Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

484 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
own personality, though they know very well what
is their individual share in them, and entertaining
a generous pride in the vessel, which would be but
a paltry feeling were it translated into a mere self-
complacence as to their own achievements. I hope
this is being kept up in the younger generation : it
certainly was very strong in the past.
The letters of Gleig have a warmer individual note
than those of Croly ; but there are still too many of
them, and their subjects too much the same, to merit
large quotation. On all subjects, political, religious,
moral, for all kinds of reviews, criticisms, and contro-
versies, he was to be relied upon, as much at least as
any individual ever was relied on (except Wilson) by
the head of affairs, who had a way of exercising his
own judgment in a manner not always agreeable to the
authors who surrounded him. The following remon-
strance will show that Gleig was no more favoured
than his fellows in this respect. It refers to some
articles upon the Church, which Blackwood had re-
ceived with his usual cordiality, but which do not
seem to have pleased on closer examination :
G. R. Gleig to W. Blackwood.
You are of course the best judge of what will suit the
Magazine, and I have neither the right nor the inclination to
find fault with the results of your judgment. I declare, how-
ever, that I should not have wasted so much time and paper
upon ecclesiastical matters, had you not expressed your wish
that I should do so. You stated explicitly that such subjects
interested " a large and influential class of the public," hoping
that I had other articles like the "Book of Common Prayer."
It was in consequence of these expressions only that I wrote,
contrary to my own feeling, two long articles, neither of which
has been admitted. But I do not blame you. If you see that
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