A Publisher and His Friends | Page 7

1780 he wrote: "As the fleet sails this evening, and the schooner carries
20 guns, I hope the parcel will be in London in four or five days"; and
shortly afterwards: "I am sending you four parcels of books by the
Carran, which mounts 22 guns, and sails with the Glasgow of 20
guns." The reason of the Edinburgh books being conveyed to London
guarded by armed ships, was that war was then raging, and that Spain,
France, and Holland were united against England. The American
Colonies had also rebelled, and Paul Jones, holding their commission,
was hovering along the East Coast with three small ships of war and an
armed brigantine. It was therefore necessary to protect the goods
passing between Leith and London by armed convoys. Sometimes the
vessels on their return were quarantined for a time in Inverkeithing
Bay.
The first Mrs. Murray died, leaving her husband childless, and he
married again. By his second wife he had three sons and two daughters,
two of the sons, born in 1779 and 1781 respectively, died in infancy,

while the third, John, born in 1778, is the subject of this Memoir. In
1782 he writes to his friend the Rev. John Whitaker: "We have one son
and daughter, the son above four years, and the daughter above two
years, both healthy and good-natured."
In June 1782 Mr. Murray had a paralytic stroke, by which he, for a time,
lost the use of his left side, and though he shortly recovered, and
continued his work as before, he was aware of his dangerous position.
To a friend going to Madeira in September 1791 he wrote: "Whether
we shall ever meet again is a matter not easily determined. The stroke
by which I suffered in 1782 is only suspended; it will be repeated, and I
must fall in the contest."
In the meantime Mr. Murray made arrangements for the education of
his son. He was first sent for a year to the High School of Edinburgh.
While there he lived with Mr. Robert Kerr, author of several works on
Chemistry and Natural History, published by Mr. Murray. Having
passed a year in Edinburgh, the boy returned to London, and after a
time was sent to a school at Margate. There he seems to have made
some progress. To a friend Mr. Murray wrote: "He promises, I think, to
write well, although his master complains a little of his indolence,
which I am afraid he inherits from me. If he does not overcome it, it
will overcome him." In a later letter he said: "The school is not the best,
but the people are kind to him, and his health leaves no alternative. He
writes a good hand, is fond of figures, and is coming forward both in
Latin and French. Yet he inherits a spice of indolence, and is a little
impatient in his temper. His appearance--open, modest, and manly--is
much in his favour. He is grown a good deal, and left us for Margate
(after his holiday) as happy as could be expected."
In the course of the following year Mr. Murray sent the boy to a
well-known school at Gosport, kept by Dr. Burney, one of his old
Mends. Burney was a native of the North of Ireland, and had originally
been called MacBurney, but, like Murray, he dropped the Mac.
While at Dr. Burney's school, young Murray had the misfortune to lose
the sight of his right eye. The writing-master was holding his penknife
awkwardly in his hand, point downwards, and while the boy, who was

showing up an exercise, stooped to pick up the book which had fallen,
the blade ran into his eye and entirely destroyed the sight. To a friend
about to proceed to Gosport, Mr. Murray wrote: "Poor John has met
with a sad accident, which you will be too soon acquainted with when
you reach Gosport. His mother is yet ignorant of it, and I dare not tell
her."
Eventually the boy was brought to London for the purpose of
ascertaining whether something might be done by an oculist for the
restoration of his sight. But the cornea had been too deeply wounded;
the fluid of the eye had escaped; nothing could be done for his relief,
and he remained blind in that eye to the end of his life. [Footnote: Long
afterwards Chantrey the sculptor, who had suffered a similar
misfortune, exclaimed, "What! are you too a brother Cyclops?" but, as
the narrator of the story used to add, Mr. Murray could see better with
one eye than most people with two.] His father withdrew him from Dr.
Burney's school, and sent him in July 1793 to the Rev. Dr. Roberts, at
Loughborough House, Kennington. In committing him to the
schoolmaster's charge, Mr. Murray