycombe,
_February_ 10, 1832.
Sir,
I Have At Length Completed A Work Which I Wish To Submit To Your
Consideration. In So Doing, I Am Influenced By The Feelings I Have
Already Communicated To You.
If You Retain The Wish Expressed In A Note Which I Received At Athens In
The Autumn Of 1830, I Shall Have The Honour Of Forwarding The Ms, To
You. Believe Me, Sir, Whatever May Be The Result,
Very Cordially Yours,
Benj. Disraeli.
The Ms. Of The Work Was At Once Forwarded To Mr. Murray, Who Was,
However, Averse To Publishing It Without Taking The Advice Of His
Friends. He First Sent It To Mr. Lockhart, Requesting Him To Read It And
Pronounce His Opinion.
_Mr. Lockhart To John Murray_.
_March_ 3, 1832.
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