A STAFF OF THE BEST 275 



and got none but the best to do it. Lord Marcus Beres- 

 ford did a great deal of it (marvellously well) over the 

 signature of " Aliquis," and Mr George Lambton also 

 played a considerable part as a racing contributor on the 

 special recommendation of Mr James Lowther. 



Lord Colin Campbell was among the earliest members 

 of the staff, and he was editing with most careful research, 

 at the British Museum, a whole budget of unpublished 

 letters of Lady Hamilton, which I had by great good 

 fortune obtained. He carried this on through four or 

 five numbers and then he had to cease work, owing to the 

 anxieties of the law case in which he was involved. What 

 came of those Lady Hamilton letters after Captain Finch- 

 Hatton, from whom I had the loan of them, received them 

 back, I do not know, but they showed her character to 

 have been much better than is generally accepted. 



Percy Fitzgerald, Clement Scott and Percy Reeve were 

 the earliest dramatic critics of the paper, and the last- 

 named remained to the end. W. B. Woodgate did the 

 acrostics, and my old editor, Edward Legge, also helped 

 us with a series of articles. The Hon. Mrs Armytage did 

 the Ladies' Column. F. C. Philips was a regular contri- 

 butor, and Haddon Chambers joined forces later on, as 

 did William Mackay and many other notables. Colonel 

 Malleson used to do a lot of the solid work, and 

 "Marmaduke," as C. E. Jerningham styled himself 

 many years afterwards, was responsible for much of the 

 society element. There was no lack of talent, only it 

 may be I was too much in earnest from the political 

 point of view. 



It was on the morning of I7th March 1883 when I 

 succeeded in getting the first number made up and passed 

 for press. 



That night an infernal machine was exploded in the 

 area outside one of the Government offices, just off 

 Parliament Street, and I saw the havoc it had created as 

 I walked home to. Victoria Street about 6 A.M. Next week 

 I, of course, commented on this, and wrote : " Too well 



