m inclined to believe that the notorious and
brilliant Dr. Maginn was intended. He and Pott were both distinguished
for their "slogging" or bludgeoning articles, and both were High Tories,
or "Blue," as Mr. Pott had it. But what is most significant is that in
the very year Pickwick was coming out, to wit, 1836, Maginn had attracted
general attention and reprobation by the scandal of his duel with
Grantley Berkely, arising out of a most scurrilous review of the latter's
novel. To this meeting he had been brought with some difficulty--just as
Pott--the "Pot-valiant," declined to "serve him so," _i.e._, Slurk; being
restrained by the laws of his country. He was an assistant editor to the
"Standard," and had furnished scurrilites to the "John Bull." He had
about this time also obtained an influence over the interesting "L. E.
L.," whom John Forster, it is known, was "courting," and by some rumours
and machinations succeeded in breaking off the business. Now Forster and
Boz, at the time, were bosom friends--Forster could be unsparing enough
where he was injured: and how natural that his new friend should share
his enmities. Boz was always glad to gibbet a notorious public abuse,
and here was an opportunity. Maginn's friend, Kenealey, wrote to an
American, who was about to edit Maginn's writings, "You have a glorious
opportunity, where you have no fear of libel before your eyes. _Maginn's
best things can never be published till his victims have passed from the
scene_." How significant is this! Then Pott's "combining his
information," his "cramming" critic, his using the lore of the
Encyclopedia Britannica for his articles suggest Maginn's classical
lucubrations. A well-known eminent _Litterateur_, to whom I suggested
this view, objected that Pott is not shown to be such a blackguard as
Maginn, and that Maginn was not such an ass as Pott. But Boz generalised
his borrowed originals. Skimpole was taken from Leigh Hunt, yet was
represented as a sort of scoundrel; and Boz confessed that he only
adapted his lighter manner and airy characteristics.

In these latter days, people have been somewhat astonished by the strange
"freak" of our leading journal in so persistently offering and pressing
on the public their venture of a new edition of the Encyclopedia. Every
ingenious variation of bold advertisement is used to tempt the
purchaser--a sovereign down and time for the rest; actual pictures of the
whole series of volum