TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7731, 10 December 1890, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

It seems almost too good to be true to -earn that' some hitherto, unpublished writing'of Sir Walter Scott's ia about to see tbe light.' Such, however, is the fact. Among the treasures preserved at Abbotsford, it appears was a "Journal," or diary, started by the great novelist in 1825, incited to the performance of the feat by a perusal of Lord Byron's diary, and continued by him until a few months before his death in 1832. Lockhart had access to these volumes in compiling the "iafe* '. but hitherto only extracts have been published. Now we are to have published in extent? the " Journal "~-or " Gornal," «s Sir Walter has playfully entitled! itMimta-nff the childish spelling of his youngest daughter, who also started the keeping of a little diary. The work win be looked for by the public with eager anticipation. ■In the meantime, the Quarterly Review, which at one time was edited by Loci—art, is' publishing extracts from an advance copy, and our readers wilL no doubt, be glad of some of thesa-

•fiv_«iao»*^l__i_Z_^^ <**«* *hen he found S? 4^ The f-lowing passage from ft *X Bhow|, what we « the Bni> V come. Cadeii has London whieb all butSi^ -U the failure of Hurst ffiKff* »**>*£ Consteole aud Co. go with poor JanuJaSffiSlti; P-ting funds from £5000 to £10,(S ft vL^ was my temptation {*£ «*4w3 them indulge thoir own P S J,*?- L* that my ,a akes theaßS.? **»% so at least. I have the a S_£ °* kej collect that my STJ will forgive my transient J*,*?J«fet account of the innoowS tf?* * tions, and my real wish toVJ_S «*** poor. fms new* will maka JJ« to ft, parmck,aud in the »i ford, which Ido not nouriß ß l ***"**• of preserving. It has been IT\S and so I have often Wmff the recollection of the extendi** 4 *>« planted, and the walks » j wh:ch strangers inu.t derive iS 6 * pleasure and profit, will «S»e f__> likely to sober mv -aveat ■« '"WB have half resolved^ l Sftl again. How could I *■_?£**• such a diminished crest ? }t ~*«& poor indebted man where I »« L. n » wealthy, the honored? provided [for], thank God^otfe^ t was io have gone there in W.rf 1 * penty to receive my f rien <k J gj jj* ! will he in wait for mc ia v_»f r ,T? I foolish—but the thoughts ot £_£* £» these dumb creatures have n*o»«d m! ™* | than any of the painful teuaa££\*» putcio-vn Poorthinga,l __SKJSP kind masters ■ there may be,!? a* who, loving mc, may love my d 4 _J? Ms it has been mine." 7 ** "^a* Here we have Scott's thoughtaUidw to us-recorded almost at ths m ZI they passed through hia mind at_»& which was the touchstone of hia Never were a man's principles p at to .' severer test, and we have * our minds that never man came out of Z great ordeal of his life more nobly, Tubnino to other topics we •interesting passage regarding geottfej Carlyle. The latter was chargedb|Qoen, to deliver two medals to fiootfc, "Sageof Chelsea," it is well ham, w shy in his intercourse with strongseems to have been specially idea of calling on "the Wiaard of lit North." He addressed to Sir Wftlta Scott the following note :■— "Being'in this curious fashion n pointed as it were ambasnador btWs two kings of poetry, I would missh discharge n»y mission with the «*l„-_£ that becomessucha l-uslaess; aad__tun\)_i it must flatter uiy vanity aad low of tb« maryelious to think tuat by meata of t foreigner whom I have never sees I might soon have access to my native SovereiM whom I have so often -teen ia pubUc-aad so often wished that I had claim t&m and know iv private, and near at bmi. ... Meanwhile, I abide y-mifuitb-jj orders in this matter; and so with _] the regard which belongs to oae to whoa I, in common with other millions, owew much, 1 have the honor to be, S.ir, mgg) respectfully your servant, T. 0." It happened moat unfortunately that Scott never replied to this letter, having apparently overlooked it. The writer ia fi. Quarterly Review suggests that "posiM" the fee-hag of Carlyle toward Scott *m affected by this disregard." This. woeM certainly seem to have been the case. & any rate, we know that a few years «itsScott'a death, Carlyle wrote of h_n ia m of his essays in very disparaging fwtos —in words totally different from tit. language ot respectful homage in the, letter wo have quoted. H-B_ are the last words over penned &j Sir Walter:— " Ne entered Borne by a gate «tt rounded by one of the Old Pontiff*, W which I forgot, and so paraded theefas-S by moonlight to discover, it possible, 6-5® appearance of the learned Sir *Wi_U*s Gell or the pretty Mistress Astly. M length we found an old servant, vb guided us to the lodgings token b| Sir William 'Gell, where all Vas eo_l<K»!*te* a good fire included, whioh oar fehgtti and the chillneas of the night reguhwi We dispersed aa soon as we had takeasctsi food and wine and water. reasonably, but on the next morning , - This abrupt breaking off in conotusioc tl painfully suggestive. The pen whichhai been so long a faithful and willing mmt ot the great magician, conjuring upv®& grand, sprightly, picturesque, hanHmWi and pathetio, at his eachaoteefife ** length refused to do his bidding farth®Yet it had a good as well aa a po*"* master. "We rise," saya the Qu&te& Review—in words with which we tas& w agree—"we rise from perusing tho J* s *" tive of Sir Walter's feelings •»*,*> struggles with heightened him'as a mail. He was great infill if*** perityj but he was almost BubUinste®* dark days ot adversity." . ;) - A.-A- A <-