From private lodgings, in Alfred-street, Bedford-square, he was now removing to spacious chambers in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. To a friend he writes:

66

Sept. 3d. I have been kept in vexatious uncertainty about the time when I should be able to enter my chambers. The upholsterer delayed, day after day, for a week. At last I went to him in a towering passion, and told him that if he did not, before sunset, fulfil the commission I had given him, I should change my cabinet minister-reject his measures, and his bill from the chambers, and speak to his successor. This royal threat produced its effect; and my suspense was put an end to by my curtains being suspended yesterday. Still, I shall have some purchases to make-a tin tea-pot, (in order to save my silver one,) a coal-skuttle, table-knives, &c., &c.

"On Sunday I went to Clapham, where Mrs. St. John and her two eldest daughters reside. The Consul himself is killing game upon the Moors-good speed to him.

•

"An affair has lately occurred at Algiers of a tragi-comic complexion. A monkey, of the larger kind, from Bugia, was brought to Algiers, and became the terror of the capital. His owner, a French soldier, allowed him too much liberty. Entering the house of the principal banker, Lacroutz, he got up among the lace and linen, hung out to dry; put a lace cap upon his head, and tore in pieces all the other lace and linen that he could find. He then entered another house, where a poor Maltese woman was very ill-in fact, near her death, which he accelerated. He sprang upon her head, and amused himself with tearing off her head-dress. She escaped into another room, and fastened the door; bnt he came round to a window, and, although unable to enter, played his mopes and mows in such a style, that, after successive fits of hysterics, the woman died. Her brother, a servant of the St. John's, named Paolo, apprehended him, and took him before the police, who condemned him to death on the threefold charge of housebreaking, robbery and murder! Paolo had the satisfaction of tying round the murderer's neck the cravat that was to strangle him. The impious monkey was publicly executed in the grand square of Algiers, amidst an immense concourse of Christian, Moorish and Arabian spectators! T. C."

*

*

*

"Sept 6th.-All this day I have been toiling like a galleyslave, putting up my books on their shelves, with not a soul to

*

ET. 60.]

assist me but an Irish char-woman, who, hang her, understands neither Greek nor Latin; so that when I ordered her to bring me such and such a volume of Athenæus or Fabricius, she could only grunt like one of her native pigs. But, besides, the books themselves are incorrigibly obstinate in presenting different heights, so that there is no marshalling them in level ranks. How truly hath Job observed, that man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards.'

•

"I came back to my lodgings with an aching back this evening, and went to the adjoining Queen's theatre, where I laughed away my afflictions at one of the best comic pieces I have seen for many a day. The subject is Frederick the Great of Prussia. Fred. is encamped opposite the Austrian army, when a plot is laid by some of its officers to ensnare and make him prisoner. Meanwhile, a player, at the castle where they are quartered, has been in the habit of mimicking Frederick to the life. The officers hear of this mimic, and wish to see him; when who should come in but the real Frederick, who has been captured by surprise. The Austrians slap him on the back, and praise him with loud bursts of laughter for his exquisite imitation of old Rough-and-tough! They leave Pigtail the Great in no small astonishment, when in comes the real mock-turtle-the mimic himself! It is one of the very best stage-effect scenes I ever saw.* Well, commend me to small theatres for comedy; humor evaporates in an over large house. T. C.".

*

*

FREDERICK THE GREAT-NARROW ESCAPE.

359

*

•

"Sept. 8th. The expenses of furnishing a suite of chambers, which I have just entered, have drained my purse so formidably, that I have been obliged to undertake a literary job in order to replenish it. I have a superstitious fear of naming any undertaking, until I have fairly set to work upon it; so you must wait a month or two before I tell you the nature of this undertaking.

1

"I made a narrow escape, yesterday, from losing all my solid silver! I had left it in the hand of a trustworthy landlady. There was a servant in the habit of waiting upon me during his spare hours from office. . . . This man used to talk of me to my landlady with such laudatory gratitude, that she conceived him to have my fullest confidence. Indeed, he had more of it than, as it turns out, he deserved. I had him in my

...

It was, probably, on this occasion that he resolved on editing a “Life of Frederick the Great."

house, as footboy, during Mrs. Campbell's lifetime, and retained him for years afterwards. I taught him to write, and got him a place in ** When I went last to Scotland, he went to the landlady, and, after a world of canting about his devoted affection to his master, said that he had been ordered by me to clean the silver plate. She imprudently let him have articles to the value of fifty or sixty pounds; and, with still more blameable imprudence, never mentioned them till I was packing up to depart. I bolted instantly to the fellow's house, who made some shuffling excuse about their being locked up, and his wife having the key. Come, sir,' I said, 'you have pawned them; and there is a policeman at the door, who will take you into custody, if you don't surrender the articles.' He took some notes out of his drawer, and went with me to the sign of the 'three balls,' where he redeemed and brought them to my lodgings. I am deliberating whether I should not report him to the office T. C."

"Nov. 28th.

You will be happy to hear that I have got at last into comfortable chambers-airy, even elegant, spacious and cheerful, and not dear. . . . . I look out on gardens -not the Square gardens, for I have a back quiet situation. I have now rallied my furniture, and must rest here, whether pleased with the place or not.

