A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4) - Samuel Smiles (books like beach read TXT) 📗

Which Does Very Well While All Lasts Stout And Tight, But Is

Subject To Sudden Explosion, And I Would Rather That Another Than An Old

Friend Stood The Risk Of Suffering By The Splinters.

 

 

 

I Feel All The Delicacy Of The Time And Mode Of Your Application, And

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 107

You Cannot Doubt I Would Greatly Prefer You Personally To Men Of Whom I

Know Nothing. But They Are Not Of My Choosing, Nor Are They In Any Way

Responsible To Me. I Transact With The Edinburgh Bookseller Alone, And

As I Must Neglect No Becoming Mode Of Securing Myself, My Terms Are

Harder Than I Think You, In Possession Of So Well Established A Trade,

Would Like To Enter Upon, Though They May Suit One Who Gives Up His Time

To Them As Almost His Sole Object Of Expense And Attention. I Hope This

Necessary Arrangement Will Make No Difference Betwixt Us, Being, With

Regard,

 

 

 

Your Faithful, Humble Servant,

 

 

 

Walter Scott.

 

 

 

On His Return To London, Lockhart Proceeded To Take A House, No. 24,

Sussex Place, Regent's Park; For He Had Been Heretofore Living In The

Furnished Apartments Provided For Him In Pall Mall. Mr. Murray Wrote To

Him On The Subject:

 

 

 

_John Murray To Mr. Lockhart_.

 

 

 

_July_ 31, 1828.

 

 

 

As You Are About Taking Or Retaking A House, I Think It Right To Inform

You Now That The Editor's Dividend On The _Quarterly Review_ Will Be In

Future L325 On The Publication Of Each Number; And I Think It Very Hard

If You Do Not Get L200 Or L300 More For Your Own Contributions.

 

 

 

Most Truly Yours,

 

 

 

John Murray.

 

 

 

At The Beginning Of The Following Year Lockhart Went Down To Abbotsford,

Where He Found His Father-In-Law Working As Hard As Ever.

 

 

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 108

 

_Mr. Lockhart To John Murray_.

 

 

 

_January_ 4, 1820.

 

 

 

"I Have Found Sir Walter Scott In Grand Health And Spirits, And Have Had

Much Conversation With Him On His Hill-Side About All Our Concerns. I

Shall Keep A World Of His Hints And Suggestions Till We Meet; But

Meanwhile He Has Agreed To Write _Almost Immediately_ A One Volume

Biography Of The Great Earl Of Peterborough, And I Think You Will Agree

With Me In Considering The Choice Of This, Perhaps The Last Of Our

Romantic Heroes, As In All Respects Happy. ... He Will Also Write _Now_

An Article On Some Recent Works Of Scottish History (Tytler's, Etc.)

Giving, He Promises, A Complete And Gay Summary Of All That Controversy;

And Next Nov. A General Review Of The Scots Ballads, Whereof Some Twenty

Volumes Have Been Published Within These Ten Years, And Many Not

Published But Only Printed By The Bannatyne Club Of Edinburgh, And

Another Club Of The Same Order At Glasgow.... I Am Coaxing Him To Make A

Selection From Crabbe, With A Preface, And Think He Will Be Persuaded."

 

 

 

_January_ 8, 1829.

 

 

 

"Sir Walter Scott Suggests Overhauling Caulfield's Portraits Of

Remarkable Characters (3 Vols., 1816), And Having Roughish Woodcuts

Taken From That Book And From Others, And The Biographies Newly Done,

Whenever They Are Not In The Words Of The Old Original Writers. He Says

The March Of Intellect Will Never Put Women With Beards And Men With

Horns Out Of Fashion--Old Parr, Jenkins, Venner, Muggleton, And Mother

Souse, Are Immortal, All In Their Several Ways."

 

 

 

By 1829 Scott And Cadell Had Been Enabled To Obtain Possession Of All

The Principal Copyrights, With The Exception Of Two One-Fourth Shares

Of "Marmion," Held By Murray And Longman Respectively. Sir Walter Scott

Applied To Murray Through Lockhart, Respecting This Fourth Share. The

Following Was Murray's Reply To Sir Walter Scott:

 

 

 

_John Murray To Sir Walter Scott_.

 

 

 

_June_ 8, 1829.

 

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 109

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Mr. Lockhart Has At This Moment Communicated To Me Your Letter

Respecting My Fourth Share Of The Copyright Of "Marmion." I Have Already

Been Applied To By Messrs. Constable And By Messrs. Longman, To Know

What Sum I Would Sell This Share For; But So Highly Do I Estimate The

Honour Of Being, Even In So Small A Degree, The Publisher Of The Author

Of The Poem, That No Pecuniary Consideration Whatever Can Induce Me To

Part With It. But There Is A Consideration Of Another Kind, Which, Until

Now, I Was Not Aware Of, Which Would Make It Painful To Me If I Were To

Retain It A Moment Longer. I Mean, The Knowledge Of Its Being Required

By The Author, Into Whose Hands It Was Spontaneously Resigned In The

Same Instant That I Read His Request. This Share Has Been Profitable To

Me Fifty-Fold Beyond What Either Publisher Or Author Could Have

Anticipated; And, Therefore, My Returning It On Such An Occasion, You

Will, I Trust, Do Me The Favour To Consider In No Other Light Than As A

Mere Act Of Grateful Acknowledgment For Benefits Already Received By, My

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Your Obliged And Faithful Servant,

 

 

 

John Murray.

