BYRON'S LETTERS TO DOUGLAS KINNAIRD ... - Get a Free Blog

78
P.S.
It is essential that I should have proofs of all the remaining cantos – and of “the Island” also – to
correct – and that soon – in {every} case. – I have ascertained from a young Man who was in
Galignani’s office at Paris – that D.J. is by far the most popular – so much so – that G. always prints
several hundred extra copies – of that only – in addition – when he makes a new edition of the
Whole works. If you mean to hint that the new C o ’s are inferior to the old – I say that they are equal –
and in parts superior – you recollect the {similarly} obliging and erroneous anticipation of worthy
friends about the 3 d . 4 th . and 5 th . – – – Henry Fox says you are quite alarmed about them – you certainly
were not so when you first received them. What
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has changed you I do not know – but this I know – that you seem to have got into the very thick of
Murray’s well known endeavour to destroy every publication of mine – which don’t pass through his
own medium. – The advice to postpone the publication till I had written a new Childe Harold
forsooth! – could only come from that quarter and I know it did – for the man gave out – that he
perhaps would condescend to publish that. – – –
Lady Blessington says you have been a little alarmed about “John Bull” ever since that paper attacked
you for becoming the Queen’s banker – are you afraid that he should do as much because you are my
friend? – If so – I will say in the preface that you did your best to suppress the publication – all that
remonstrance will ever obtain from me will be Canto on Canto as long as I can write – [crosswise on
right-hand side:] do you suppose that I was to sit down and suppress my free thoughts for the
Edinburgh or Quarterly? they may have enough of that – if I live to repay them. –
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2.) I have a word to say about “Werner” Murray pretends you say to have lost by it – how this is to be
reconciled with the sale of six thousand copies – he best knows – but the question is not the immediate
gain – but how far the eight and twenty copyright may be worth purchase – as it will always be united
with my other works. – – – –
If I go up into the Levant – and any accident happens – these fellows will be sorry enough not to have
purchased D.J. before – as it would bear a triple price {to the heirs} – as a last and posthumous
production. – – Murray had the baseness never even to thank me for giving to him the {French}
copyright for Galignani – which I sent to him gratuitously – refusing to avail myself of it for my own
advantage – by this he got some thousand francs – and found
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other arrangements with Galignani. – –
For the letter on Bowles – the Hebrew Melodies – the Ode to Nap n . 142 – and some other things of the
kind – he never advanced anything at all – for Manfred he gave but three hundred pounds – and now he
pretends to talk of losing! Why even the Liberal has paid its’ expenses & put something besides
(though no great deal) into Hunt’s pocket – with all the outcry against it. – – – –
I merely throw out these hints for your consideration – because win or lose – I shall publish the same –
the only question {is} why we need necessarily lose – or what there is to render it inevitable – you
yourself praised “Heaven and Earth” at first and said that every body did so – Since – you told J. Hunt
it was a failure; – – assuredly it has not been considered such from what I can hear. – – – – – –
Byron to Douglas Kinnaird, from Genoa, April 2nd 1823:
(Source: text from NLS Ms.43454; 1922 II 252-3; BLJ X 135-6)
[To The Honorable / Douglas Kinnaird. / Messrs Ransom & Co. Bankers. / Pall Mall. / London. /
Angleterre // Inghilterra]
A two-sided sheet.
Genoa. April 2 d . 1823.
Dear Douglas/
Y rs . of the 21 st . Ultm o . duly received. – I am glad of the arrival of the packets so far in
safety. – –
142: But Mu. paid 1,000 guineas for the Ode to Napoleon.