A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4) - Samuel Smiles (books like beach read TXT) 📗
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In The Following Letter Lockhart Definitely Declined The Editorship Of
The _Representative_.
_Mr. Lockhart To John Murray_.
_October_ 7, 1825.
"I Am Afraid, That In Spite Of My Earnest Desire To Be Clear And
Explicit, You Have Not After All Fully Understood The Inexpressible
Feeling I Entertain In Regard To The _Impossibility_ Of My Ever Entering
Into The Career Of London In The Capacity Of A Newspaper Editor. I
Confess That You, Who Have Adorned And Raised Your Own Profession So
Highly, May Feel Inclined, And Justly Perhaps, To Smile At Some Of My
Scruples; But It Is Enough To Say That Every Hour That Has Elapsed Since
The Idea Was First Started Has Only Served To Deepen And Confirm The
Feeling With Which I At The First Moment Regarded It; And, In Short,
That If Such A Game _Ought_ To Be Played, I Am Neither Young Nor Poor
Enough To Be The Man That Takes The Hazard."
Sir Walter Scott Also Expressed His Views On The Subject As Follows:
_Sir W. Scott To John Murray_.
Abbotsford, _Sunday_,
My Dear Sir,
Lockhart Seems To Wish That I Would Express My Opinion Of The Plan Which
You Have Had The Kindness To Submit To Him, And I Am Myself Glad Of An
Opportunity To Express My Sincere Thanks For The Great Confidence You
Are Willing To Repose In One So Near To Me, And Whom I Value So Highly.
There Is Nothing In Life That Can Be More Interesting To Me Than His
Prosperity, And Should There Eventually Appear A Serious Prospect Of His
Bettering His Fortunes By Quitting Scotland, I Have Too Much Regard For
Him To Desire Him To Remain, Notwithstanding All The Happiness I Must
Lose By His Absence And That Of My Daughter. The Present State, However,
Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 79Of The Negotiation Leaves Me Little Or No Reason To Think That I Will Be
Subjected To This Deprivation, For I Cannot Conceive It Advisable That
He Should Leave Scotland On The Speculation Of Becoming Editor Of A
Newspaper. It Is Very True That This Department Of Literature May And
Ought To Be Rendered More Respectable Than It Is At Present, But I Think
This Is A Reformation More To Be Wished Than Hoped For, And Should Think
It Rash For Any Young Man, Of Whatever Talent, To Sacrifice, Nominally
At Least, A Considerable Portion Of His Respectability In Society In
Hopes Of Being Submitted As An Exception To A Rule Which Is At Present
Pretty General. This Might Open The Door To Love Of Money, But It Would
Effectually Shut It Against Ambition.
To Leave Scotland, Lockhart Must Make Very Great Sacrifices, For His
Views Here, Though Moderate, Are Certain, His Situation In Public
Estimation And In Private Society Is As High As That Of Any One At Our
Bar, And His Road To The Public Open, If He Chooses To Assist His Income
By Literary Resources. But Of The Extent And Value Of These Sacrifices
He Must Himself Be A Judge, And A More Unprejudiced One, Probably, Than
I Am.
I Am Very Glad He Meets Your Wishes By Going Up To Town, As This, Though
It Should Bear No Further Consequences, Cannot But Serve To Show A
Grateful Sense Of The Confidence And Kindness Of The Parties Concerned,
And Yours In Particular.
I Beg Kind Compliments To Mr. D'israeli, And Am, Dear Sir, With Best
Wishes For The Success Of Your Great National Plan.
Yours Very Truly,
Walter Scott.
Although Mr. Lockhart Hung Back From The Proposed Editorship, He
Nevertheless Carried Out His Intention Of Visiting Mr. Murray In London
A Few Weeks After The Date Of The Above Letter. Mr. J.T. Coleridge Had
Expressed His Desire To Resign The Editorship Of The _Quarterly_, In
Consequence Of His Rapidly Increasing Practice On The Western Circuit,
And Mr. Lockhart Was Sounded As To His Willingness To Become His
Successor. Mr. Murray Entertained The Hope That He Might Be Able To Give
A Portion Of His Time To Rendering Some Assistance In The Management Of
The Proposed Newspaper. As Sir Walter Scott Had Been Taken Into Their
Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 80Counsels, Through The Medium Of Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Murray Proceeded To
Correspond With Him On The Subject. From The Draft Of One Of Mr.
Murray's Letters We Extract The Following:
_John Murray To Sir Walter Scott_.
_October_ 13, 1825.
