New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-05


| Canning was applied to for aid in the enterprise
"The Anti. Jacobin' was the only attempt thus
! far made to counterfeit the new spirit. and that
| did not exert much influence. Once resolved to
push the enterprise. John Murray exhibited his
usual indefatgable energy, and his correspondence
with Scott. who heartily seconded him. and with
| Canning, Ellis. Clifford and others. on the sub
| iect is very interesting He visited Scott at
Asbestial on this business. Clifford had edited
"The Anti-Jacobin, and this naturally suggested
| his name for editor Of the new review. lie was
sef-made man, Of great critical gifts, and. as Is
sufficiently shown in these volumes, by no means
the bitter and malicious reviewer lie has so often
| been represented as. In fact, it is made plain
here that the contributors to the Quarterly were
his principal victims. and that he sacrificed their
ferooious proclivites to the cause Of Justice good
feeling and good taste softoning their asperities
excising their unwarrantable philippics, and
giving a milder and more generous tone to their
| most unmercful assaults upon authors.
"The Quarterly Review" appeared in 1900. but
made no great sensation. for the first number was
not strong, and the effect of the following ones
was impaired by the incorrigible unpunctuality
| of Clifford. For years the review never appeared
| at the proper time and often it was from month
| to six weeks late, a state of things winch III
| evitably checked the growth Of its crculaton'
But its contents became ADLER and more Impressive
as the staff fell into discipline. and tendency TO
attack the Edinburgh" which was very strong
at first and which Murray disapproved, was
| gradually overcome. Clifford and Murray, Gluord
| and the contributors, had their fallings-out and
| difficulties and Murray worried greatly over his
editors terrible procrastination but without being
able to amend the situation much From the
first Murray behaved with unprecedented hberality
| in paying for the work done the review.
| Southey. who was an early contributor and who
continued to derive his main subsistence from tho
| Quarterly" TO the end Of his life, began upon
| a rate of f10 for an article, but Murray raised
his pay after q short time to El00 and this he
received ever after.
When The Lady Of the Lake" was to appear,
Murray was excluded from ownership in the
copyright by the Ballanynes. and this
led to breach between the houses,
Murray giving his Edinburgh business
to Blackwood The London publishers friendship
with Scott. however, remained as strong as ever.
1t in 1911 that Murray made the acquaint,
ance of Byron, and became his publisher Byron
had made Dallas present of the first two cantos
of "Childe Harold" and allowed him to make
arrangements for their publication. Dallas offered
the poem to several publishers, one of whom.
Miller, declined principally because of the scep
teal stanzas which it contained and also because
of its denuncation as 'plunderer' of his friend
and patron, the Earl of Elgin, who was mentioned
by name In the original manuscript of the poem"
On hearing from Dallas that Miller had declined
the poem, and why, Lord Byron wrote him the
following characteristic letter:
lord Byron to Mr.. Millerl
July 80, 1911.
| your remarks, and am convinced that if ever the
poem is published the same objections will be
made in much stronger terms. But, as 1T was IN
| tended to be q poem Arostos plan, that is
| to say on no plan at ALL and, as is usual in SINH
lar cases, having prediction for the worst
passages, l shall retain those parts, though can
| not venture to defend them. Under these circum-
stances l regret that you decline the publication,
on my account, as think the book would
have done better in your hands; the pecunlSry
| part you know have nothing to do with. But
i can perfectly conceive, and indeed approve, your
reasons, and assure you my sensations are not
Archiepiscopal enough as yet to regret the re-
l am, sir, your very obedient humble servant,
After this, Dallas went to Murray, who con-
suited his advisers and accepted the proposal.
Then followed the meeting, of which DR.. Smiles
speaks follows
Mr. Murray had long desired to make Lord By
rOn's acquaintance, and now that Mr. Dallas had
arranged with him for the publication Of the first
two cantos of 'Childe Harold, he had many Opp0r-
tunities of seeing Byron at his place of business.
| The first time that he saw him was when he called
| one day with Mr. Hobhouse in Fleet-st. He
! afterward looked in from time TO time, while
the sheets were passing through the press, fresh
from the fencing rooms of Angelo and jackson,
ticc of Carte ct Terce" with his walking-cane
directed against the bOok-shelves, while Murray
sional CALCULATIONS of admiration on which Byron
would say: You think that good idea, do you,
Murray" Then he would fence and lunge with
| his walking-stick at some special book which he
| had picked out the shelves before him. AS
Murray afterward said: Il was often very glad
| to get rid of him."
| A correspondence followed while the poem
| in press, Murray suggesting and Byron consentng
to- several alterations. The stanzas relating to
Lord Elgin and the Duke of Wellington were
thus amended, but Byron was not always yield.
ing. He wrote to Murray concerning the anti
religious sentiments of the poem AS for the
orthodox let us hope they will buy on purpose
to abuse-you will forgive the one if they will
do the other Then he got angry because Murray
had showed the poem 10 Clifford. / will have no
traps for applause" he wrote. lie could
not bear to have it thought" says Dr.
Smiles. that he was endeavoring 20
secure a favorable review of his work in the
| Quarterly" 1t was after the publication Of
'Childe Harold that he described the result in
the words &" | aMQlle one morning and found my
self famous" The whole of the first edition
was disposed of in three days. Murray gave
Dallas $500 for the poem, though Clifford and
Others thought it might prove bad bargain at
that price. Samuel Rogers, however, told Muir
ray not to be disheartened, for he might rely
upon its turning out the most fortunate purchase
ever made and so it proved.
In 1911 Murray moved to Albemarle Street,
where he opened that drawing-room' over the
store which soon came to be the favorite meet
| ino plao 4Ia ltefin Chpd
the day, and not only authors but celebrated
people of all kinds Young George Ticknor then
twentythree, has left sketch of it, reproduced
here from his Life and Letters Moore, Camp
bell, Croker Disraeli, Clifford Humphrey Davy,
| Lawrence Hallam, Ellis, and many others,
were to be met with in this famous room. 1t was
| not until 1919 however that Byron and Scott