Once I took it into my head to collect and publish a page of adverse criticisms (if I can find a copy it shall be printed here) to excellent sale-effect as regarded my tales.  And I remember hearing at a publisher’s, that when a book didn’t sell through puffing, their Herald of Fame upstairs was directed to abuse it, and in one case a society novel by a lady of title was prosecuted (by management) for libel, in order to get off the edition.  That publishing-house used to advertise in “five figures”—­that is, upwards of L10,000 a year, and was professionally antagonistic to another, from which it had sprung originally.  The critical organs of the one house always used to run down the publications of the other.  And I daresay other Sosii are aware of the like mutual warfare going on even now.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

KINDNESS TO ANIMALS.

As to my several efforts in print to hinder cruelty to animals, beside and beyond what a reader may already find in my published books, let me chiefly mention these two fly-leaves, widely circulated by the Humane Society in Jermyn Street; to wit, “Mercy to Animals,” and my “Four anti-Vivisection Sonnets.”  The latter I must preface with an interesting anecdote.  Before Louis Napoleon was Emperor, I accompanied a deputation from Guernsey to Cherbourg, met him, had pleasant speech with him, and gave him a book ("Proverbial Philosophy"), thus making his personal acquaintance; which many years after I utilised as thus.  The horrors of that infernal veterinary torture-house at Alfort, where disabled cavalry horses were on system vivisected to death, had been known to us by letters in the Times, of course denouncing the criminality:  I remember reading that one poor old horse survived more than threescore operations, and used to be led in daily strapped with bandages and plaisters amid the cheers of the demoniacal students!—­and this excited me to make a strong personal effort to stop the outrages at Alfort.  Accordingly I wrote from Albury a letter to the Emperor (if I kept and can find a copy I will print it here) as from one gentleman to another fond of his horse and dog, exhorting him to interfere and hinder such horrors.  I told him that I purposely did this in a private way, and not through any newspaper or minister, because I wished him to cure, proprio motu, a crying evil whereof he was ignorant and therefore innocent:  leaving the issue of my appeal to his own generous feeling and to Providence, but otherwise not expecting nor requesting any reply.  I therefore got none; but (whether post hoc or propter hoc I do not know) the result was that vivisection at Alfort was suspended at once, though how long for is unknown to me.  As, after all this, many may like to see my four sonnets before-mentioned, I have no room to place here more than one:  it is fair to state that they are easily procurable for a penny at the S.P.C.A. office in Jermyn Street.  They were written by me in the train between Hereford and London, at the request of a lady, the chatelaine of Pontrilas Court, for a bazaar at Brighton.