288 HEMOffi OF JOHN WILSON. 



Bole man of the John Bull Magazine ; a most infamous concern, 

 and in general displaying a marvellous lack of every thing but the 

 supremest impudence. I foresee sore rubs between Ebony and 



him. is exceedingly insolent when he has nobody near 



him, as is the case at present — cuts and maims — keeps back, etc., 

 etc. ; in short, is utterly disgusting. 



" You will have perceived that I have done very little this sum- 

 mer. How could I ? I am totally sick of all that sort of concern, 

 and would most gladly say, ' farewell forever.' 



" Yours affectionately always, J. G. Lockhart." 



It appears that Mr. Canning did not visit Abbotsford, and the 

 anticipated opportunity of showing that there was " one speaker" in 

 Scotland did not therefore occur. 



The brilliant and versatile, but somewhat dangerous pen of Ma- 

 ginn,* was at this time in full employment for the Magazine. In 



* William Maginn, alias Ensign O'Doherty, alias Luctus, alias Dr. Olinthus Petre, Trinity- 

 College, Dublin, &c, &c, was born at Cork in 1794, and died in London in 1S42. This versatile 

 writer and singular man of genius began to contribute to Blackwood in November, 1819. Dr. 

 Moir says that his first article was a translation into Latin of the ballad of " Chevy Chase, 1 ' 

 which was followed by numerous articles containing both wit and sarcasm, which Mr. Black- 

 wood had to pay for in the case of Leslie v. Hebrew. Although he continued to write for Slack- 

 wood, the publisher was not acquainted with his real name, and the account of their first inter- 

 view is amusingly told by Dr. Moir :* — 



" I remember having afterwards been informed by Mr. Blackwood that the Doctor arrived in 

 Edinburgh on Sunday evening, and found his way out to Newington, where he then resided. 

 It so happened that the whole family had gone to the country a few days before, and in fact the 

 premises, except the front gate, were locked up. This the Doctor managed, after vainly ringing 

 and knocking, to open, and made a circuit of the building, peeping first into one window and 

 then another, where every thing looked snug and comfortable, though tenantless. He took oc- 

 casion afterwards to remark, that no such temptations were allowed to prowlers in Ireland. 



"On the forenoon of Monday he presented himself in Princes street, at that time Mr. Black- 

 wood's place of business, and formally asked for an interview with that gentleman. The Doctor 

 was previously well aware that his quizzes on Dowden, Jennings, and Cody of Cork (perfectly 

 harmless as they were), had produced a ferment in that quarter, which now exploded in sending 

 fierce and fiery letters to the proprietor of the Magazine, demanding the name of the writer, as 

 he had received sundry notes from Mr. Blackwood, telling him the circumstances ; and on Mr. 

 Blackwood appearing, the stranger apprised him of his wish to have a private conversation with 

 him, and this in the strongest Irish accent he could assume. 



" On being closeted together, Mr. Blackwood thought to himself— as Mr. Blackwood after- 

 wards informed me — 'Here, at last, is one of the wild Irishmen, and come for no good purpose, 

 doubtless.' 



" ' You are Mr. Blackwood, I presume,' said the stranger. 



" ' I am,' answered that gentleman. 



"'I have rather an unpleasant business, then, with you,' he added, 'regarding some things 

 which appeared in your Magazine. They are so and so, would you be so kind as to give me 

 the name of the author?' 



■ rt'ii. 



Dublin University Magazine, January, 1844, which contains the fullest account of Maginn's life and writings I have 



