George Ticknor, Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor
George Hillard, Ed.

[162] young Spaniard, by name Gayangos, which I know Allen will propose, shall be accepted; and, if both these fail, that then the subject shall be given to Dunlop, the author of the ‘History of Fiction,’ who, I suppose, will do it as a sort of hack work, but of whom Napier feels sure. I was glad, however, to have it settled, for the book deserves all that any of its author's friends can do for it. Napier said it had been sent to him, but that he had not looked at it, and knew nothing about it; so that the whole of his kindly promptness was owing to the letters I brought him, which, to be sure, would carry as much weight with them as any in the Three Kingdoms.¹ . . . .

I asked Napier about Lockhart's Scott. He says he cannot review it, partly because Lockhart is editor of the ‘Quarterly,’ and partly because of the connections of the work on all sides in Edinburgh; but that it is full of prejudices and errors; that many persons in Scotland are much offended by it, the children and friends of the Ballantynes most justly so, etc.: much of which is no doubt true, and some is prejudice on Napier's part.

April 25.—I went to see my old friend Mrs. Grant.² I found her in comfortable quarters, and cheerful; . . . . but from age and its infirmities she is a fixture, unable to leave her chair without help. But she was as cheerful as she used to be, when she was twenty years younger, and had her children about her, of whom John only remains . . . . I was especially struck with the fresh admiration she expressed for Scott's memory . . . . . She is certainly a remarkable person.

I dined with Napier. It is not quite agreeable to go thus to ‘poor 39,’ and find it so altered; and when I was up stairs before dinner, I really felt more awkwardly and sad than I should have thought possible . . . . But there were pleasant people there; my old friend Thos. Thomson, grown a Benedict, but full of pleasant antiquarian and literary talk; Bell, the Professor of Civil Law; and Sir William Hamilton,³ the man of all knowledge and all learning. We talked about everything; among the rest of phrenology, which they treated with little ceremony, and spoke slightingly of Combe. Animal magnetism,