Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-12-15
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
"REMINISCENCES OF SIR WALTER SCOTT.
THE wAvERLEy SECRET.


the authorship of Waverley. .4m Scoius out
DiaboiuS, was Immediately said by every body
as soon as that novel appeared: and every sue
ceeding work confirmed the original suspicion.
The main proofs were, Of course. internal-the
Scotcn feeling, the knowledge Of the character,
| antiquities, law OF Scotland, the poetic genius,
the similarity Ut sentiment, and even struc ture of
story with those OF his pOems--all pointed To the
man One circumstance must have struck any
one as being decisive. The author, without ques.
ton, man deeply versed IN all departments Of
the literature OF his country, ancient and modern,
peculiarly gifted with facility OF quotation. aud
fond Of exercising that gift, never once, in the
course ofhis novels, quoted from Scott, Words
won tn, Sou,hey, Coleridge, BYRON, Hngs. Gun.
ninshdm, Joanna Baltic, which many o her minor
names, supplied mut,oes or ii!u, tratlons for the
chapters Of the Scotch novels; but the author o
Waverley' never tonk line from the author Of
the Lay Of the Last MINSTREL when relating
stories of the border; and while laying his scene
on the banks Of Loeb katrlne, seemed uncon.
srious Of the existence 81 the Lad of the Lake.
Mr. Allison. son Of the author at an Essay
on Taste, ant an advocate at the Scotch bar,
wrote all ingenious book. toproye, by internal
evidence that Sir Waiter Scott must be the au-
thor of Waverley.' The book, in fact, Was
conclusive. and the conclusion TO which it came
wa. scarcel v derisd- though it was rather deg.
erousIy evadtd BY Sir w dlter, in the preface, to
his next novel. b, independently Of internal
evidence, il was lnpe-sibIe that the author should
not br occasiunali, betrayed By other circum-
stances Sir VI alter, living in almost prorhs-
cuous society in Edinburgh. and habtually IN.
dulniny in unresrrained conversation, on all to-
NJ, : which the Naveily novels touched upon.
could not always 80 ommand his language as not
occasionally to talk @hat became afterwards the
ma, erlaI Of his novels az close his ears as not
"a catch the striking observations or phrases OF
his comnanions. and after ards tn embUdy them
in his books. tits said that one 81 his oldest nc.
nuainlances detected him 10y Holding IN one of
m. novels the ST.: phrase 0i a red lion Tor
somc other such pubH'c-hOuss s'sI) predonma'
ting over pot Of beer. an expression "h'ch ne
Mad n,msc,t used to Sir Walter. while walking
M a sn,ry day in the country. IN ut,rring a WISH
for the appearance of such phenomehoh'-
Diners had of course different marks OF recngnI.
tun. He uncon,cinusly repeated couple OF
,arscs nm, of his own Marmon,' ia Rob
Row
.Ofra blast of that DIRE al horn
GA r .ntarsbian echoes born.;
which he attributed III the novel to Frank ''sbai-
distoue who was thereby convicted OF having read
N,rmion' almost a hundred years before II was
written.
I'll. nuesscs made to discover the author, used
in GENERAL To amuse bin The stransest persons
we're frequently mentioned ANY cie'er mah
who was obliged to leave Scotland, was sure 10
be Am object IF suspicion; one gentleman 1" par
tcujar, who had had the misfortune Oh De.''g oe.
tected in cheating at cards. and al having Ills manu-
prrforated by fork, by the person wh" discovered
T.. tho fable great
G,yori,e with MANY spectators. These guessers
;'on, an. The ground that there must be some mo-
rive f,r ronccaIment Of the name, and the volun'
,,,v abandonment of 50 much renown, beyond
.ny,,;np connected with literature. Others were
r,nd IF a,tributing the novels to MIR. Thomas
Sr,tt Sir Walters brother, who died about ten
ye,,s a,o in Canada, ans; for this there was some
shey of reason-becausc the brothers having been
rearcd tooethcr, aud lived in the same society
dr.u un,n a common stock Tor their story-teli'
"a, in which Tom Scott was, SO Tar as CONVEX
satioo is concerned, quite as fertile ana agree
able as his more famous brother. Dir wafer
had aIwsys the highest opinion OF his brother
talents, and though such opinion was not oorhe
out by an, thing which appeared TO the Puo''e,
vet the convi,ial acquaintance Ut L. SCOTT, ana
varv carnival fellow he was, VIII "ii'lnsiv
oorae win Sir Walters testimony. Long De-
fore .Waverly' appeared, many OF the stories.
which are now embamed aud conseeralea To the
Novels, had been told BY Mr. Scott, IN his own
or,,hic manner in various mess.roons ana other
nlaces. where gay men do consregate;' and It
IS not to be wondered at. that those who heard
them should, on their publication, attribute them'
in the absence of a claimant, to him ny whom
thew had been told Other guesses. such as that
which gave the novels to Mrs Grant ot Laggan
&c. were merely absurd. :.,,
Sir Walter kept his incogaito. however with
mach gravity. He spike Of the novels as a
towards praise or blame, A whimsical instance nee
of thi. i. afforded by the fact. that he it was VINO
rsv;ewed the first series Of the Tales ct Wy
landlord" in the Quarterly Clifford vas
anxious that SO remarkable q work should o.
suitably criticised, especially as the .Qnaitrry y
had heen some what unfortunate in its review "'
Guv M.nnerins.' 1t was at once said that nooods
was 90 we'll qualified. in eyerv way. az SIR wa
ter Scott. This vas admit ted, but would he 90 10
!, wa. he not the auth"ri Asking him. however
~ -, ia .,v HARM and accordingly clifford