The Portland daily press., 1878-06-29
SATURDAY MORNING, JUNE 20.
From a late London Letter.1
A Group of English Literary Pe0nIe.

Before we look at the picture, let us take
glance at the Fourth Estate, since we have had
something to say of the First. The gentleman
with the white beard and the satchel over his
Shoulders is Mr.. Tom Taylor, the art critic of
the Times and the well-known dramatist, and
also editor of Punch. The young man on his
arm, and who is evidently receiving Mr.. Tay-
lor's critical remarks with dffidence and atten-
tion, is Mr.. Linley Sambonrne, who draws the
quaint political and other initial letters in
Punch. Mr.. Sambourne will no doubt utilize
some of the editorial suggestions in his forth
coming caricatures, though Mr. Taylor is not
generally credited with the possession of a
sense of humor. The quiet, bright-eyed woman
who is talking to the representative of the New
York Times is Miss Laffap, author of "O'Ha-
gan, M. p" She is writing a new novel at
Oxford, and has come out of her retreat to "do
notice" of the academy for an Irish paper.
Most OF the literary critics treated 30 Hagan,
NJ. P" as the work of man. In her next
novel Miss Laffan will deal with difficult but
suggestive subject-the feuds between Catholic
and Protestant families in Ireland. The gen.
ial-lookiDg man who pauses in his examination
of one of the finest works In the exhibition to
tell Mr.. Robertson. the Daily News critic,
story, is MIR. George Augustus Sals, the con-
temporary and fellow-worker OF Thaekeray and
Dickens. He will write the Telegraph notices,
and when he has finished, it will be found that
he has laid his hand on the best half-dozen pic
lures of the year. There comes up to join in
the laugh at Sala's leu d'esprit Mr.. Clement
Scott, who is making his way as dramatist
under the double nom de plume of Saville and
Bolton Rowe. His late father held a promi-
Hent position on the Saturday Review. Dip
lomacy" promises to make his fortune. The
lame gentleman sitting before picture by
Herkimer is the husband of Miss Muloch, au-
thor OF John Halifax, Gentleman" and the
homely, pleasant looking, unpretentious wo-
man by his side is the authoress of that re-
markable book. William Black, fred as a
rose," comes up while am whispering in your
ear. He is tired. He has been here all day.
No, be is not in town for good. He is still
staying. in the country with his family
is appearing in Good Words. They say the
proprietors of that magazine pay Black $15,-
600 for the story. ! shouldn't wonder il he
gets at least $4,000. The humble but cynical
Scotcbman IL snoo-;sss
work, and making note of it in his practical
mind, is Mr.. Hogg the founder of London So
ciety, and the proprietor-edtor of the publica-
ton in its palmy days, when Belgravia and
other competitors entered the field and COM
PEELED economy which is fatal to success in
magazine work. London Society has come
back again in the hour of its decadence to its
original protector, whose name has been as
ISOLATED with more failures than successes in
the interval of the proprietorship of Cloves &
Sons, the printers He has no friendly eve for
another Northerner, Mr.. Blackburn, who is
here finishing his illustrated catalogue, which
has made hit for himself and Chatto & Win
dus during the last three years. Mr.. Black
burn was for q time editor of London Society.
A few years ago he visited New York in con-
nection with proposed exhibition of English
pictures in that CITY.