The sun., 1883-12-30

the avowal that the writer. years before, was
the reputable author Of some of the severe crit
ic!sms' In Frase's No1dsinc. Tho confidence
was justified. for second letter from the same
person contains n grateful acknowledgment
Of asst 5tanca received" The writer of another
letter says: " The promptncss with whieh you
have answered our appeal on behalf OF poor
- aud his family has really given mo pleas
ure In SO many ways that trust you will par
don my using professional privilege to speak
thus plainly" On this lottcr 1'ulwer en-
dorsed the comments Tho person re-
fcrrcd to was poor wretch who had writ
ton some abusive stuH about me.
/ forget what but believe II WIS something in
Hascr's Wayn,iur. Later on another Of the
lampooncrs solicited small colonial appoint-
mcnt for relation. ard apparently obtained H..
The bographor adds: The individuals per-
haps we're ponicnt. but there Is general
truth underlying tho two stntcs OF mind dis
closed by these letters. and it is that men OF
that claas are equally ready to fawn or traduce.
according "a one or thn other pays"
At the ,!nc tho nutohogiaphical fragment
was pcnncd by Buiwer. IL is plain from his
language that. as his son says he did not
hold Thackoiay "gniiiless of many of the
scurr,i,:cs al! alike anonymous which pro-
cecded from the degraded dullards he conde-
sccnded 10 ahot Some OF tho most cutting
things said Of Bulwcr in Frnse, were undoubt-
cdly written by Thackcray and tliore is we
fear no doubt that tho future author OF Vnn-
ity Far." conscious as ho was OF possessing
higher abilities than the author OF Pelham.
| foit cxasporntcl by the contrast of Bulwer's
! early and brilliant success with the tarly recog-
| milton OF his own merit. 1t IL certain that
| in later lifo Thackoray expressed !ocp regret
| for tho tono Of his criticisms OF Bulwcr
ia inl hy
raphy "A common friend Of Thackoray and
| my father wrote to tho latter in 1861: ! saw
| Thackciuy at Folkcs,ona. lie spoke vi YOU n
| gront deal and said he woud have given worlds
| to have burnt some OF hia writings. especially
| some lampOons written in his youth. lie
! wished SO much to 500 YOU aud express his
| contriton His admiration. as expressed to
mo. was bound,cas. also his regret to havc
| given way to youthful jealousy, &C. tell
| you all this because | fcol certain he
| meant mo to repeat it," Not long atfcrward
| Bulwer received, II seems tho following note-
worthy letter from 'rhuckoray himself: " Look
| ing over some American reprints OF my books.
| lnd one containing preface written by me
when 1 was in New York. in which aro the fol-
| lowing words: The careless papers written Mt
| an early period. and never seen since the
| printers boy carried them away. arc brought
| back and laid at the fathers door and ho can
| not il he would Jisown his own chill
| drcn. Why were some of these little brats
| brought out of their obscurily? | own to
| a feeling Of anything but pleasure in ro-
| viowinR some of these juvenile m!sshHran
| creatures which tho publisher has disint"rrcd
| and resuscitated. There are two performauces
especially tamonE the critical and biographical
works Of tho eruditc Mr. Yellowplushl which |
I, am very sorry 10 reproduced; and ask
pardon Of the author of "Thc CATIONS " for a
| lumpoon which | know he himself has iOrgiven
| and which wish | could recall. | had never
| seen that eminent writer but once in public
| whom this satire was penned. and / wonder III
| the recklessncss OF the young man who could
| fancy such satire harmIless jocularity and
| never calculate that il might give pain don't
| know whether you ever were made aware of this
| cry of {rccapi but with tho book in which ii
| appears Just frosh before me. think it fair 10
| write a line to IcQuaint you with the existencG
| of such an apology. and to assure you Of the
authors repentance for the past and the present
| sincere good will with which he is yours mos:
! faithfully. W. NJ. Thackeray." 1t Is significant
that Lord Lytton makes no comment OH this
letter; Mother does he tell III whether his
father answered it. or was disposed to meet the
| writer on friendly terms.
From Lockhart amends came earlier. Ye
no. too. had been one OF Buwcrs most aesres
| sive and formidable asSailantS during the frs
| period Of the novelsts literary life. Il find.
| says tho biographer. in Lady Bessngtons
letters to my lather illusions to ill-natured re
marks made on him by Lockhart in private "
and occasional sneers At faults in my father
novels began to appear in tho Qlart,yIy IL.
rieO. whereupon my father on his side com
mented freely on the review in the Ncr .Honlhi
Magazine. At length. in an article on 'Iohra
the Hostage in tho Quarterly. this for
gotten piece Of fiction. with not on
single quality of genius. was pronounce
the bost novel that has appeared for sevcra
years out of sight superior to tho rest of til
recent brood and was hold up to historic,
| novelists IA u model for thoir study and im
tation. while my fathers novels. from Pelham
to Paul Clifford were cited as contrasts. b
their faults. to the mastery 'Xohral' Ther
| | was not any pretcnce of fairness. The Pelhal
sories was mentioned only to BE- decred." Blu
Z | wer retorted in scathng lcttcr to Lockhar
which. according to the biographer, was
the criticisms In tho quarterly as vitr
} and fro to vinegar and water. SON
, years aferward. however. Loekhart and Blu
, wer mot accidentally at the house OF a commo
O friend. and with II simultaneous impulse tht
ri approached zach other and shook hands. 30,
: Of them felt instnctiveiy that the old QUAR-
II had boon the obuition OF an ephemeral pa
!. sion; and had they spoken their thought
l. they would probably hnvo said. with u simu
It taneous rnanimity. We are both in ths wion.
v 1t Is not la. lily that their amty was over aga
n disturbed. and the only letter from Lockha
Ia among my fathers papers concludes with II
y words l feel exceedingly the generous cou
0. tcsy of your procedure, and am gratefully
If we'll rs sincerely yours"
1t Apropos OF criticism and the phenomon