CHAPTER X.

REVOLVING LITERARY PLANS-EXTRACTS FROM NOTE-BOOK-TALMA-ADMIRAL HARVEY KENNEY'S ANECDOTES-LORD JOHN RUSSELL-CAPTAIN MEDWINBYRON-PASTA-CORRECTS SALMAGUNDI FOR GALIGNANI-LETTER TO LESLIE -PROPOSITION OF GALIGNANI FOR AN EDITION OF BRITISH AUTHORS-PROJECT OF A SECOND SKETCH BOOK-LETTERS TO MURRAY ABOUT TALES OF A TRAVELLER.

HA

AVING glanced at this theatrical episode in the author's life, I now resume the regular course of my narrative, going back to a period shortly succeeding Payne's departure for London, and just after Peter had left Havre for Paris, to become a member of his bachelor establishment. At this time, Nov. 8, 1823, Murray applies the following spur to his lagging pen.

Nov. 8th-" Mr. H. Payne tells me he is a fellowlodger with you at Paris, and as he is expected quickly to return, I cannot refrain from sending compliments to you, and of adding an inquiry as to your literary occupations, and what your publisher may be allowed to expect from you in the course of the winter. I am perfectly ready for you, and the sooner you take the field the better." Thus stimulated, he VOL. II.-8* (12)

felt increased impatience to mature some of the literary plans he had been revolving. "Wrote a little at History of an Author," is one passage in his memorandum book." "Tried to commence work on Germany, but could not do any thing," is another. Then follows: "Toward twelve o'clock, an idea of a plan dawned on me-made it out a little, and minuted down heads of it. Felt more encouraged-felt as if I should make something out of it." This was a plan, as he once told me, to mingle up the legendary superstitions of Germany, in the form of tales, with local descriptions and a little of the cream of travelling incidents, but he added, "there was a rawness about every attempt to bring it into shape. It needed time. to mellow in my mind." At a later date, Dec. 17, 1 evolve from the scarcely legible leaves of his pencilled memorandum this passage: "Woke early-felt depressed and desponding-suddenly a thought struck me how to arrange the MSS. on hand, so as to make two volumes of Sketch Book-that quite enlivened me. At breakfast communicated it to Peter, who was highly pleased with it." Under this animating impulse, he writes to Murray, Dec. 22, telling him he should "probably have two volumes of the Sketch Book ready for him in the spring," and his note-book shows him at work the next day on an article on

*This was the title selected for the novel in which he was intending to expand Buckthorne and his Friends, as before mentioned; which purpose, however, he never fulfilled.