370 MEMOIR OF JOH1T WILSON. 



were before, and to contribute my part to an amicable arrange- 

 ment. 



" But I will say to you what must not be said to anybody else, 

 that if it be necessary, owing to Mr. Hogg not writing a sufficient 

 number of articles fit for insertion, to make up some considerable 

 sum towards £100 per annum being given to him, I will certainly 

 contribute half of it along with Mr. Blackwood. 



" There are various other points to be attended to. The Maga- 

 zine now is the least personal periodical existing, and it will con- 

 tinue so. Now Mr. Hogg may wish to insert articles about London 

 and so on, that may be extremely personal. Mr. Blackwood could 

 not take such articles. He has himself reason to be offended with 

 Mr. Hogg's writings about himself, and could not consistently hi 

 like manner offend others. Suppose that the Shepherd sent such 

 MS. for the first year as could not be inserted at all, is Mr. Black- 

 wood to be paying him £100 for nothing ? The kind, therefore, of 

 his contributions must be considered by ' James,' though he may 

 still be allowed considerable latitude. 



" With respect to past quarrels, they should at once be forgotten 

 by both parties, and not a word said about them, except if Mr. 

 Hogg has published any thing reflecting on Mr. Blackwood's integ- 

 rity. I think he has. TJiat, therefore, must be done away with 

 by the Shepherd in the Magazine itself, but not in the way of apol- 

 ogy, but in a manly manner, such as would do honor to himself, and 

 at once put down all the calumnies of others, to which Mr. Black- 

 wood has been unjustly exposed, especially in Fraser's Magazine. 

 All abuse of Mr. Blackwood in that work, as founded on his be- 

 havior to Mr. Hogg, must, by Mr. Hogg, be put a stop to ; for if 

 he continues to write in Fraser, and to allow those people to put 

 into his mouth whatever they choose (and they hold him up to ridi- 

 cule every month after a very different fashion from the Noctes ! !), 

 their abuse of Mr. Blackwood will seem to be sanctioned by Mr. 

 Hogg, and neutralize whatever he may say in ' Maga.' This is plain. 



" Consider what I have said attentively, and I will call on you on 

 Tuesday at two o'clock, and will explain a few other matters perhaps 

 tedious to write upon. After that, the sooner you see Mr. B. the 

 better, and I think an arrangement may be made, in itself reasona- 

 ble and beneficial to all parties, on the above basis. Yours ever 

 affectionately, John Wilson." 



