ome, and I am anxious to introduce
him to Mr. C., who may not be long in town.

Mr. Constable and his friend accordingly dined with Murray, and that the
meeting was very pleasant may be inferred from Mr. Constable's letter of
a few days later, in which he wrote to Murray, "It made my heart glad to
be once more happy together as we were the other evening." The rest of
Mr. Constable's letter referred to Hume's Philosophical Writings, which
were tendered to Murray, but which he declined to publish.

Constable died two years later, John Ballantyne, Scott's partner, a few
years earlier; and Scott entered in his diary, "It is written that
nothing shall flourish under my shadow."

CHAPTER XXVI

SIR WALTER'S LAST YEARS

Owing to the intimate relations which were now established between
Murray and Lockhart, the correspondence is full of references to Sir
Walter Scott and to the last phases of his illustrious career.

Lockhart had often occasion to be at Abbotsford to see Sir Walter Scott,
who was then carrying on, single-handed, that terrible struggle with
adversity, which has never been equalled in the annals of literature.
His son-in-law went down in February 1827 to see him about further
articles, but wrote to Murray: "I fear we must not now expect Sir W.
S.'s assistance ere 'Napoleon' be out of hand." In the following month
of June Lockhart wrote from Portobello: "Sir W. Scott has got 'Napoleon'
out of his hands, and I have made arrangements for three or four
articles; and I think we may count for a paper of his every quarter."
Articles accordingly appeared from Sir Walter Scott on diverse subjects,
one in No. 71, June 1827, on the "Works of John Home "; another in No.
72, October 1827, on "Planting Waste Lands "; a third in No. 74, March
1828, on "Plantation and Landscape Gardening "; and a fourth in No. 76,
October 1828, on Sir H. Davy's "Salmonia, or Days of Fly-Fishing." The
last article was cordial and generous, like everything proceeding from
Sir Walter's pen. Lady Davy was greatly pleased with it. "It must always
be a proud and gratifying distinction," she said, "to have the name of
Sir Walter Scott associated with that of my husband in the review of
'Salmonia.' I am sure Sir Humphry will like his bairn the better for the
public opinion given of it by one whose immortality renders praise as
durable as it seems truly felt."

With respect to "Salmonia" the following anecdote may be mentioned, as
related