Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

504 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
Abuse of Murray continues to be the subject, at
great length, of Mr Watts's following letters. Here,
however, is a sketch of a literary celebrity of the time
which is a little less diffuse than usual, and not with-
out vividness as a picture. It comes among the gallery
of portraits of contemporary writers, especially gentlemen
of the press, with which Watts regularly furnished
Blackwood, probably by way of material for the satires
on London life which he requested :
' The author of ' L has written a powerful philippic against
avarice. He is one of the greatest misers breathing. His income
net is about £1800 a-year ; add to this the profits of his
Eectorship at Kew and Petersham, and another living in Devonshire,
which bring it to about £2500. With these ample means
he lives in a garret in Princes Street at the rate of about 20s.
a-week. To the business of poet and critic he adds that of wine-
merchant. I have dealt with him for many years in this com-
modity. He sells good and cheap, but will cheat you if he can.
It is most surprising that such things should be winked at, and
that he should retain his gown about his shoulders. He is one
of the most impudent egotists I have ever known, and yet he is
really possessed of first-rate talents—an anomaly, as I believe
our quacks are usually what they seem. I once called upon
him, and found him at dinner. On a dirty oaken table without
a tablecloth were arranged a few cracked and broken pieces of
crockery. In a few minutes the maid entered with a teal and
a dish of green peas (this was at a time of the year when they
were at least a guinea a quart). I expressed my surprise at his
inconsistency, when he observed, " I care nothing for appear-
ances ; but my stomach fares as well as if I inhabited a palace
my dinner yesterday cost me £2, Vs.,—this is not an unusual
thing with me." I went away thoroughly disgusted. He has
written a capital lampoon on the ' New Monthly ' gang, which
I must obtain and send you.
Watts afterwards changed his residence to Leeds,
where, with considerable grumbling to be banished
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