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

Make Four Byronic Tomes,

According To The Pattern You Were Kind Enough To Show Me." The Work Was

At Length Published In 4 Vols., Foolscap 8vo, With The Title Of

"Contarini Fleming: A Psychological Biography."

 

 

 

Before The Appearance Of The Work, Mr. Disraeli Wrote To Mr. Murray As

Follows:

 

 

 

_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Bradenham House, _May_ 6, 1832.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

From The Notice Of "C.F." In The _Literary Gazette_, Which I Received

This Morning, I Imagine That Jerdan Has Either Bribed The Printer, Or

Purloined Some Sheets. It Is Evident That He Has Only Seen The Last

Volume. It Is Unnecessary For Me To Observe That Such Premature Notice,

Written In Such Complete Ignorance Of The Work, Can Do No Good. I Think

That He Should Be Reprimanded, And His Petty Larceny Arrested. I Shall

Be In Town On Tuesday.

 

 

 

Yours, B.D.

 

 

 

The Work, When It Appeared In 1833, Excited Considerable Sensation, And

Was Very Popular At The Time Of Its Publication. It Is Now Included In

The Uniform Edition Of Lord Beaconsfield's Works.

 

 

 

During His Travels In The East, Mr. Disraeli Was Attended By Lord

Byron's Faithful Gondolier, Who Had Accompanied His Master To

Missolonghi, And Remained With Him Till His Death.

 

 

 

_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.

Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 149

 

 

 

Duke Street, _July 5_, 1832.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Have Just Returned To Town, And Will Call In Albemarle Street As Soon

As I Can. Tita, Lord Byron's Faithful Servant, And [Footnote: See Note,

P. 259.] Who Was Also My Travelling Companion In The East, Called Upon

Me This Morning. I Thought You Might Wish To See One So Intimately

Connected With The Lost Bard, And Who Is Himself One Of The Most

Deserving Creatures In The World.

 

 

 

Yours Faithfully,

 

 

 

B. Disraeli.

 

 

 

At The Same Time That Mr. Disraeli Was Engaged On His Novel, He Was Busy

With Another, But This Time A Political Work Entitled "England And

France: A Cure For The Ministerial Gallomania," Dedicated To Lord Grey.

The First Letter On The Subject--After Mr. Murray Had Agreed To Publish

The Work--Appears To Have Been The Following, From Bradenham, Monday

Night, But Without Date:

 

 

 

_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

By To-Morrow's Coach, At Your Desire, I Send You One-Half Of The Volume,

Which, However, Is Not In The Finished State I Could Have Wished. I Have

Materials For Any Length, But It Is Desirable To Get Out Without A

Moment's Loss Of Time. It Has Been Suggested To Publish A Volume

Periodically, And Let This Come Out As No. 1; So As To Establish A

Journal Of General Foreign Politics, For Which There Are Ample Means Of

First-Rate Information. I Have Not Been Able Even To Revise What Is

Sent, But It Will Sufficiently Indicate The Work.

 

Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 150

 

 

I Am To Meet A Personage On Thursday Evening In Town, And Read Over The

Whole To Him. It Is Therefore Absolutely Necessary That The Ms. Should

Be Returned To You On Thursday Morning, And I Will Call In Albemarle

Street The Moment Of My Arrival, Which Will Be About Four O'clock. If In

Time, Acknowledge The Receipt By Return Of Post.

 

 

 

The Remaining Portion Of The Volume Consists Of Several More Dramatic

Scenes In Paris, A View Of The Character And Career Of L.P., [Footnote:

Louis Philippe.] A Most Curious Chapter On The Conduct Of The

Diplomatists, And A General View Of The State Of Europe At The Moment Of

Publication. Pray Be Cautious, And Above All Let Me Depend Upon Your

Having The Ms. On Thursday, Otherwise, As Liston Says In "Love, Law And

Physic," "_We Shall Get All Shot_."

 

 

 

B.D.

 

 

 

_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_,

 

 

 

_Friday_, 11 O'clock.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Much Regret That I Missed You Yesterday, But I Called Upon You The

Instant I Arrived. I Very Much Wish To Talk Over The "Gallomania," And

Will Come On To You, If It Be Really Impossible For You To Pay Me A

Visit. I Have So Much At This Moment On My Hands, That I Should Esteem

Such An Incident, Not Only An Honour, But A Convenience.

 

 

 

B.D.

 

 

 

There Seems To Have Been A Difference Of Opinion Between The Author And

The Publisher Respecting The Title Of The Book:

 

 

 

_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_.

Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 151

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Have A Great Respect For Your Judgment, Especially On The Subject Of

Titles, As I Have Shown In Another Instance, One Which I Shall Ever

Regret. In The Present, I Shall Be Happy To Receive From You Any

Suggestion, But I Can Offer None. To Me The _Gallomania_ (Or _Mania_ For

What Is French) Appears To Be One Of The Most Felicitous Titles Ever

Devised. It Is Comprehensive, It Is Explicit, It Is Poignant And

Intelligible, As I Should Suppose, To Learned And Unlearned. The Word

_Anglomania_ Is One Of The Commonest On The Other Side Of The Channel,

Is Repeated Daily In Almost Every Newspaper; Has Been The Title Of One

Or Two Works; And Of The Best Farce In The French Language. It Is Here

Also Common And Intelligible.

 

 

 

There Is No Objection To Erasing The Epithet "New," If You Think It

Loads The Title.

 

 

 

Yours Truly,

 

 

 

B.D.

 

 

 

The Three Following Letters Were Written On The Same Day:

 

 

 

_Mr. Disraeli To John Murray_. Duke Street, _March_ 30, 1832.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Am Going To Dine With Baron D'haussez, Baron De Haber, _Et Hoc Genus_,

Today, And Must Report Progress, Otherwise They Will Think I Am Trifling

With Them. Have You Determined On A Title? What Think You Of "A Cure For

The Ministerial Gallomania," And Advertise, Dedicated To Lord Grey? Pray

Decide. You Are Aware I Have Not Yet Received A Proof. Affairs Look

Awkward In France. Beware Lest We Are A Day After The Fair, And Only

Annalists Instead Of Prophets.

 

Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 152

 

 

Your Very Faithful Servant, B. Disraeli.

 

 

 

_March_ 30.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Think It Does Very Well, And I Hope You Are Also Satisfied. I Shall

Send You The Rest Of The Ms. Tomorrow Morning. There Is A Very

Remarkable Chapter On Louis Philippe Which Is At Present With Baron

D'haussez; And This Is The Reason I Have Not Forwarded It To You. I Keep

The Advertisement To Show Them.

 

 

 

B.D.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

In Further Answer To Your Note Received This Evening, I Think It Proper

To Observe That I Entirely Agree With You That I "Am Bound To Make As

Few Alterations As Possible," Coming As They Do From Such A Quarter; And

I Have Acted Throughout In Such A Spirit. All Alterations And Omissions

Of Consequence Are In This First Sheet, And I Have Retained In The

Others Many Things Of Which I Do Not Approve, Merely On Account Of My

Respect For The Source From Whence They Are Derived.

 

 

 

While You Remind Me Of What I Observed To Your Son, Let Me Also Remind

You Of The Condition With Which My Permission Was Accompanied, Viz.:

That Everything Was To Be Submitted To My Approval, And Subject To My

Satisfaction. On This Condition I Have Placed The Proofs In The Hands Of

Several Persons Not Less Distinguished Than Your Friend, [Footnote: Mr.

Croker, With Mr. B. Disraeli's Knowledge, Revised The Proofs.] And

Superior Even In Rank And Recent Office. Their Papers Are On My Table,

And I Shall Be Happy To Show Them To You. I Will Mention One: The

Chapter On Belgium Was Originally Written By The Plenipotentiary Of The

King Of Holland To The Conference, Baron Van Zuylen. Scarcely A Line Of

The Original Composition Remains, Although A Very Able One, Because It

Did Not Accord With The Main Design Of The Book.

 

 

Chapter 28 (Benjamin Disraeli--Thomas Carlyle--And Others) Pg 153

 

With Regard To The Omission, Pp. 12, 13, I Acknowledge Its Felicity; But

It Is Totally At Variance With Every Other Notice Of M. De Talleyrand In

The Work, And Entirely Dissonant With The Elaborate Mention Of Him In

The Last Chapter. When The Reviser Introduced This Pungent Remark, He

Had Never Even Read The Work He Was Revising.

 

 

 

With Regard To The Authorship Of This Work, I Should Never Be Ashamed Of

Being Considered The Author, I Should Be _Proud To Be_; But I Am Not. It

Is Written By Legion, But I Am One Of Them, And I Bear The

Responsibility. If It Be Supposed To Be Written By A Frenchman, All Its

Good Effects Must Be Marred, As It Seeks To Command Attention And

Interest By Its Purely British Spirit.

 

 

 

I Have No Desire To Thrust My Acquaintance On Your Critic. More Than

Once, I Have Had An Opportunity To Form That Acquaintance, And More Than

Once I Have Declined It, But I Am Ready To Bear The _Brunt Of

Explanation_, If You Desire Me.

 

 

 

It Is Quite Impossible That Anything Adverse To The General Measure Of

Reform Can Issue From My Pen Or From Anything To Which I Contribute.

Within These Four Months I Have Declined Being