LITERARY AND DOMESTIC LD7E. 275 



Babylon — who will not put their trust iu Blackwood as in God 

 (which, you know, he ought to do) — yet privately adores him as the 

 devil ; and indeed publicly, too, is a great proneur of Blackwood. 

 For, hi spite of his Jacobinism, he is liberal and inevitably just to 

 real wit. His fear is, that Blackwood may come as Nemesis, and 

 compel him to regorge any puffing and cramming which Tiff has 

 put into his pocket, and is earnest to have a letter addressed in an 

 influential quarter to prevent this. I alleged to him that I am not 

 quite sure but it is an affront to a Professor, to presume that he has 

 any connection as contributor or any thing else, to any work which 

 he does not publicly avow as his organ for communicating with the 

 world of letters. He answers that it would be so in him — but that 

 an old friend may write sub rosd. I rejoin that I know not but 

 you may have cut Blackwood — even as a subscriber — a whole lus- 

 trum ago. He rebuts — by urging a just compliment paid to you as 

 a supposed contributor, in the JS r ews of Literature and Fashion, 

 but a moon or two ago. Seriously, I have told him that I know 

 not what was the extent of your connection with Blackwood at any 

 time ; and that I conceive the labors of your Chair in the Univer- 

 sity must now leave you little leisure for any but occasional contri- 

 butions, and therefore for no regular cognizance of the work as 

 director, etc. However, as all that he wishes — is simply an inter- 

 ference to save him from any very severe article, and not an article 

 in his favor, I have ventured to ask of you if you hear of any such 

 thing, to use such influence as must naturally belong to you in your 

 general character (whether maintaining any connection with Black- 

 wood or not), to get it softened. On the whole, I suppose no such 

 article is likely to appear. But to oblige Hill I make the applica- 

 tion. He has no direct interest in the prosperity of Hazelwood : he 

 is himself a barrister in considerable practice, and of some standing, 

 I believe : but he takes a strong paternal interest in it, all his 

 brothers (who are accomplished young men, I believe) being en- 

 gaged in it. They have already had one shock to stand : a certain Mr. 

 Place, a Jacobin friend of the school till just now, having taken pet 

 with it — and removed his sons. Now this Place, who Avas formerly 

 a tailor — leather-breeches maker — and habit-maker — having made a 

 fortune and finished his studies — is become an immense authority 

 as a political and reforming head with Bentham, etc., as also with 

 the Westminster Review, in which quarter he is supposed to have 



