246 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF [1802. 



Review.' A somewhat inaccurate and even fanciful 

 account of the origin of the Review is given by 

 Sydney Smith as follows: 



" Towards the end of my residence in Edinburgh, 

 Brougham, Jeffrey, and myself happened to meet in 

 an eighth or ninth story or flat in Buccleuch Place, 

 the then elevated residence of Mr Jeffrey. I proposed 

 that we should set up a review : this was acceded 

 to with acclamation. I was appointed editor; and 

 remained long enough in Edinburgh to edit the first 

 number. The motto I proposed was, ' Tenui musam 

 meditamur avena' We cultivate literature on a 

 little oatmeal. This was too near the truth to be 

 admitted, and so we took our grave motto from Pub- 

 lius Syrus, of whom none of us had ever read a line. 

 When I left Edinburgh, the Review fell into the 

 stronger hands of Jeffrey and Brougham, and reached 

 the highest point of popularity and success." 



Now nothing can be more imaginary than nearly 

 the whole of the above account. 



In the first place, there never was a house eight or 

 nine stories high in Buccleuch Place, or in any of 

 that portion of the new town of Edinburgh. No 

 house at that time exceeded three stories. 



In the second place, Smith never was appointed 

 editor. He read over the articles, and so far may be 

 said to have edited the first number ; but regularly 

 constituted editor he never was, for, with all his 

 other rare arid remarkable qualities, there was not a 

 man among us less fitted for such a position. He 



