I9OI-2 TRANSACTIONS. 1 5 



school of humor." Halibnrton was not only a genuine humor- 

 ist, one whose humor never became forced, and whose satire 

 was absolutely free from that vitriolic quality which mars 

 the work of so many writers, but he also possessed most, of 

 the qualities which belong to the successful novelist. His 

 skill in character-drawing has rarely been excelled on this 

 continent, and his dialogue and power of graphic description 

 are only slightly less marked. 



Haliburton's first book, " The Clockmaker ; or the Say- 

 ings and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville," appeared 

 originally in the Nova Scotian^ in 1835-36. The Nova 

 Scotian was then edited by another famous native of the 

 Province, Joseph Howe. "The Clockmaker" was published 

 by Howe in a small volume in 1837. It has since gone 

 through some twenty editions, and was translated into Ger- 

 man in 1840. I In that year " The Letter-Bag of the Great 

 Western" 2 appeared ; and in 1 843 " The Attache ; or, Sam 

 Slick in England." 3 "The Old Judge," 4 came out in 

 1840, and was translated into both French and German, 

 besides nianing through many editions in English. " Wise 

 Saws and Modern Instances" 5 was published in 1853, ^^ 

 two volumes ; and " Nature and Human Nature" 6 in 1855. 



1. The First, Second and Third Series of '' The Clockmaker" were 

 published by Richard Bentley, London, in 1837, 183» ant 1840 lespect- 

 ively. They were reprinted \w 3 vols. 1838-43, in 8vo The first United 

 State-^ edition was that of Le iV Ulanchard Philadelphia, 1837 Other 

 editions followed : Con.ord, 1838 1839; Philad Iphia, 1838, 2 vols; Paris, 

 1841 ; New York. 1841; London 1845; London, 1848; Philadelphia, 

 1857; New York. 1858; London, 18fi2; London, 1870; New York. 1872; 

 London, 1878 ; London, 1884 ; Nexv York, 1889, The German edition 

 was published by Braunschweig. 



2. "The Letier Hag of the Great Western, or, Life in a Steamer." 

 By the author of "The Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick.' Richard 

 Bentley London, 1840 8vo. 



3. In 4 vols. Bentley, London, 12 mo. Oiher editions: Lh don, 

 1819; New York, 1856; London, 1862; London, 1871. In Allibone's 

 " Dictionary of Authors " h curious mistake is made, in speaking of 

 this book •' In 1842 " says'Allibone '' the wiiter visited England as an 

 Attache of the American Legation, and in ihe next year embodied the 

 result of his observations on English Society in his amusing work 

 "The Attache." This, of course, is absurd. The only time Hali burton 

 visited England was in 1856, when he made his home there permanently, 

 and entered the Bi-itish Parliament. As a, Canadian and a British sub- 

 ject he could not possibly be an Attache of the American Legation. 



