108 MEMOIR OF JOHN WILSON. 



" With respect to the size of the volume, I am still partial to that 

 of Marmion ; or, if you choose, a little smaller, only as many or 

 more lines in each page. A thinly printed book of that size looks 

 very badly. There will be verses of many different measures, 

 though none exceeding twelve syllables. I think that a rather 

 smaller type would look better, since the poems are miscellaneous. 

 But all these particulars I leave to yourself. I shall expect to hear 

 from you as soon as you can decidedly fix matters with me, and I 

 hope that you will find me a tractable and reasonable author. The 

 sooner every thing is fixed the better, as otherwise I shall never set 

 to with invincible fury. If the printing can commence by the be- 

 ginning of October, the first book of the Isle of Palms will be sent 

 to you by the tenth of September. You should also advertise the 

 work in the literary notices of the Reviews, and immediately ; but 

 all this I will leave to yourself." 



"Ellerat, Kendal, September IT, 1811. 



" Dear Smith : — I send you at last the first canto of the Isle of 

 Palms, ready for the press. 



" I had expected Mr. Blair here to revise the poem, but he did 

 not come, so I had to send it to him, and he returned it only yes- 

 terday, without any alteration (though with many compliments), 

 and I had to fill up the blanks myself. The manuscript is in Mr. 

 Blair's handwriting, and is, I trust, legible. As to punctuation, I 

 suppose the printer uses his discretion. 



" I am going on correcting and Avriting, and certainly never will 

 keep the press waiting for me. The proofs will, of course, be sent 

 to me ; but I conceive that double proofs are altogether unnecessary. 



" Let it go to press immediately, and write me when you think 

 it right to inform me of your proceedings. 



" This first canto will, I believe, occupy 32 pages at all events, as 

 there are nearly 600 lines. 



"You will give strict injunctions to Ballantyne to let no one see 

 the proof-sheets. For the Isle of Palms is a wild tale, and must 

 not be judged of piecemeal. But there are many reasons for this. 



"J. Wilson." 



"Elleray, Sept. 27 and 28, 1811. 

 " I am glad that you are pleased with the manuscript on the 

 whole. The introductory stanzas are perhaps not, at first reading, 



