CORRESPONDENCE, 1867-70. 397 



.... himself as a known book-collector (N.B. No less a person 1869, 

 than wax-chandler to the Queen, &c., very rich, and collects no 

 end of elegantly bound large paper ; all this I learnt afterwards) 

 came to me in a neat carriage and a heavy shower, and as he 

 was doing a wabbling preamble about nothing, I cut him short 

 sternly with, ' Pray, sir, what is the upshot of all this ? ' He 

 answered that, seeing my article in the Athenceum which it was 

 very impertinent to assume was mine he could prove in two 

 minutes that Libri was guilty of all that was imputed to him. 

 ' What do you know of the matter ?' 

 ' I have read all the pamphlets.' 



* So have I,' said I, ' and some of them before they were 

 pamphlets.' 



' Oh ! I thought perhaps you had not investigated.' 

 He then produced 'Vapereau,' a French biographical dic- 

 tionary of first-rate size and tenth-rate accuracy, and, opening at 

 Libri, said, * Have you read that article ? ' 'I have,' said I, 

 1 in former days, before I found out what a worthless affair 

 Vapereau was.' ' I assure you,' said he, ' the people at Paris 

 are much astonished at your article.' ' No doubt,' said I : 

 ' they are the parties whom Libri's defence incriminates.' ' I 

 thought perhaps you were not aware of the facts, and that by 

 coming to you we might avoid a, polemic.' ' Now,' said I, 'you 

 must go to the editor of the Athenceum, and polemic with him. 

 Do you really suppose you will prove to me that one of my 

 dearest friends was a robber by an extract from " Vapereau " and 

 Parisian opinion ? ' So he went away, and there has been no 

 polemic yet. 



A matter of this kind brings out the hidden fun of the world. 

 So with kind regards all round, 



Yours sincerely, 



A. DE MORGAN. 



To Rev. J. Martineau. 



6 Merton Road, Adelaide Road, N.W., 

 December 19, 1869. 



DEAR SIR, Many thanks to you I suppose I am indebted 

 for the reprints of the journal memoir of J. J. Tayler. He is 

 well recalled, which in his case is not very easy to do in writing. 

 It appeared to me that his treatment of controversy in conversa- 

 tion allowed the wave to pass over the reef without breakers. A 

 congregation of such men could have realised his plan of a 



