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NOTES 
 
 PROM THE 
 
 LETTERS OF THOMAS MOORE 
 
 TO HIS 
 
 MUSIC PUBLISHER, JAMES POWER, 
 
 (THE PUBLICATION OF WHICH WERE SUPPRESSED If» LONDON.) 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTORY LETTER FROM 
 
 THOMAS CEOFTON jjEOKEE, ESQ., F.S.A, 
 
 OF LONDON, 
 
 MEMBER OF THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY. 
 ETC. ETC. ETC. 
 
 REDFIELD: 
 
 110 AND 112, NASSAU STREET, 
 NEW YORK. 
 

INTRODUCTORY LETTER 
 
 FROM 
 
 T. CROFTON CROKER, ESQ. 
 
 3, Gloucester Road, Old Brompton, 
 London, 8th March, 1854. 
 
 To J. S. Redfield, Esa. 
 
 110, Nassau Street, New York. 
 
 Dear Sir : — I have to thank you for your courtesy in forward- 
 ing to me the sheets of " Notes from the Letters of Thomas 
 Moore to his Music Publisher, James Power," which, having been 
 suppressed in this country, were purchased by you for publica- 
 tion in America, and requesting to know, with reference to myself, 
 whether there is any thing I would wish to have altered or 
 cancelled therein. 
 
 Whoever the editor may be, I will presume to make no correc- 
 tions upon what he is pleased to state respecting myself ; there is 
 indeed little or nothing on my part to object to, except that matters 
 of such small moment as those in which I am named should be 
 thought worthy of being recalled to memory : and I only beg to 
 observe that at p. 81, the woodcut given was from a drawing by my 
 friend William Henry Brooke, although I certainly did design the 
 engraved title-page of the 8th number of the Irish Melodies — a 
 group of antiquarian objects surmounted by an Irish harp ; to which 
 Moore refers. However, "violently," as you observe, the Right 
 Honorable John Wilson Croker remonstrated in the Times of 30th 
 January last against Lord John Russell's " spitefulness," I have 
 nothing whatever to do with their literary or political differences, 
 although Mr. Wilson Croker is an old and valued friend of mine. 
 I will therefore proceed, to the best of my humble ability, to 
 reply calmly to your questions ; and if I should exceed the ordi- 
 
IV INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 nary limits of a letter, I trust to your indulgence to pardon my 
 tediousness. 
 
 Thomas Moore — about whom I need not say one word here, as 
 a poet — died on the 26th February, 1852, and for some time pre- 
 vious to his death, it was no secret that, like Swift, Scott and Sou- 
 they, his mental faculties had been gone. It was also generally 
 known that for some years previous to the failure of his memory 
 he was in the habit of keeping a journal and of writing notes, with 
 the view of leaving behind him materials for a Biography, as a 
 provision for his widow. But who the editor of that Biography 
 was to have been did not exactly trauspire until the promulgation 
 of the poet's will, written in 1828, in which Lord John Russell 
 was named. A " task" which his Lordship, in compliance with his 
 promise, nobly undertook. How he has accomplished it is another 
 question ; nor have I any thing to do with American opinions 
 respecting Viscount Mahon or Lord John Russell as- historians, 
 whatever my own opinion may be. 
 
 It had been a curious practice with Moore to ask various people 
 to write a posthumous Memoir of him. He certainly did so to 
 Viscount Strangford in 1806, to myself in 1819, and I have been 
 well assured, to others subsequently. Among them, the late Mr. 
 Moran, the sub-editor of the Globe newspaper, who in conse- 
 quence formed extensive but not very important collections chiefly 
 of newspaper-cuttings for the purpose. On the 25th April, 1837, 
 Moore visited Moran, and on the following clay the latter thus wrote 
 to me — " Moore was particularly pleased with my annotated copy 
 of his works, saying, ' Well, it is something to have a commentator, 
 and a friendly one too, while one is alive.' He also obtained a 
 promise that I was to let him have the use of my collection for a 
 posthumous work which he contemplates, and which I hope the 
 public will long lack the sight of. I gave him a hint of your 
 treasures, of which also— i. e. of their existence — he seemed well 
 aware." 
 