"I now, also, enjoy the illustrious title of Editor of the 'Scenic Annual.' It will be out next week. It is got up for the sake of republishing some fine plates, and adding some new ones-1 -the literary portion of which consists of merely notices affixed to each landscape. You will hear me much abused; but as I get £200 for writing a sheet or two of paper, it will take a deal of abuse to mount up to that sum. There will be four copies of verses of my writing in this volume; one of them on Cora Linn, with a general allusion, but not a personal one, to my having visited the scene, in company with my very good friends.* George Virtue, of Ivy Lane, is the publisher."

The preceding extracts are taken from letters addressed to W. Gray, Esq.

"Nov. 28th.--My illustrated edition was no sooner out, than

"The time I saw thee, Cora, last,

"Twas with congenial friends; And calmer hours of pleasure past, My memory seldom sends," &c.

ET. 60.]

SCENIC ANNUAL-POEMS ILLUSTRATED.

361

I found myself in a mess about disposing of the drawings, for which I paid, in all, to Turner, £550-i. e. twenty-five guineas for each, and £25 for a thousand proof prints. I had been told that Turner's drawings were like bank-notes, that would always fetch the price paid for them; but when I offered them at £300, I could get no purchaser. One very rich and judicious amateur, to whom I offered them, said to me,' I have no intention to purchase these drawings, because they are worth so little money, that I should be sorry to see you sell them for as little as they are really worth. The truth is, that fifteen out of the twenty are but indifferent drawings. But sell them by lottery, and either Turner's name will bring you in two hundred guineas, or Turner himself will buy them up.' I went to Turner, and the amateur's prediction was fulfilled, for Turner bought them up for two hundred guineas. Meanwhile, I had not forgot an offer which your brother Charles had made to purchase them at a fair price. Now, when he and I talked of a fair price, I thought they would be worth three hundred guineas at least; but how could I propose to extort from your brother three hundred, or even two hundred guineas, for bits of painted pasteboard, which my adviser told me, when I showed him Turner's money, were re-purchased from me at twice their intrinsic value. T. C."*

*

*

*

Early in the spring of this year, Campbell was invited to deliver a course of lectures at the Royal Sussex Institution, Brighton; but, in a letter to Mr. Horace Smith, he says:

*

"I have entirely withdrawn from the practice of lecturing. If the council will pardon me for the liberty of offering a suggestion, it would be to seek out for some young, able, and ambitious man, who, having it in view to establish his character by a course of lectures, would do his uttermost to produce a good one. There is a young man of the name of Webbe, son of the musical composer, who is, in my opinion, the most accomplished person of his years within the circle of my acquaintance, and also, I am certain, could get up an excellent

"

course.

"I regret particularly, my dear friend, that we meet so seldom; but it is your fault, who don't come to London. This is very shabby of you, after the sublime and pathetic 'Ode' which I addressed to you from Algiers--a composition which will

* Extract from a letter to Mr. Gray. VOL. II.-16

remain in the English language until it is forgotten! Give my regards to your dear lady and Miss Smith, and to all the little Smiths who have survived the last murderous cross-fire of puns that took place apun the last battle-field of puns between us in your dining-parlor. You may remember, that their tender mother took them out of our way, whilst the cross-fire of puns was at the hottest; but if any of them were killed, the blame must fall upon you, as your puns were the more horrible and raking, and justified the line of Cowper, that the first Smith was the first murderer's son' Believe me, nevertheless, my dear descendant of Cain, to be yours very truly, and full of intentions to see you as soon as I am Abel. T. C."

1

“Jan. 6th.—I send a copy of my 'Scenic Annual' for the joint acceptance of your sisters. Pray tell my fair cousins not to quarrel about the joint possession. The Queen borrowed the work from Lady M-- and sent it back with a message that she had been highly delighted with it; so I have ordered my poems to be royally bound, as well as my Letters from the South,' and they are to be presented to Her Majesty. I am anxious that you should all see the Annual, as the opening poem was occasioned by our visit to Cora Linn, and I find it is the best liked of my contributions. T. C."

6

His next literary undertaking was an edition for Mr. Moxon, of Shakspeare's dramatic works, with remarks on his life and writings :

"Jan. 24th.-I am editing Shakspeare. By the way, I find that it is now vulgar to write Shakespeare. The black-letter wits have voted that it shall be Shakspeare. A momentous question this! In addition to the stuff which I have to write about old Shakey, I have got another office, for which I get nothing a day, and find myself—I am one of the auditors of the accounts of the Polish Association.* I have at last succeeded in getting a committee of auditors, and make them meet of an evening in my own chambers. Dry work this for one to deal in figures of arithmetic, who has seldom dealt but in figures of speech; to balance accounts, who has only balanced the periods of sentences; and to deal with a London bank, instead of the banks of Helicon ! T. C."

Feb. 1st.-Writing to his newly-married nephew and niece,

* In the same letter, he says,-"Twenty thousand pounds have passed through the hands of the paymaster, a Polish officer;" and recommends that, in future, "regular booked statements should be kept."