pier land than mine.
But for all I have given thee, beauty enough is thine.
As thou, aslant with trim tackle and shrouding,
From the proud nostril curve of a prow's line
In the offing scatterest foam, thy white sails crowding."

Though in all human probability I shall never be the first to burst into a
silent sea, I can declare quite seriously that I never steer into an
unfamiliar creek or haven but, as its recesses open, I can understand
something of the awe of the boat's crew in Andrew Marvell's "Bermudas;"
yes, and something of the exultation of the great Columbus himself!

In a later paper I may have to tell of these voyages and traffickings.
For the while I leave the reader to guess how and in what corner of the
coast I happened on the following pendant to Mr. Dobell's _trouvaille_.

It may not challenge comparison with Mr. Flinders Petrie's work in Egypt
or with Mr. Hogarth's Cretan explorations; but I say confidently that,
since Mr. Pickwick unearthed the famous inscribed stone, no more fortunate
or astonishing discovery has rewarded literary research upon our English
soil than the two letters which with no small pride I give to the world
this month.

Curiously enough, they concern Mr. Pickwick.

But, perhaps, by way of preface I shall remind the reader that the final
number of _Pickwick_ was issued in November, 1837. The first French
version--which Mr. Percy Fitzgerald justly calls 'a rude adaptation rather
than a translation'--appeared in 1838, and was entitled _Le Club de
Pickwickistes, Roman Comique, traduit librement de l'Anglais par Mdme.
Eugenie Giboyet_. With equal justice Mr. Fitzgerald complains
(_The History of Pickwick_, p. 276) that "the most fantastic tricks are
played with the text, most of the dialogue being left out and the whole
compressed into two small volumes." Yet, in fact, Mme. Giboyet (as will
appear) was more sinned against than sinning. Clearly she undertook to
translate the immortal novel in collaboration with a M. Alexandre D--',
and was driven by the author's disapproval to suppress M. D--'s share of
the work. The dates are sufficient evidence that this was done (as it no
doubt had to be done) in haste. I regret that my researches have yielded
no further information respecting this M. Alexandre D--'. The threat in
the second letter may or may not have been carried out. I am inclined to
hope that it was, feeling sure that the result, if ever di