 The connection which had existed between the late Mr. Power, 
 the publisher of Moore's most popular work, the Irish Melodies, 
 from the year 1S06 to Mr. Power's death in 1S36, with a short 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. V 
 
 interval of estrangement in 1832-3, always induced me to regard 
 the collection of Moore's letters to him, which he had carefully 
 preserved, as perhaps the most important series of documents for 
 the poet's biography ; and that they are "irretrievably dispersed," 
 to use the words of your advertisement, " has been and still is a 
 matter of regret," which however adds considerably to the value 
 of your book. 
 
 The widow of Mr. Power died on the 1/th July, 1850 ; and by 
 her these letters, manuscript music, the musical copyright of the 
 Irish Melodies and other works, were bequeathed to her unmarried 
 daughters. 
 
 Some months afterwards, in conversation with the Misses Power, 
 I offered to assist them in arranging this mass of letters ; and as it 
 appeared to me that many of them might be required for publica- 
 tion, and that a certain value attached to the originals as autographs, 
 I recommended them to prepare transcripts to be ready when 
 wanted, as the doing so would be a work of time and labour, and 
 the state of Moore's mind and health had then removed all delicacy 
 of feeling on the subject. I observed to these ladies, who were 
 perfectly aware of the fact, that Moore was then dead to the 
 world ; and that in whatever shape a Memoir of him was to appear 
 upon his bodily demise, or whoever was to be the editor of his Jour- 
 nal, the most interesting letters would probably be selected for 
 publication, and if not copied, might in passing through the press 
 be either injured or destroyed. For many months did these ladies 
 assiduously transcribe the letters in their possession, to the amount 
 of about twelve hundred, which had been addressed by the poet 
 Moore to their late father. And if, as Mr. Bentley (the eminent 
 London publisher) told me, he was prepared to offer to Mrs. Moore 
 £4000 for her late husband's papers, as the foundation for his 
 Biography, I had no hesitation in expressing to the Misses Power 
 my conviction that, in the same ratio, the collection of letters in 
 their possession could not be worth less than j6*500, for the same 
 purpose. 
 
 On the 25th May, 1852, 1 was informed that Lord John Russell 
 had advised the acceptance of an offer made by Messrs. Longman 
 
VI INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 & Co., on condition of his Lordship undertaking to be the editor 
 of Mr. Moore's papers, and the sum offered for which, (stated to 
 have been £3000,) "with," adds Lord John Russell, "the small 
 pension allowed by the crown," (£ 1 00 per annum,) " would enable 
 Mrs. Moore to enjoy for the remainder of her life the moderate 
 income which had latterly been the extent and limit of the yearly 
 family expenditure.' , 
 
 From copies of about twelve hundred letters, forwarded at Mrs. 
 Moore's request, for Lord John Russell's information, fifty-seven 
 only, as you correctly state in the advertisement, were selected and 
 published by his Lordship, many with omissions, which I observe 
 your editor has supplied. The copies of Moore's letters to Mr. 
 Power, subsequent to 1818, were returned to his daughters with a 
 few unnecessary blottings. All the original letters were then 
 placed in my hands ; and after having carefully read them over 
 and weeded them, to the best of my judgment, of letters con- 
 taining offensive personalities, I had no hesitation in recommending 
 their sale as autographs, with the view to a pecuniary division 
 of property between two sisters. Some good judges estimating the 
 value of a letter at sixpence, others being of opinion that five 
 shillings each would be a fair average price, there was no other 
 way of testing this difference of valuation than in determining the 
 question by public sale. 
 
 Accordingly, one thousand original letters and notes from 
 Thomas Moore to Mr. Power, were sold " by Messrs. Puttick & 
 Simpson, auctioneers of literary property, at their great room, 191, 
 Piccadilly, on Thursday, June 23, 1853, and the following day." 
 Their catalogue, which is now not to be procured, although eagerly 
 sought after, appears to have been the foundation of your volume, 
 and is very properly acknowledged as such. The additions made 
 by the editor, and pointed out in the advertisement, add con- 
 siderably to the interest of the work. Personally I cannot but 
 feel highly flattered at the manner in which Mr. Moore is pleased 
 to regard me in his conversation with my late valued friend, John 
 O'Driscol. 
 