 

 

 

P.S.--It Will Be Proper For Your Man Of Business To Prepare A Regular

Deed To Carry This Into Effect, Which I Will Sign With The Greatest

Self-Satisfaction, As Soon As I Receive It.

 

 

 

_Sir W. Scott To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Edinburgh, _June_ 12, 1829.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Nothing Can Be More Obliging Or Gratifying To Me Than The Very Kind

Manner In Which You Have Resigned To Me The Share You Held In "Marmion,"

Which, As I Am Circumstanced, Is A Favour Of Real Value And Most

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 110

Handsomely Rendered. I Hope An Opportunity May Occur In Which I May More

Effectually Express My Sense Of The Obligation Than By Mere Words. I

Will Send The Document Of Transference When It Can Be Made Out. In The

Meantime I Am, With Sincere Regard And Thanks,

 

 

 

Your Most Obedient And Obliged Servant,

 

 

 

Walter Scott.

 

 

 

At The End Of August 1829 Lockhart Was Again At Abbotsford; And Sending

The Slips Of Sir Walter's New Article For The Next _Quarterly_. He Had

Already Written For No. 77 The Article On "Hajji Baba," And For No. 81

An Article On The "Ancient History Of Scotland." The Slips For The New

Article Were To Be A Continuation Of The Last, In A Review Of Tytler's

"History Of Scotland." The Only Other Articles He Wrote For The

_Quarterly_ Were His Review Of Southey's "Life Of John Bunyan," No. 86,

In October 1830; And His Review--The Very Last--Of Pitcairn's "Criminal

Trials Of Scotland," No. 88, In February 1831.

 

 

 

His Last Letter To Mr. Murray Refers To The Payment For One Of These

Articles:

 

 

 

_Sir W. Scott To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Abbotsford, _Monday_, 1830.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Acknowledge With Thanks Your Remittance Of L100, And I Will Be Happy

To Light On Some Subject Which Will Suit The _Review_, Which May Be

Interesting And Present Some Novelty. But I Have To Look Forward To A

Very Busy Period Betwixt This Month And January, Which May Prevent My

Contribution Being Ready Before That Time. You May Be Assured That For

Many Reasons I Have Every Wish To Assist The _Quarterly_, And Will Be

Always Happy To Give Any Support Which Is In My Power.

 

 

 

Chapter 25 ( Sir Walter's Last Years) Pg 111

I Have Inclosed For Moore A Copy Of One Of Byron's Letters To Me. I

Received Another Of Considerable Interest, But I Do Not Think It Right

To Give Publicity Without The Permission Of A Person Whose Name Is

Repeatedly Mentioned. I Hope The Token Of My Good Wishes Will Not Come

Too Late. These Letters Have Been Only Recovered After A Long Search

Through My Correspondence, Which, As Usual With Literary Folks, Is Sadly

Confused.

 

 

 

I Beg My Kind Compliments To Mrs. Murray And The Young Ladies, And Am,

Yours Truly,

 

 

 

Walter Scott.

 

 

 

Scott Now Began To Decline Rapidly, And Was Suffering Much From His

Usual Spasmodic Attacks; Yet He Had Turner With Him, Making Drawings For

The New Edition Of His Poems. Referring To His Last Article In The

_Quarterly_ On Pitcairn's "Criminal Trials," He Bids Lockhart To Inform

Mr. Murray That "No One Knows Better Your Liberal Disposition, And He Is

Aware That L50 Is More Than His Paper Is Worth." Scott's Illness

Increased, And Lockhart Rarely Left His Side.

 

 

 

_Mr. Lockhart To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Chiefswood, _September_ 16, 1831.

 

 

 

"Yesterday Determined Sir W. Scott's Motions. He Owes To Croker The

Offer Of A Passage To Naples In A Frigate Which Sails In About A

Fortnight. He Will Therefore Proceed Southwards By Land Next Week,

Halting At Rokeby, And With His Son At Notts, By The Way. We Shall Leave

Edinburgh By Next Tuesday's Steamer, So As To Be In Town Before Him, And

Ready For His Reception. We Are All Deeply Obliged To Croker On This

Occasion, For Sir Walter Is Quite Unfit For The Fatigues Of A Long Land

Journey, And The Annoyances Innumerable Of Continental Inns; And, Above

All, He Will Have A Good Surgeon At Hand, In Case