438 



have contemplated a mere edition, without introducing that restriction, 

 in any manner whatever, into their correspondence. Neither London, 

 nor, we should imagine, Edinburgh booksellers conduct their business 

 in quite such a slovenly manner. However, the edition is sold out; 

 and then Mr. Griffin, as we consider, handsomely, offers Dr. Balfour 

 £100 to edit a second. So says Mr. Griffin; and Dr. Balfour fully 

 admits it. 



" It is quite true that he offered me at one time ;£100 to revise and 

 edit a second edition of the Manual, of which, however, he was to 

 retain the copyright. And another of his proposals was, that 1 should 

 receive for editing a second edition £50, and for a third, one shilling 

 per volume on all that were printed, and that at the end of three years 

 after the publication of this third edition, the copyright should be 

 assigned to me gratis. It is to be observed, however, that this last 

 proposal (which was the only one holding out any prospect of my 

 ever regaining the copyright) was trammelled with the condition that 

 Mr. Griffin should be entitled to bring out the work in the ' Encyclo- 

 paedia Metropolitana,' with no restriction upon the number of copies 

 to be so published." — ief^er to Dr. Greville, p. 8. 



To this " trammelling " Dr. Balfour objects ; and, it being found 

 that no agreement was likely to be made, Mr. Griffin at length em- 

 ployed another editor ; and the work we are now noticing is the residt. 

 In some of this correspondence there is a discrepancy as regards facts. 

 Mr. Griffin asserts that Dr. Balfour engaged to use the Manual as his 

 text-book in teaching ; but this Dr. Balfour emphatically denies. On 

 this question the looker-on can only be guided by appearances ; and 

 these are in favour of Mr. Griffin, for Dr. Balfour, until the disagree- 

 ment, did actually use the Manual in teaching, and did actually pro- 

 mote its circulation, just as though such use and advocacy did 

 positively form a part of his agreement. He, however, takes umbrage 

 at the publication, in his name, of a second edition, which he did not 

 edit, being, perhaps, already predisposed to take offence from the con- 

 test about the copyright, and both ceases to use the Manual himself 

 and endeavours to ]jrevcnt its use by others. He also advertises ano- 

 ther work by himself, evidently in order to render it a substitute, in 

 his own and other class-rooms, for that which he had sold to Mr. 

 Griffin for the £200. 



We scarcely know how to blame Mr, Griffin for publishing, in Dr. 

 Balfour's name, an edition containing improvements which that gentle- 

 men not only never suggested, but still ignores ; for how could Mr. 

 Griffin give the name of another botanist to a work entirely compiled 