 The British public seem to have read with regret " the Memoirs, 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. VH 
 
 Journal and Correspondence of Thomas Moore, edited by the 
 Right Honorable Lord John Russell," and complaints have been 
 made of many painful and unfair paragraphs having been allowed 
 to appear. Moore's autobiography of his boyhood, full of childish 
 reminiscences, has been printed by the noble editor of the poet's 
 remains without any attempt to explain or illustrate it. From 
 documentary evidence, which could easily have been procured, it 
 can be shown to be most unsatisfactory and deceptive — to use no 
 harsher word, — which however may be applied to the narrative of 
 Moore's foolish duel with Jeffrey in 1806, 
 
 " When Little's leadless pistol met the eye." 
 
 Four hundred carelessly arranged and not very judiciously se- 
 lected letters, ranging in date from January, 1793, to 8th No- 
 vember, 1818, follow this autobiographical fragment, among which 
 letters is wedged in the account of this memorable duel ; and upon 
 the whole, about twenty editorial notes, some of one word only, 
 occur — perhaps altogether they may make forty lines, and are of 
 little or no consequence. Moore's Diary follows, commencing on 
 the 18th August, 1818, and occupies four 8vo. volumes and a half, 
 terminating at an exceedingly odd date — not the close of the year 
 1833, but the 31st October, 1833, for as odd a reason, because, 
 " having reached a period of only twenty years from the present 
 time," (i. e., the precise date on which the sixth volume* was com- 
 mitted to the press,) the remaining portion of materials are to be 
 employed with more reserve ; and announcing what the public had 
 already discovered, that "the constant repetition of daily engage- 
 ments becomes at length wearisome." Had these thoughts before 
 occurred to the unreflecting editor of Moore's Diary, they might 
 have saved some pangs to parties still living, who have been most 
 wantonly assailed, and have judiciously reduced the length of 
 admitted weariness to the reader. 
 
 The passages which occur in Volume VI., and to which you call 
 my attention, with reference to Mr. Power, are indeed not only 
 painful and unfair, but the introduction of * * * twice over 
 * The volumes referred to are those of the London edition. 
 
viii INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 furnishes inuendoes against the character of Moore's early patron 
 and friend, which, even if true, should not have been allowed to 
 appear ; and therefore the singular termination of the poet's Diary 
 requires, as you observe, some explanation, as in this very gap of 
 two months— November and December, 1833— was Mr. Power's 
 conduct (of which Mr. Moore complains so strongly, and against 
 which Lord John Russell allows insinuations to appear) most com- 
 pletely and triumphantly vindicated. Why then close the Diary 
 on the 31st of October, leaving a slur upon Mr. Power's name, 
 which would not have been the case if the Diary had been conti- 
 nued to the 31st December, and there was any truthfulness in it ? 
 
 Your advertisement has echoed the popular soubriquet of 
 "Honest James Power ;" and it will be for Lord John Russell to 
 explain, if he can, why, after having published Moore's unfounded, 
 pettish, and then virulent attacks upon his music publisher, he has 
 not the moral courage to avow himself that they are unjust. And 
 that publishers of Messrs. Longman's reputation, to whom the 
 transaction must have been well known, could have lent themselves 
 to the promulgation of a garbled statement, in deference to the 
 judgment of any noble Lord, I confess, to me, is both matter of 
 surprise and grief. Let them, however, to use the quaint phrase 
 of their editor, enjoy the pleasure of " safe malignity" against the 
 memory of a brother tradesman, who, when alive, was courted by 
 them. 
 
 In what I am about to state to you, in compliance with your 
 request, truth and justice shall be my only guides towards the 
 graves of departed individuals, where, I had hoped, all differences 
 of opinion would have been allowed to repose, respecting a ques- 
 tion of mere worldly dross. But as this has not been the case, 
 the feelings of the resurrectionist who revives such memories 
 must not be shocked at learning that the recollection of a father 
 may be as dear to his children as the memory of a husband to his 
 widow. 
 
