New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-10-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MR. PAWS RECOLLECTIONS.

' -. J.c, no has been an industrious con-
trhutor 70 the magazines; ami he Is well khoWn'
80 =, h,s own country and in this as the aothor
=, -. nrmber of successful novels He has enjoyed
valuablc opportunities therefore for making ac-
ouaintances in the literary circles of Edinburgh an"
London and he has a variety of entertaining a''cc-
do,es 70 retail about the noted persons with whom
he has come INTO contact. We hardly KNOW ho" "
say vha. we think of his book without seeming 10
coy moro than we mean. II we remark that he does
No, iu,nress us IS a particularly genial fellow, we
hou oar, to accuse him Of bad temper, whereas OF
tbo, ne does not show a bit and If we complain
that his talk lacks the ease ana freedom oil o ,'uc
literary gossip we may be Thought I" IMPLY 'hat hc
l. oaccteI and that too would be unjust. The fact
is that Mr. Payn has spent great part OF his lie IN
the business of making copy" after certain
popular pattern of which the best examples are
ncrb,ns to he fonnd in Chambess Journal and House
hold u ords to both which periodicals he was laV-
orltc contributor. The papers characteristic OF
these two publications belong to the class IT llght
md nutritious reading for the million. and very good
things they are in their way: but their claim 10 tue
honorable designation of literature IS sehera"S
doubtful and they are not exercises lot the loii'i"
zion NJ a graceful fluent o. even dignitcd style,
CId habits are hard to shake off. The conscious
ness that the writer is making copy is with us all
through this book.
. Mr.. PaYn began literary lIc Us " FoO" an" "
seems TO regret that he was driven from verse to
the more remuncraiive cultivation oil prose- ior
.upon nv word" he says, :" / still think wrote
vcrv prettv poems" The first composition of his
own which he had the bliss to see in PRINT was
contribution TO Logh Hunts Journal lie did not
know Leigh Hunt but he profoundly admired hlm'
His ignorance of business matters and his poverty
made HIM to natures OF the laser sort an onJeut :"
tidicule Carlyle used to keep three soyereighS IN
a little packet on his mantel-piece. which he called
Leigh Hunts soycrcgns." because he occasion
ally lent them to him, aud was wont to narlatc the
circumstance 10 all whom It did not concern. Hunt
wonld have lent him three thousand soVeicienS'
had he possessed them, and never disclosed the CIT
cumstancc. .
I,iob limits journal did not live long. and Mr..
Pawn next turned his attention to BoatIeys Nisccl-
lam then edited bv Harrison Amsworth. and wrote
for il a sri les of Ballads from English History"
When vcnturcd after half n dozen OF them or 80
had made their appearance to hunt at payment, ,
received note from Mr., Ainsworth explaining tlAt
" the circumstances of the magazine were snch NAV
II could afford no p,cauidrg remuneration 10 us
contributors" Tho word "pccuniary was ltall,
Cixcd IN though had received some remuneration VI
another kind
A prose article offered TO Household Words was ne
ccptcd and paid for principally. Mr. Payn thinks,
because II contained novel aud entertaining iniorma-
tom but Tor a long time after that he endured
continuous rejection from that quarter IL may
Ice some comfort to youthful aSprantS.' he adds,
TO hear that in one year had six-andtwcnty
articles rejected by various organs Alter u
while he hit the taste of Household LORDS so well
that hc often had two contributions in one weekly
number and once he had three while for Chambers's
you,pal he wrote almost every week. When he
went TO Edinburgh to assist Lcitch Richie in the
authorship of the Journal Robert Chambers became
,warm friend to him. but of the other brother,
William his rccollcctions are by no means pleasant
Robert was man of many charming qualities;
His manner however. on first acquaintance. was
somewhat solid and unsympathctlc. lie had a very
sir,,inu face and figure. rs well known in Edin.
hnrgh ~ St Gilcss Cathedral. but stranger would
have taken him for divine lossipl even ioi one oi
grave dcmcanor caused him TO be always taken Tor
clcrgyman-a very great mlstake-wnci used 10
tickle him exceedingly. When | don't give u
bcprar the penny he SolictS," he used 10 say, he
generally tells me, after Il few eurSory remarks,
that the ministers are always the hardest; lie
could appreciate "a Joke even upon suuJtct SO
sacrcd ns the journal itself. Mrs. BccCher stowe
had been visiting Edinburgh. and had had some
talk hc told me- with LIS brother William. She
spoke of various periodicals aud presently re-
marked. in OF, hand manner You publish a
MAGAZINE Yourself don't You p 80 might
VISITOR TO Rome have observed to the Pope
.You have church here, have You moist Peters
u some such name
As these "reminiscences only concern themselves
with literature, there Is no need save III lnStGc 10
another to speak IN them OF w lilain ChaInOeis.
lie IN no sense man oil Iet'es' MS s'Ai d" i
bald and his IDEAS mere platitudes but because he
Lsd started the ,joarRdl II difficult Tor hm to
understand that it, subsequent and permanent sue,
re,s was owing to his brother. Beng chidIcss ana
of great wealth. he was enabled TO perform certain
public acts which east Robert. who was weighted
with a large fauiV comparatively into the shade.
Bat there was really no comparison between them:
know no man VINO did so much literary work OF
such various kinds and upon the whole so well, as
Robert Chambers There IS now no d0ubt-indccu
il was ALWAYS an open secTet-that he wrote the
famous NestiGcs though until the late disclosure
of Mr.. Ireland had conlectured from the style tDat
tho book mgl have been written III collaboration
II,s scientific and antiquarian works were nuncr-
ous his ESSAYS of themselves fill many volumes,
and admirably reflect his character-humor mixed
lie held two pcws each at different churches.
asked him why he had them ID Iuinc ,t' h?-
will always be concluded by the charitable that
am in the other. $500,
full of fan and on one occasion. on their coming
back to Edinburgh from some stay IN London,
their father was thus congratulated by an old
church-gOer on their return:
We were Glad TO see them back again." he sad
"yours is such a merry pew. - -.
William was always talking of the poverty OF ms
youth. aud limiting. very broadly, at the genius
which had raised him TO emimence. lie was fond OF
holding forth upon the mselies oi poor aa VINO
had hal to tho.o" and toll for his livelihood, and
had Afterwards by diligence and merit made great
figure in the world and the peroraton dor which
ever, body was quite prepared J. e., with Their
landkerchei not at Their eyes, but stuffed IN thcr
mouths used to bc always, was hGt Hog
All this was hateful to Robert, and gave him as
well il might extreme aunoNance remelnper
heinz applied to by the proprietors Of an American
navnziie to write a sketch of the lives of the two
Irothers aud applied TO Robert Tor the materials
liz laid his hand upon my shoulder aud after eN'
r,essins in The kindes manner his regret ut being
obliged TO refuse me any favor, declined 10 give me
his assistance | am sch of the twice.told nay,
ot the two hnn1fpd-tmps told -stoiN' he Eaht
oarrv 10 my brother William and he viii he dc,
lighted ~ tell YOU the whole truth about tIahd
motr, lie will hr SURE a. HaN that We came haio
ioord Into Idmhmehl whuicas rs matter OF
fact We e,ine IN the Flea" The " Flea Was the
maine Ut tho coach which at that tine ran between
l,s hleA aud ldhhuighl
{ Alexander kussel, tho Editor of TIE Scot'"d"
Was ono OF Mr. rayn's tdmhurgh friends, man
with hnmor enough 10 redeem the character of h,s