296 THE JOURNEYMAN. 



whom respectively the volume is offered, are almost 

 equally complimentary and equally tantalizing. Mi 

 Miller's manner of treating his subject ' does him great 

 credit/ It is difficult to say what will succeed, but ' as 

 easy as ever to say what ought to succeed, and under 

 this class no one can hesitate to rank the Traditional 

 History of Cromarty/ But 'the work would require 

 considerable pruning to suit the public taste/ and, on 

 the whole, ' we regret that we cannot avail ourselves oi 

 your kind offer/ Mr Shortrede would ' risk the print- 

 ing/ if any one would ' venture the other expenses ; ' 

 but farther than this not even Mr Shortrede, though he 

 evidently hankers after the thing, will go. He proposes 

 to forward the MS. to his London correspondent ' to 

 ascertain his opinion ' before returning it. Sir Thomas, 

 who felt that he ' had no chance with Black, Cadell/ or 

 other publishers, apprized Miller of his want of success, 

 trying to put the discouraging tale as tenderly as 

 possible. ' The difficulty/ he said, ' of getting out a 

 literary work at present is immense. I have never been 

 able to get my first volume of Legends launched, and I 

 now begin to despair of doing so/ In short, our 

 aspiring Ixion cannot have the real Juno, but here is a 

 cloud, as like her in form and colour as a cloud can 

 possibly be, and he is most civilly invited to derive what 

 satisfaction he can from embracing it. 



Sir Thomas's note is dated 14th October, 1833; 

 Miller replies on the 18th of the same month. He is 

 disposed to make as much of the cloud as is feasible, 

 but sees well that it is a cloud after all. 



'HONOURED SIR, 



' I little thought, when writing you last spring, 

 of the world of trouble to which my request and your 