 If I mistake not, the semi-musical, semi-literary connection 
 between the late Thomas Moore and James Power (the publisher 
 of Moore's Irish Melodies) existed for thirty years. It com- 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. IX 
 
 menced so far back as 1806, and the first number of that national 
 work appeared in Dublin, in 1^07. The copyright of that number 
 was purchased from Mr. Moore for £50 ; and so successful did 
 the speculation prove to be, that Mr. Power and his brother soon 
 afterwards entered into an agreement to pay Mr. Moore .£500 per 
 annum, for seven years, to produce in each year another number 
 of the Irish Melodies, with a few single songs in addition. The 
 particulars which led to the temporary rupture between Mr. 
 Power, after upwards of twenty-five years of the closest professed 
 friendship on Moore's part, are well known to me. Power once 
 said to me, after receiving an insulting letter from Moore — some- 
 what irritated by its tone — "By G — , Mr. Croker, I am his 
 banker, bill-acceptor, and fish-agent — letter-carrier, hotel-keeper, 
 and publisher, and now he wants to make me his shoeblack. " 
 
 Certainly, the impression conveyed by Lord John Russell's 
 publication is not only an ungrateful return on the part of Moore 
 towards his steady and constant benefactor, but it is equally erro- 
 neous as to facts. It may be pleaded that a poet is not always 
 bound to adhere to those e very-day common-place matters which 
 form the regular occupation of the mere man of business ; how- 
 ever, as I have been nearly all my life more of the latter than the 
 former, and, as I have stated, had opportunities of knowing the 
 details of this matter, in justice to the memory of Mr. Power, 
 (and without communication with any of his family,) I feel it to 
 be my duty at once to contradict to you the statements left on 
 record by Mr. Moore, and it cannot be advanced, unguardedly 
 published by Lord John Russell, who, as your editor is perfectly 
 correct in stating, had the means afforded to him of testing facts, 
 which his Lordship has only done by making serious omissions 
 on the one side of the question. 
 
 The circumstances to which I particularly refer, are briefly 
 these : Moore having allowed the pecuniary debt due by him to 
 Mr. Power, on the 1st of January, 1820, of half a crown, or 2s 6d, 
 to creep up on the 1st of January, 1829, to the no inconsiderable 
 sum to a tradesman, of 5b'1665 13s Id, for which advances I 
 believe Mr. Power never charged him interest, and for security, 
 
X INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 held no other than the brains of the poet — Moore having reduced 
 this large balance due to Mr. Power, in 1832, by about a£1000, 
 suddenly wished to come to town for a settlement of his accounts. 
 On the 27th Moore called on his music publisher. It was the 
 morning after Moore's arrival in London; and on the 31st, as 
 usual, made a convenience of Power's house by dining there, re- 
 turning to supper, and leaving his son to sleep there. On the 
 5th April, Moore thus records in his diary : 
 
 " To Power's : having been urging him for my account ; in- 
 deed, had written before I came to town to say that one of the 
 chief objects of my coming was to see how our long-standing ac- 
 counts stood, but he seems nervous and shy upon the subject." 
 
 Now it may be safely asserted that no such letter was ever 
 written by Moore to Power, from the perfect sequence of six let- 
 ters written by the former in March, and all at present before me. 
 Moore writes in his Diary between the 1st and 24th March : 
 
 " Meant to have timed my visit to town (the chief object of 
 which is the settlement of my accounts with Power) so as to be in 
 town to attend St. Patrick's dinner." 
 
 And that was his true object, and then and there to have an- 
 nounced himself as the candidate for the representation of Lime- 
 rick, as appears by Moore's letter to Power of 14th March : 
 
 " I have had no formal requisition yet from Limerick, but I 
 rather think they mean to tempt me. What they propose is, a 
 subscription among the women of Ireland for the purpose, which 
 would certainly be a very pretty way of doing the thing." 
 
