LETTERS OF SIR WALTER SCOTT.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8707, 1 February 1894, Page 3

LETTERS OF SIR WALTER SCOTT.

London Daily Telegraph.

Under the title of " Familiar Letters of Sir Walter Scott," two volumes have been published, which deserve a special welcome among the books of the season. They are made up of a selection from the correspondence of the famous Scotchman, preserved at Abboteford. From the very, earliest epistles to the close there appear signs and tokens of a most noble and manly nature, largehearted, high - winded, patriotic to an almost passionate though measured degree, with a vein of genial and gentle humour, against the golden background of his deep and rich romance. If he t>peaks of England, it is always with a good old frank conservative aftection. Here is one passage, which i» highly characteristic, upon the battle of Copenhagen and the capture of the Danish fleet: " Indeed, my patriotism ia ho much stronger than ray general philanthropy chat I should hear with much more composure of a general conflagration ac Constantinople than of a hut being on fire at Litcn field: «nd, as far as the morality of au action in which the welfare of my country ia deeply concerned, I am afraid I feel much like the Laird of Eeir's butler. Keir had , been engaged in the affair < f 1715, aad was tried for high treason, li. ■ butler, whose evidence was essential iv conviction, chose to forget ail that was unfavourable to his master, who was consequently acquitted. As they returned home, Keir could "not belp making some observation upon the violent fit of oblivion with, wblcb Joha hr.& been visited; bat

that trusty domestic answeired with iafinit* composure that he decided rather to trust his own soul in the Lord a hands than hie honour» life In we hands of the Whig*. ,, The playful exaggeration of this, covering suoh well known deep feeling, is a keen rebuke to those among Uβ who love nothing no much as to defame and belittle England, the friends of every country but their own. The days follow when f * The Lady of the Lake" was in preparation, for which the author eeta £2100, shrewdly noting, " when fwas fond of homes I learned from the jockeys to sell by guineas *nd buy by pounds/ . In July, 1814, we come to a letter where he speaks of " a email anonymous sort of a novel in three volumes formerly commenced and ralalaid, end now at last completed, about which I intend to maintain my incognito." Thla wae " Waverley " and the beginning of the magnificent series of romances, which constitutes an undying treasure of English literature, and a store of grand and pure and delightful reading for all times. Then Abbotsford absorbs himalong with " The. Antiquary," " Old Mortality," "The Black Dwarf." and other projected works. " Rob Roy Iβ written ; and it is remarkable how dogged Scott was in denying the authorship of the books which were taking the world of letters by storm. It Iβ curious to read such passages as this :—" Ido not rate the well kuowu author of our Scottish tales so high; yet I think well of many of hie works, and expoct to be gratified by those which are still promised. Xdo assure you that I am quite an impartial judge upon this occasion, and that you do mc too much honour in supposing that I have any interest in these narratives.". This literary " taradiddle " was kept up itill—but only as an open eecret—in 1824, when Lady Abercorn writes, lightly rallying ScoU about "St. Boman'a Well* and Ita authorship. It is impossible, however, without long extracts to convey any idea of the effect produced on the mind by the revelation which thene letters afford to the innei character of the illustrious Scotch poet and novelist. Lord Tennyson did well to call Sir Walter Scott "a great gentleman." The proofs of his intrinsic and deep founded nobleness of character lie embedded in then hole series of pure minded letters, like gold in white quarts rock. Sir Walter Scott, as is well known, refused to accept the Poi-t-Lauroateship, and the letter ta given, in the second volume, In which he put that distinction by with &« much contempt an was compatible with hla gentle and courtly nature. Scott's letters are full of all manner of entertaining and attractive gossip about times past and present. Here, for Instance, is a reminiscence which will be grateful to every lover of Baron Munchausen:— "Some years ago in London I wan a little startled to hear a foreigner ushered under this title Into a musical party. Aβ this naturally led to enquiries on my part. I was referred to the gentleman himself, who very good huinouredly told mc be was the nephew of the celebrated Baron Munchausen, who , was a minister under Frederick of Prussia. It weems the old Baron was a humourist, who after dinner, especially if he happened to have any guests who were likely to he taken in by his marvels, used to amune. himself by inventing or retailing such marvellous adventures att are contained in the volumes which bear his name. He added, hi* uncle was in other respects a sensible, veracious man, and that his 'adventures were only told by the way of quizzing ot amusing society. A starving German literatuß, whose name I have forgot, who knew the baron, and thought he hud been neglected by him, compiled the book iv revenge, partly from the stories of the baron, partly from other sources, and partly from his mother wit. It proved n good hit for the bookseller, as the baron's name and humour were well-known, end by degrees made its way into other countries as a book of entertainment. The Baron Munchausen whom I knew, wan a grave, serious sort of a person, a good deal embarrassed by a title which required eternal explanations, and only remarkable for the zeal with which he kept grinding musical glasses the whole evening."