"the isle of palms. Ill 



tyne up with a long pole, and henceforth depend upon my being 

 punctual." 



From these and other letters, it will be seen that the poet was 

 by no means a careless man of business ; and that if he was pretty 

 confident of success, he did not neglect any means to secure it. 



In his next letter he complains bitterly of the delay in the print- 

 ing, not having heard from Ballantyne for a month, and then i:>ro- 

 ceeds to give some practical suggestions regarding the lines on 

 Grahame : — 



" The copies of the ' Lines, etc.,' came safely to hand. They are 

 exceedingly well printed and accurate in all respects. One copy I 

 gave to Lloyd ; the other to my wife's sister, both of whom were 

 greatly pleased. I find that it will be in my power to distribute a 

 few copies without suspicion ; and there is a bookseller in Kendal 

 who would, I think, dispose of half a dozen very easily. Send me, 

 therefore, per coach, a dozen copies ; six to my own account, and 

 six for the trade, which I will send to the bookseller in Kendal ; 

 and if he sells them, he will account to me for them. Let me hear 

 how they take ; now that Edinburgh is filling, perhaps some copies 

 will be going off. I would wish a copy to be sent to Mr. Alison, 

 and one to Mr. Morehead, the Episcopal clergyman in Edinburgh, 

 with ' from the author' on the title-page. Grahame was known 

 about Carlisle, and I should think some of the trade there would 

 take copies ; Durham also. Are there any inquiries made after the 

 author ? Is it attributed to any one ? You should tell a paragraph 

 to be extracted from it in each of the Edinburgh papers ; perhaps 

 the same two as in the Glasgow papers. Some copies would sell 

 in Oxford if seen there ; I should also think in Liverpool. A pas- 

 sage ought also to appear in the London Courier and in the Scots 

 Magazine ; and also very early in other magazines. It is perhaps 

 not worth all this trouble." 



The elegy attracted considerable attention, and a second edition 

 was soon called for. His next letter is written in December : — 



" I have had many letters from Edinburgh highly commending 

 the ' Lines,' which I understand are considerable favorites there, 

 though I find I am strongly suspected in that quarter. With respect 

 to giving my name, you may now use your own discretion." 



At Christmas he was in Edinburgh at his mother's with his 

 young wife and her sisters. He writes to Mr. Smith : — 



o 