 Here it should be observed, that Mr. Power had not then 
 received Mr. (now Sir Henry R.) Bishop's account for musical 
 arrangement, part of which had to be- charged against Mr. Moore. 
 This, Mr. Power distinctly told Mr. Moore in my presence, on the 
 5th April, saying at the same time : " I fear, Mr. Moore, it may 
 be more than either of us expect." Moore observed, that he did 
 not care much about that, and inquired what was something like 
 the actual amount of his debt 1 Mr. Power's reply was : ' k Why, 
 I should say something about <£500." Moose's light-hearted 
 remark was, " I can soon arrange that." And Mr. Power's re- 
 spectful comment, " Certainly, Mr. Moore, when you please." 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XI 
 
 There had evidently been a misunderstanding of some kind 
 between Mr. Power and Moore, before this meeting at which I 
 was present, for on seeing Moore come into his shop, Mr. Power 
 said to me in the back counting-house, where I happened to be 
 chatting with him : "Don't go, Mr. Croker ; you may as well 
 hear all about this bubble Limerick affair" — referring to Moore's 
 letter of the 14th March ; and I know that Mr. Power considered 
 it to be a very silly speculation on Moore's part, and that if 
 he entered Parliament, his mind would be taken off from literary 
 employment, which would probably plunge him into irretrievable 
 difficulties. 
 
 On the 29th, or in about three weeks after this conversation upon 
 the account current between them, which extended over the space 
 of fourteen years, (from 1818 to 1832,) Moore chronicles in his 
 Diary that he received these long-standing accounts from Mr. 
 Power ; but he adds — 
 
 " Being busy, however, did not look into them till— 
 
 11 May 1st. — Glanced my eye hastily over the balance against 
 me, [which it may be stated, was <g£534 : : 10,] and was some- 
 what startled by its amount ; but on looking through some of the 
 items, saw such regularity and (as I thought) fairness in them, 
 that I concluded all was right, and wrote to Power to say so, 
 adding in my simplicity, that I flattered myself, never were ac- 
 counts of so long a standing settled so smoothly and amicably as 
 ours would be." 
 
 The actual words of Mr, Moore's letter of 2d May, 1832, to 
 Mr. Power, are — 
 
 " The state of our account is pretty much what I expected, 
 and nothing could be kept more correctly and regularly ; though 
 I knew the balance would be about what it is, the sight of it in 
 figures startles me ; I must, however, work to get it down." 
 
 The entries made in Moore's Diary under date 4th and fith 
 May, contain serious charges against Power, and what is infinitely 
 worse, a suppressed passage indicated by * * * from the 
 Editor, (who thereby, not having been over-scrupulous about 
 what he had before published,) leaves the worst to the imagi- 
 nation. It is necessary for me to quote the passages at length, 
 
XU INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 with a view to their perfect refutation, except where no clue has 
 been afforded to what Moore might have called " the starry mind" 
 of his Editor ; for poor Moore had long before sent his good 
 genius (typified by the common sense of Power) wandering 
 upon a moonlight night, to get on as well as he could. Pro- 
 phetically did Moore write of his evil genius, who plunges into 
 the torrent as he 
 
 — " idly gazed 
 
 On each night- cloud o'er him : 
 While I touch the string, 
 
 Wreathe my brows with laurel ; 
 For the tale I sing 
 
 Has, for once, a moral." 
 
 Which moral should be, in my opinion, the correction of the wish 
 expressed in Moore's Diary, (vol. ii. p. 151,) that "every literary 
 man would write his own memoirs," into, " I wish no literary man 
 would write his own memoirs, and in an evil hour leave it in the 
 power of genius to unmask his character and destroy all respect 
 for it" Sooner let such cold-hearted genius shiver and perish on 
 the muddy bank of the stream of Time. 
 
 "May 4<th. — Took the opportunity of a leisure moment to look 
 more accurately over Power's accounts, and found, to my con- 
 sideration, that they are any thing but what I had supposed. 
 . . Wrote to him that in looking over his accounts, I had found 
 what must, I thought, be a mistake ; namely, his charges against 
 me during several years for the (.£125) of an annuity which, it 
 appears, he paid to Mr. Bishop, and the whole of the large sums 
 charged by Mr. Bishop for the compositions and arrangements to 
 my songs ; that it was very true I had assented to a deduction of 
 ^650 annually from the 36500 that had been for some years paid 
 to me, as an aid towards defraying the expense of the composer, 
 but that I had never, by word or writing, consented to any fur- 
 ther reduction of my stipulated annuity, nor had he himself ever 
 even hinted to me his intention of making such a reduction, and 
 therefore his bringing such charges against me now must be an 
 entire mistake." 
 
