Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

514 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
'Spectator' Office, 159 Strand, 11th Nov. 1828.
It is very gratifying to me to learn that the ' Spectator ' has
gained the favourable opinion of your friends, among whom I
know must be numbered some of the best judges of the age and
country. I should not have presumed to suggest that a notice
in the Magazine would be of service ; but since you hint that
such a compliment is likely to come impromptu, I will frankly
say that it may be of great use indeed at this season, when
so many people think of changing their papers or taking in new
ones, to have the true character of the ' Spectator ' made known
to the exceedingly numerous class of readers among whom the
Magazine circulates, and to whom a better species of weekly
newspaper reading than the greater part of the London press
supplies may be a desideratum. There is at least one feature
of resemblance between the ' Spectator ' and ' Maga ' herself
straightforwardness, and the preference of plain strong sense
to affected finery or to Cockney simplicity. I suppose our
Politics, such as they are, must be different ; but, in the first
place, we do not profess to discuss politics, though we record
them historically, and, I think, with unwonted impartiality, our
motto in everything being " fair-play." Secondly, when we do
happen to deal with an abstract principle which is commonly
classified as belonging to the department of political science,
we take it up rather as a branch of Ethics, and follow it out,
regardless whether the results may seem to favour one set of
political opinions or the opposite. In short, we have nothing
to do with Party. Is it not right that there should be one
paper in England to maintain this position ? I do it honestly,
and from temperament. I mean my aim is honest, however
imperfect the attainment.
There is no cant in the ' Spectator,' no indecency, no impiety
—may I add no trash, and not much dulness. We have already
obtained, even from fastidious critics in high station, the sobri-
quet of the gentleman's paper, no bad distinction in these times.
You will observe it would be a mistake to consider the
' Spectator ' only as a literary periodical. It is a newspaper
and miscellany of general entertainment, and its criticisms on
literature, music, and the drama, together with the essays and
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