Marchioness of Abercorn to John Murray,

December 4, 1817.

“He returns Walpole, as he says since the age of fifteen he has read so much Grecian history and antiquity that he has these last ten years been sick of the subject.  He does not like Ellis’s account of ’The Embassy to China,’ [Footnote:  Ellis seems to have been made very uncomfortable by the publication of his book.  It was severely reviewed in the Times, where it was said that the account (then in the press) by Clark Abel, M.D., Principal Medical Officer and Naturalist to the Embassy, would be greatly superior.  On this Ellis wrote to Murray (October 19, 1817):  “An individual has seldom committed an act so detrimental to his interests as I have done in this unfortunate publication; and I shall be too happy when the lapse of time will allow of my utterly forgetting the occurrence.  I am already indifferent to literary criticism, and had almost forgotten Abel’s approaching competition.”  The work went through two editions.] but is pleased with Macleod’s [Footnote:  “Narrative of a Voyage in His Majesty’s late ship Alceste to the Yellow Sea, along the Coast of Corea, and through its numerous hitherto undiscovered Islands to the Island of Lewchew, with an Account of her Shipwreck in the Straits of Gaspar.”  By John MacLeod, surgeon of the Alceste.] narrative.  He bids me tell you to say the best and what is least obnoxious of the [former] book.  The composition and the narrative are so thoroughly wretched that he should be ashamed to let it stand in his library.  He will be obliged to you to send him Leyden’s ‘Africa.’  Leyden was a friend of his, and desired leave to dedicate to him while he lived.”

Mr. Murray, in his reply, deprecated the severity of the Marquess of Abercorn’s criticism on the work of Sir H. Ellis, who had done the best that he could on a subject of exceeding interest.

John Murray to Lady Abercorn.

“I am now printing Captain Hall’s account (he commanded the Lyra), and I will venture to assure your Ladyship that it is one of the most delightful books I ever read, and it is calculated to heal the wound inflicted by poor Ellis.  I believe I desired my people to send you Godwin’s novel, which is execrably bad.  But in most cases book readers must balance novelty against disappointment.

And in reply to a request for more books to replace those condemned or dull, he asks dryly: 

“Shall I withhold ‘Rob Roy’ and ‘Childe Harold’ from your ladyship until their merits have been ascertained?  Even if an indifferent book, it is something to be amongst the first to say that it is bad.  You will be alarmed, I fear, at having provoked so many reasons for sending you dull publications....  I am printing two short but very clever novels by poor Miss Austen, the author of ‘Pride and Prejudice.’  I send Leyden’s ‘Africa’ for Lord Abercorn, who will be glad to hear that the ’Life and Posthumous Writings’ will be ready soon.”