 " 6th. — A smooth answer from Power, saying that it was no 
 mistake ; that having informed me at the time what was the an- 
 nuity he was about to give Bishop, he ' concluded ' that I would 
 not consider it too much to pay the half of it. ' Concluded ' 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. Xlll 
 
 indeed ! Not the slightest notice does he take of the actual fact 
 that I never assented, in word or writing, to any other reduction 
 of my annuity than 5850, which was agreed on between us. In- 
 stead of which, he has now mounted up charges little short of 
 .£150 toae'2u0 each year." 
 
 This assertion on the part of Moore is not correct. While he 
 declaims like Shylock, " I will have my bond, " Mr. Power mod- 
 estly pleads " lex Mercatoris" — established custom and "silence 
 gives consent." 
 
 The facts may be briefly summed up. Moore, after fourteen 
 years of procrastination in facing pecuniary difficulties, through 
 which Power helped him to flounder creditably, takes courage to 
 look into them, after three days' consideration. He then fancies 
 that he discovers an improper charge in the long standing over 
 accounts, by an annual payment made to Bishop for doing what 
 Moore himself was unable to perform, or at least did not do ; 
 namely, the arrangement of the symphonies and accompani- 
 ments to his words and preparing the music for press. Upon all 
 these points, Moore was exceedingly particular. 
 
 On the 6th, or in due course, Moore receives a "common sense" 
 letter — what he calls "a smooth answer from Power," saying 
 that there was no mistake in his accounts. Nor was there any. 
 At which Moore, who further fancies himself seated as M. P. for 
 Limerick, with a landed qualification from the beautiful lips of 
 Ireland, becomes indignant, and directly changes his tone of 
 address towards a tradesman in the Strand from " My dear Sir " 
 into " Dear Sir." 
 
 From May to October, a correspondence occurs between Moore 
 and Mr. Power which I have been permitted to see — at least, the 
 letters of the former. It is not of an agreeable character, as 
 Moore appears to identify him with his hero, Tom Cribb, and 
 commences sparring at Power and his (common-sense genius's) 
 power over a literary man, whose head has been turned by the 
 offer of s£500 a year from Marryat, (Memoirs, vol. vi. p. 275) 
 and a thousand guineas from Harding, (vol. v. p. 269,) not ten 
 weeks previously, with the prospect of writing M. P. after his 
 
XIV INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 name as representative of indignant " Limerick of the treaty " or 
 " Cashel of Munster." Let me pass over all this as briefly as 
 possible ; which might have turned astray from the path of honor 
 and duty a less imaginative head than was elevated by nature or 
 education upon the shoulders of Thomas Moore. 
 
 Moore candidly acknowledges that he is by no means insensible 
 to Mr. Power's courtesies "in not pressing rigidly the ' due per- 
 formance' of our deed." " But allow me," he proceeds, " to remind 
 you that I have so far gone beyond what I engaged to perform, 
 as in two instances, instead of confining myself to the stipulated 
 number of songs, to have given you poems of considerable length, 
 [alluding to the " Summer Fete" and " Evenings in Greece,"] 
 which, whatever may be the success or failure of the name con- 
 nected with them, will, as you well know, be property, as literary 
 works, so long as any thing I have ever written shall endure." 
 
 What a specimen of a head inflated with the intoxicating gas 
 of vanity! and so "up it goes," soaring through a cloud of 
 mystification in the following passage, to the eyes of any reason- 
 able publisher of modern times, who at this period was sustaining 
 heavy losses by the publication of Mr. Moore's works. In fact, 
 to nearly such an extent had Mr. Power experienced losses 
 through Mr. Moore's reckless conduct, that Power, after he him- 
 self had put up the shutters of his shop in the Strand, lamented 
 to me Mr. Moore's speculative ideas, and said (literally tc with 
 tears in his eyes," to use Moore's words,) that he feared 
 he should be ruined by them. He only desired to have more 
 Irish Melodies, which he could sell, and not poetry, brought out 
 in an expensive form which remained on his shelves. " For," said 
 he, " ' Butterfly Balls,' like the ' Summer Fete ' and slow ' Even- 
 ings in Greece,' are heavy works to publish with scarcely an 
 expectation of the expense of the production being repaid. I do 
 not want such literary efforts. I want Irish Melodies or simple 
 ballads, (like the Woodpecker Tapping or Canadian Boat Song) 
 which will sell and leave me a profit to enable me to pay Mr. 
 Moore his annuity under our deed." These were Mr. Power's 
 words ; how different was Moore's estimate of his own value in 
 t>ie market ! 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XV 
 
