114 MEMOIR OF JOHN WLLSOxV. 



is of more importance is the provincial sale in England. Consid- 

 erable inquiry was made after them in Liverpool ; and had there 

 been copies there, many would have sold. And I think you should 

 still establish some correspondence with the booksellers there. 

 Two hundred of Crabbe's poems were sold in Liverpool. In Man- 

 chester, many, many books are sold ; one shop of considerable 

 magnitude is kept by a Mr. Ford. But it seems certain to my mind 

 that you must bestir yourself through the towns of England, for 

 the people are so stupid as not to know where to send for them, 

 unless they come to the town where they live. This I had proof 

 of from Liverpool in abundance. 



" I have sent Southey a copy. He will, I know, review it in the 

 Quarterly, if he likes it, which I think probable ; otherwise he will 

 not. Jeffrey likes it much ; but will very likely abuse it for all 

 that. I see it will be reviewed in the next Edinburgh Quarterly 

 Review, but I suppose it is a despicable effort ; its praise or blame 

 will be alike indifferent. 



"I find that people distrust their own judgment more than I had 

 ever believed possible, and durst not admire any thing till they can 

 quote authorities. I shall be happy to hear from you when at leisure. 

 Glasgow criticism is not worth regarding ; but I wish to hear from 

 you an exact account of the number of copies sold by you in Glas- 

 gow, etc., to the public, and also of the number which you have 

 altogether disposed of to the Edinburgh booksellers ; London and 

 Oxford, too, if you have heard any thing from those quarters. I 

 have as yet had no correspondence with England about it ; here I 

 am not a little caressed by the great, but I would excuse their 

 caresses, if the public would buy my volume. If the volume do 

 ultimately succeed, and nothing has yet occurred to make me sup- 

 pose that it will not, then I shall in a year or two come before it 

 again in strength ; but if not, I shall court the Muse no more. 



" Have any of my poems gone to Paisley or to the Sister Isle ? 

 Give me the names of as many of the purchasers as you can. Have 

 you ever sent Watson his copies ? for they had not been seen at 

 Calgarth so late as last week, and I suppose the Kendal bookseller 

 sent his there. Have any been sent to Cambridge or Birmingham? 

 two places, by the by, well joined together. The longer your let- 

 ter is the better, and by making a parcel of it, you may send the 

 letters of the Oxford booksellers, and anything else you desire, but 



