New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-10

To this especially Gear, just and useful piece OF emu
sm-wheh If history, for our present purpose-we
append cor ,ote list of scotts publications in Poetry:
inc .ay OF the Last Minstrel. Jan, 1900
Esrm;ou anu Feb. 49, 1908
The Lady of the Lake. .;.;........May ESQ $50
The Vision Of Don Roderck.
Rokeby. ...................-.--. ...'.---ioL
The Bridal Of Triermain.
The Lord OF the Isles.
The Field Of Waterloo. .....................'si2
Harold the Dauntless.
Writing James Ballantyne, IN 1872 scott eieieu "
the chief of his poems follows would cay II II Is
fair for me to say anything that the force Ill the
is thrown on style; in Marmion on description anu
in The Lady OF the Lake on Incident
wAvERLEY
"Wayerley; or, TITS Sixty Years Since was-as all
the werd knows-the first OF the great series tht mas
taken permanent rank in literature as the "A'hhii
NOVELS The composition Of it was comiheheeu III 'io
Summer Of 1906 scotts serious business at TINS 'ine
Was the labor OF editing the Works Of Dryden; ana IL
was 70 tighten the monotony OF that occupation tha' o
tried his hand at the Historical Novel, "Waverley
seems however, to have been begun IN an hdoeh' pi,
and prosecuted in a dcsuory manner "heh nav"
proceeded as far, think, Ms the seventh chapter
afterward wrote showed my work to critical ieu'
whose opinion was unfavorabe; and, having theh So
noetcol reputation was unwilling to risk the loss VI
il by attempting new style of composition. !,
therefore, then threw aside the Work n''
commenced, without either reluctance UT IT.
monstrance" Nine years afterward, IN iolf'-
having in the meantime, supplemented ihc lay
~ the Last Minstrel " with "Marmon," Ihe Lazy VI
the Lake" "Rokeby," 1.-THE Vision of Don koderich'
and "The Bridal OF Trfermain," and having seen 'he
uster OF his splendid poetic reputation pegh 10 wan" ~
the radiance Of the newly risen star OF Byroh-he 'ne
again to this neglected manuscript, resumed MS "o
upon it, and in brief space of three weeks copecu
mo first NJ the Wayerey Novels Balantyne, the pnD-
Usher had told him the sale of his poetry was dech
inc put scots genius was the sublimity OF common
sense and no caprice of the popular taste could daeh
its ardor or feter It's industry "sire one Inc mas
failed" he said must strike out something else'
The something else the series OF twentysx novels
not TO speak OF the six smaller tales-which alone woud
have sufIced to make his name ilustrious and when
have conferred upon the human an incalculable
amount Of innocent and healthful pleasure.
THE wAyERLEY NOVELS.
"waverey published, anonymously, on the TN OF
Juy 1874 "Tt made its way to the public slowly, OF
course at first'-says Scott in his preface Qs29 to
"Guy Mannering'D" but atterward with such accumu-
latng popularity encourage the author to second
attempt There is other and less modest testimony that
1t had large and rapid sae-for those days-and' as
may well be surmsed that 1t awoke the yeest curlos-
y with respect to the secret of the authorship Cnri
osty that point, though was destined to remain
for long time unsatsfed Its secret OF course, grew
keener novel after novel poured forth from Baan-
ynes press rpete with that Scottish lore those bright
aud breezy touches OF romantic description and that
heathfui, hearty manly spirit which had been recoS-
nzed with much delight and admiration In the poems
that were avowedly the works Of Scott But notwlth-
standing the accuracy OF public conjecture The Wizard
of the North resoutely preservedihs incognto''
Irving relates that when he visited Abbotsiord, IN
August 1876 he observed that morning Immediately
after breakfast occupied for time correct
ing proof-sheets which he had received by mall These
the visitor supposed be the proofheets of Rob Roy
though probably, they were those of Old Mortality
or 1.-THE Black Dwarf" both of which appeared within
four months afterwards whereas :" Rob Roy was not
published till the end OF the next year 1.-THE authorship
OF the Waverley Novels" says Irving, twas still
matter OF CONJECTURE and uncertainty; though Few
doubted their being principally written by Scott man
OF anything Scottish, and anything relating TO
national history local legend could not have been
mute respecting such productions had they been written
by another He fond OF quoting the works OF his
cotemporaries; he was continually recitlng scraps OF
Border songs, or lrclatng anecdotes of Border
story. With respect TO his poems and their
merits, however he was mute, and while with
him observed scrupulous silence the subject" Out
Of such little indications this muteness respecting the
Waverey Novels, close observers OF this literary phe-
nomena readily deduced the truth. 1t not till the
23d Of February 1921 however that the mystery was
finally dissipaed-when at dinner given for the bene
fit of the Edinburgh dramatic fund. Sir Walter scott
knowledged himself to be "The Author of Waverley"
The mantle of Disguise, he told friend, had become
atered More than twenty Of these ronances,
Including the best OF them-bad then appeared The
in everybodys hands the fame Of the great
unknown" upon everybody lips and Scott shared
with Goethe and Byron the literary dominion of Europe
idea Of the fertility OF SCOTS mind and OF the pro-
dgiOs and unremittng industry with which he labored,
is strikingly suggested by q glance AT the Waverley
Novels in group Their titles here appended, to-
..l..g .l.,.. Il