WEIR OF HERMISTON. Auto. MS. about 36 pp. folio of various
Drafts and Notes, as detailed below, for the preface and three
first chapters of Stevenson's last unfinished book

* * Stevenson began this famous work, which, in the opinion of all competent judges, would have been his masterpiece had he lived to finish it, in 1892. In a letter of Dec. 5, 1892, to Mr. Henry James, he speaks of having drafted three chapters of "another novel, The Justice-Clerk, which ought to be a snorter and a blower," etc. Afterwards the work was laid aside, to be resumed in 1893, and again in September, 1894, when Stevenson dictated it to his step-daughter, Mrs. Strong (see Graham Balfour, *Life of R. L. S.*, 1901, vol. II, p. 153). It appears, therefore, that there can be no autograph manuscript in existence of the book as printed. THIS MANUSCRIPT IS PROBABLY THE ORIGINAL WORK DONE ON THE BOOK IN 1892.

We give a list of the contents of the MS. The main
portion includes:

Ch. 1. Life and death of Mrs. Weir, 11¼ pp. *approximately as printed*.

Ch. 2. In the matter of the hanging of Duncan Jopp, corresponding to Ch. 2 (Father and Son) of the printed version, 4½ pp.

MS. roughly corresponding on the whole with portions of
Ch. 3 of the printed version, including the Trial of
Duncan Jopp, Archie's meeting with Dr. Gregory, parts
of his interview with his father, etc., *early notes, not
wholly consecutive, without formal beginning or end, 8¼ pp.*

Ch. 3: roughly corresponding with portions of the latter
half of Ch. 3 of the printed version, consisting chiefly
of Archie's interview with his father, and the first few
words of Ch. 4, which would apparently have answered
to the present Ch. 5, 5½ pp.

On the backs of some of these is a draft of the preface,
and of the opening of Ch. 1, headed "*The Hanging-Judge*,"
4 pp. differing from other drafts in this lot and all those
printed by Mr. Graham Balfour (op. cit. vol. II, p. 207).

Additional MSS.

1. Nine Chapter Headings, all but two different from those adopted, and a rough sketch of a house, ½ p.

2. Twelve Lines of Verse, being the first draft of the dedicatory verses to his wife, differing considerably from the final version, ½ p.

3. Draft of the Preface and opening of Ch. 1, headed "The Justice-Clerk," differing from the other versions mentioned above; and a List of Chapter Headings, partly in pencil, also different from the other list in this lot and those finally adopted.