mber was concluded by the first of
those _Roundabout Papers_ by Thackeray himself, which became so
delightful a portion of the literature of _The Cornhill Magazine_.

It would be out of my power, and hardly interesting, to give an entire
list of those who wrote for _The Cornhill_ under Thackeray's editorial
direction. But I may name a few, to show how strong was the support
which he received. Those who contributed to the first number I have
named. Among those who followed were Alfred Tennyson, Jacob Omnium, Lord
Houghton, William Russell, Mrs. Beecher Stowe, Mrs. Browning, Robert
Bell, George Augustus Sala, Mrs. Gaskell, James Hinton, Mary Howitt,
John Kaye, Charles Lever, Frederick Locker, Laurence Oliphant, John
Ruskin, Fitzjames Stephen, T. A. Trollope, Henry Thompson, Herman
Merivale, Adelaide Proctor, Matthew Arnold, the present Lord Lytton, and
Miss Thackeray, now Mrs. Ritchie. Thackeray continued the editorship for
two years and four months, namely, up to April, 1862; but, as all
readers will remember, he continued to write for it till he died, the
day before Christmas Day, in 1863. His last contribution was, I think, a
paper written for and published in the November number, called,
"_Strange to say on Club Paper_," in which he vindicated Lord Clyde from
the accusation of having taken the club stationery home with him. It was
not a great subject, for no one could or did believe that the
Field-Marshal had been guilty of any meanness; but the handling of it
has made it interesting, and his indignation has made it beautiful.

The magazine was a great success, but justice compels me to say that
Thackeray was not a good editor. As he would have been an indifferent
civil servant, an indifferent member of Parliament, so was he
perfunctory as an editor. It has sometimes been thought well to select a
popular literary man as an editor; first, because his name will attract,
and then with an idea that he who can write well himself will be a
competent judge of the writings of others. The first may sell a
magazine, but will hardly make it good; and the second will not avail
much, unless the editor so situated be patient enough to read what is
sent to him. Of a magazine editor it is required that he should be
patient, scrupulous, judicious, but above all things hard-hearted. I
think it may be doubted whether Thackeray did bring himself to read the
basketfuls of manuscripts with which he was deluged, but he probably
did, sooner