My Dear Sir Walter,
I Feel Greatly Obliged By The Favour Of Your Kind Letter, And For The
Good Opinion Which You Are Disposed To Entertain Of Certain Plans, Of
Which You Will By Degrees Be Enabled To Form, I Hope, A Still More
Satisfactory Estimate. At Present, I Will Take The Liberty Of Assuring
You, That After Your Confidence In Me, I Will Neither Propose Nor Think
Of Anything Respecting Mr. Lockhart That Has Not Clearly For Its Basis
The Honour Of His Family. With Regard To Our Great Plan--Which Really
Ought Not To Be Designated A Newspaper, As That Department Of Literature
Has Hitherto Been Conducted--Mr. Lockhart Was Never Intended To Have
Anything To Do As Editor: For We Have Already Secured Two Most Efficient
And Respectable Persons To Fill That Department. I Merely Wished To
Receive His General Advice And Assistance. And Mr. Lockhart Would Only
Be Known Or Suspected To Be The Author Of Certain Papers Of Grave
National Importance. The More We Have Thought And Talked Over Our Plans,
The More Certain Are We Of Their Inevitable Success, And Of Their
Leading Us To Certain Power, Reputation, And Fortune. For Myself, The
Heyday Of My Youth Is Passed, Though I May Be Allowed Certain Experience
In My Profession. I Have Acquired A Moderate Fortune, And Have A Certain
Character, And Move Now In The First Circles Of Society; And I Have A
Family: These, I Hope, May Be Some Fair Pledge To You That I Would Not
Engage In This Venture With Any Hazard, When All That Is Dearest To Man
Would Be My Loss.
In Order, However, To Completely Obviate Any Difficulties Which Have
Been Urged, I Have Proposed To Mr. Lockhart To Come To London As The
Editor Of The _Quarterly_--An Appointment Which, I Verily Believe, Is
Coveted By Many Of The Highest Literary Characters In The Country, And
Which, Of Itself, Would Entitle Its Possessor To Enter Into And Mix With
The First Classes Of Society. For This, And Without Writing A Line, But
Merely For Performing The Duties Of An Editor, I Shall Have The Pleasure
Of Allowing Him A Thousand Pounds A Year; And This, With Contributions
Of His Own, Might Easily Become L1,500, And Take No Serious Portion Of
His Time Either. Then, For His Connection With The Paper, He Will Become
Permanently Interested In A Share We Can Guarantee To Him For Three
Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 81Years, And Which, I Am Confident, Will Be Worth, At The End Of That
Period, At Least L3,000; And The Profits From That Share Will Not Be
Less Than L1,500 Per Annum. I Have Lately Heard, From Good Authority,
That The Annual Profit Of The _Times_ Is L40,000, And That A Share In
The _Courier_ Sold Last Week (Wretchedly Conducted, It Seems) At The
Rate Of L100,000 For The Property.
But This Is Not All. You Know Well Enough That The Business Of A
Publishing Bookseller Is Not In His Shop Or Even His Connection, But In
His Brains; And We Can Put Forward Together A Series Of Valuable
Literary Works, And Without, Observe Me, In Any Of These Plans, The
Slightest Risk To Mr. Lockhart. And I Do Most Solemnly Assure You That
If I May Take Any Credit To Myself For Possessing Anything Like Sound
Judgment In My Profession, The Things Which We Shall Immediately Begin
Upon, As Mr. Lockhart Will Explain To You, Are As Perfectly Certain Of
Commanding A Great Sale As Anything I Ever Had The Good Fortune To
Engage In.
Lockhart Finally Accepted The Editorship Of The _Quarterly_, After
Negotiations Which Brought Mr. Disraeli On A Second Visit To Scotland,
But He Undertook No Formal Responsibility For The New Daily Paper.
In London Disraeli Was Indefatigable. He Visited City Men, For The
Purpose Of Obtaining Articles On Commercial Subjects. He Employed An
Architect, Mr. G. Basevi, Jun., His Cousin, With A View To The Planning
Of Offices And Printing Premises. A Large House Was Eventually Taken In
Great George Street, Westminster, And Duly Fitted Up As A Printing
Office.
He Then Proceeded, In Common With Mr. Murray, To Make Arrangements For
The Foreign Correspondence. In The Summer Of 1824--Before The New
Enterprise Was Thought Of--He Had Travelled In The Rhine Country, And
Made Some Pleasant Acquaintances, Of Whom He Now Bethought Himself When
Making Arrangements For The New Paper. One Of Them Was Mr. Maas, Of The
Trierscher Hof, Coblentz, And Mr. Disraeli Addressed Him As Follows:
_Mr. B. Disraeli To Mr. Maas_.
_October_ 25, 1825.
Chapter 23 (Gifford's Retirement From The Editorship Of The "Quarterly"--And Death.) Pg 82
Dear Sir,
Your Hospitality, Which I Have Twice Enjoyed, Convinces Me That You Will
Not Consider This As An Intrusion. My Friend, Mr. Murray, Of Albemarle
Street, London, The Most Eminent Publisher That We Have, Is About To
Establish A Daily Journal Of The First Importance. With His Great
Influence And Connections, There Is No Doubt That He Will Succeed In His
Endeavour To Make It The Focus Of
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