 " Had you," he writes, " taken into consideration this extra 
 effort of mine, and added to my remuneration [what charming 
 simplicity !] in consequence, I should undoubtedly have thought 
 such an act liberal ; but from the language I have always heard 
 you hold on such points, I should not have been surprised at it. 
 When, on the contrary, however, I find the very reverse of all 
 this has taken place — when I find that, knowing as you do the 
 sums of money 1 can command for my writings, and that I have 
 at this very moment the offer of a thousand pounds for a poem 
 not longer than the Summer Fete— when I see that, knowing all 
 this, you yet think it ' equitable' to reduce by charges (none of 
 them before announced or specified to me) the sum that in bare 
 justice I should have had for the poems, to a pittance of not so 
 much as four hundred pounds each — I confess that I am sur- 
 prised, and that a new view of your notions of ' equitableness' 
 breaks in upon me, of which I had before no conception. In 
 truth, you could not have had a stronger proof of my entire 
 reliance on your fairness, than my writing off to say I was per- 
 fectly satisfied with your account, when I had not, I am ashamed 
 to say, done more than glance at a few items of it." 
 
 Moore, having worked himself up into a heat, determines to 
 come down from his elevation as coolly as he can, practically 
 illustrating Curran's famous joke about Kouli Khan, after having 
 spoiled in his Diary some of Curran's best Irish pleasantries with 
 those of other wits, which the honourable editor considers not only 
 worthy of being retained, but of explanation ! 
 
 " As I have here," concludes Mr. Moore to Mr. Power, 
 " stated to you quietly all that I think on this matter, (what I 
 feel would take far other language to express it,) this is the last 
 letter I shall think it necessary to write on the subject. I shall 
 proceed, at my leisure, to finish such things as are incomplete; 
 and shall forward them to you as I do them. 
 
 " Yours truly, Thomas Moore." 
 
 The extracts from this letter appear to be very cool indeed m 
 " Proceed at my leisure" to pay off a debt of a thousand pounds 
 to a tradesman, who holds no security for the fulfilment of the 
 promise ! In the first place, Mr. Power did not want from Mr. 
 Moore long poems elaborately constructed. He wanted only 
 simple melodies, or ballads, likely to become popular. For the 
 former he had, comparatively speaking, no sale ; for the latter, 
 
XVI INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 an extensive one ; perhaps at the time, the most extensive sale for 
 works of this class of any music publisher in London. A single 
 song, if it became popular, was a property ; if a failure, or it did 
 not sell, a loss of no great consequence ; but Moore, who from 
 his cradle to his grave was an actor, felt ambitious that he or his 
 work should monopolize the attention of an audience for a whole 
 evening, and hence the operatic construction of his " Summer 
 Fete," and " Evenings in Greece," intended for the drawing- 
 room. But he forgot to inquire where the actors were to be 
 found in private circles, whose performance, after being once 
 or twice listened to with indulgence, any intellectual drawing- 
 room assembly would for hours endure the repetition of. The 
 sale of both works was consequently limited, and the production 
 of Mr. Moore's long poems connected with music, however he 
 might have estimated their value, proved to be anything but of 
 advantage to the publisher. 
 
 Moore has the grace to acknowledge Mr. Power's forbearance 
 with respect to " our deed." He then proceeds, without further 
 reference to the matter, to laud his own liberality, by which Mr. 
 Power was so serious a loser, and therefore asks — indeed, nearly 
 demands — an increase of pay upon what already must be con- 
 sidered a most liberal stipend. This is cool. Moore next goes 
 on to insult Mr. Power by the mention of a " pittance" of not so 
 much as s6800 for superfluous matter under " our deed," by 
 which no superfluous matter was required, and being then in Mr. 
 Power's debt upwards of £500 under that deed. Now, for the 
 cool finale : Moore winds up by a statement to his best benefactor 
 and steady friend in his difficulties and emergencies, that he shall 
 proceed at leisure to pay off this little debt, by completing work 
 that ought to have been long before performed and delivered. 
 The bad taste, and worse feeling, of ingratitude displayed in this 
 letter, attempting to vindicate a breach of contract, or rather 
 breaches of contract, require no comment here. 
 
