Publications of the Scottish History Society, Vol. 36 | Page 6

'_Relugas, near Forres, 7th June_ 1823.
'MY DEAR SIR WALTER,--Can you pardon me for thus troubling you,
in order to have my curiosity satisfied about our old friend Fountainhall,
whose work I gave you in July last. I hope you received the remainder
of the Manuscript in October from my agent, Mr. Macbean. If you can
spare time to say, in a single line, what is doing about him, you will
confer a great obligation, on yours very faithfully,
T.D. LAUDER.'
Sir Walter replied:--

'MY DEAR SIR,--We have not taken any steps about our venerable
friend and your predecessor, whose manuscript is lying safe in my
hands. Constable has been in London this long time, and is still there,
and Cadell does not seem willingly to embark in any enterprize of
consequence just now. We have set on foot a sort [of] Scottish
Roxburgh Club[16] here for publishing curiosities of Scottish
Literature, but Fountainhall would be a work rather too heavy for our
limited funds, although few can be concerned which would come more
legitimately under the purpose of our association, which is made in
order to rescue from the chance of destruction the documents most
essential to the history and literature of Scotland.
'We are having a meeting on the 4th July, when I will table the subject,
and if we possibly can assist in bringing out the worthy Judge in good
stile, we will be most ready to co-operate with your pious endeavours
to that effect. I should wish to hear from you before that time what you
would wish to be done in the matter respecting the size, number of the
impression, and so forth. Whatever lies in my limited power will be
gladly contributed by, dear sir, your very faithful servant,
'WALTER SCOTT. _'Castle Street, 18 June 1823.'_
[16] The Bannatyne Club was instituted on 15th February 1823. Its
object was to print works of the history, topography, poetry, and
miscellaneous literature of Scotland in former times. Sir Walter Scott
was president till his death. The Club's last meeting was in 1861, but
there were some publications till 1867.
And in answer to further inquiry he again wrote on 10th July 1823:--
'MY DEAR SIR THOMAS,--You are too easily alarmed about the fate
of your ancestors. I did not mean it would not be published--far less
that I would not do all in my power to advance the publication--but
only that the size and probable expense of the work, with the limited
sale for articles of literature only interesting to the Scottish Antiquaries,
rendered the Booksellers less willing to adopt the proposal than they
seemed at first. However I thought it as well to wait until Constable
himself came down from London, as I had only spoken with his partner,
and I have since seen him, and find him well disposed to the
undertaking. I told him I would give with the greatest pleasure any
assistance in my power in the way of historical illustration, and that I
concluded that you, to whom the work unquestionably belongs, would

contribute a life of the venerable Lawyer and some account of his
family. Mr. Thomson has promised to look through the Manuscript and
collate it with that of Mr. Maule, and is of opinion (as I am) that it
would be very desirable to retrench all the mere law questions which
are to be found in the printed folios. Indeed the Editors of those two
volumes had a purpose in view directly opposed to ours, for they
wished to omit historical and domestic anecdotes and give the law
cases as unmixed as possible, while it would be our object doubtless to
exclude the mere law questions in favour of the other. No doubt many
of the law cases are in themselves such singular examples of the state
of manners that it would be a pity not to retain them even although they
may be found in the printed copy because they are there mixed with so
much professional matter that general readers will not easily discover
them.
'The retrenching of the mere law will entirely advantage the general
sale of the work besides greatly reducing the expense, and in either
point of view it will make it a speculation more like to be advantageous.
I think Constable will be disposed to incur the expense of publishing at
his own risque, allowing you one half of the free profits which the
established mode of accounting amongst authors and booksellers
circumcises so closely that the sum netted by the author seldom
exceeds a 3'd or thereabout. But then you have no risque, and that is a
great matter. My experience does not encourage me to bid you expect
much profit upon an undertaking of this nature, in fact on any that I