282 MEMOIR OF JOHN WILSON. 



tributed to a work presently to be spoken of ; but from the letters 

 in reference to that subject, it may be conjectured that some tales 

 were written by him, which, if they ever appeared in print, are not 

 hitherto identified with his name. Besides the three tales which 

 had already been published, Lights and Shadows, Margaret Lynd- 

 say, and The Foresters, and two volumes of poems, no separate 

 works of his appeared until the Recreations of Christopher North, 

 in 1843. That he did not carry out his intention of preparing his 

 Outlines is cause of regret. 



The next letter from Mr. Lockhart contains some reference to a 

 literary project, of which the first idea appears to have originated 

 with him. The name of Janus will doubtless be entirely new to 

 the readers of this generation, and there are not many now living 

 who are aware of the fact that the volume published under that 

 name, in November, 1825, was chiefly the composition of Wilson 

 and Lockhart. The fact that the publication was intrusted to any 

 other hands than those of Mr. Blackwood I cau only attribute to 

 the fact — apparent, from some allusions in Mr. Lockhart's letters — 

 that he had by this time become rather impatient of Mr. Black- 

 wood's independent style of treating his contributions. But for 

 him the book would never Lave appeared, and as certainly my 

 father would never have contributed. The plan was suggested ap- 

 parently by the popularity of a class of books that began to appear 

 in London in the preceding year, under the title of Annuals, such 

 as the Forget Me Not, the Amulet, and Friendship 's Offering. 

 They were adorned with engravings, and contained contributions 

 from the pens of distinguished writers. The projectors of Janus 

 thought it most prudent to make the success of their Annual de- 

 pend on its literary merits alone, but it turned out that they were 

 mistaken. Lockhart and Wilson undertook the editorship, and 

 contributed the great bulk of the articles.* The following is a let- 

 ter from Mr. Lockhart bearing on this subject. He was on the eve 

 of star tins: for Ireland with Sir Walter Scott : — 



"Edinburgh, July 8th — (Starting). 

 "My dear Wilson: — I am exceedingly sorry to find myself 



* Several letters on the subject have been sent me, through the kindness of John Boyd, Esq., 

 of the firm of Oliver & Boyd, the publishers of Janus, which show the interest and zeal with 

 which the work was carried through. 