 So long previous to this as the 26th November, 1818, Moore 
 mentions in his Diary " having called upon Power, and mustered 
 up courage enough to tell him that I could not take less than the 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XVII 
 
 clear £500 a year in our future agreement, without any deduc- 
 tions, such as had been made before for the arrangement of my 
 music; left him to consider of it." And so was off for Holland 
 House. On the 24th January, 1819, Power arrives at Sloperton 
 Cottage, and acquaints Moore that Bishop is the person he thinks 
 of for arranging Moore's music in future, who, next to Stevenson, 
 Moore prefers. On the following morning they enter into the 
 business of the renewal of their agreement. 
 
 " He [Power] at first did not seem quite willing to consent to 
 giving the full 5g500 a year, but expressed something like a hope 
 that 1 would contribute towards paying the arranger of the music. 
 However, on my saying it would be better, perhaps, to let the 
 whole matter lie over till some other time, he professed himself 
 quite ready to come into my terms. I accordingly signed the 
 draught of a deed he had brought with him for a clear £500, 
 and then told him he might be very sure I would not allow it to 
 press heavily upon him ; as, though I wished to gain my point of 
 having the round sum of £500, (without the deduction of £50, 
 which he had before made for arranging,) yet if he found Bishop's 
 terms for undertaking the musical part at all extravagant, I should 
 not be backward in giving my former share towards the expense.* 
 Two or three things he said during our conversation annoyed me 
 a good deal : among others, when I proposed that, if he felt any 
 dislike to a renewal of the agreement (which I was not at all anxious 
 for), I might remain free, and merely give him the preference in 
 the purchase of anything I wrote, he said : ' You know, as to that, 
 I might constrain you to give them to me, as I have your promise 
 in one of your letters to go on to a tenth number of "Irish Melo- 
 dies" with me/ This readiness to take advantage of a mere 
 castle-building promise, made in the confidential carelessness of a 
 letter, did not look well ; however, upon my saying as much, he 
 disclaimed all such intention, and said I should never find him 
 other than he had been." 
 
 Here Moore records the most perfect justification of Mr. 
 Power's conduct that can be conceived, and stultifies himself sub- 
 sequently. 
 
 Moore being aware that Power was particularly anxious to have, 
 
 * Viz. : half. Sir John Stevenson's charge was £100. Sir Henry R. 
 Bishop's, £250. 
 
XV1U INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 instead of unsaleable songs or poetry, the final or tenth number 
 of the Irish Melodies, which the poet had most unjustifiably 
 withheld, on the plea of the want of suitable airs, for no less than 
 twelve years (1818-1830), having acknowledged in a note upon 
 the advertisement to the seventh number of that national work, 
 the receipt from myself alone of nearly " forty ancient airs," — to 
 some of which he has written words, as have also Lover and"Bayley, 
 most acceptably, and feeling that his former letter had not induced 
 " Honest James Power" to alter his accounts, assumes another 
 attitude, and threatens again, on the 1st August, 1832, in a change 
 of tone : 
 
 " With respect to a future number (or numbers, for my stock 
 of airs is now considerable) of Irish Melodies, it will be time 
 enough to talk on that subject when our present accounts are 
 settled to my satisfaction." 
 
 And the speculative character of Moore referred to, is illustrated 
 by the following P.S. to his letter : 
 
 " Among the things I left in your hands in contemplation of a 
 Miscellany, (now long since given up,) there are, I believe, two 
 or three translations from Catullus which I wish you to send me." 
 
 Mr. Power in a feeling of conscious rectitude, stood firm to his 
 accounts. And so Moore's tone becomes more subdued. On the 
 20th of August, when returning some proof-sheets, he writes to 
 Mr. Power : 
 
 " We shall be very glad to see you whenever you may find it 
 convenient to come : but I must repeat that until the very extra- 
 ordinary* account you have made out against me shall have been 
 settled between us, my agreeing to undertake any new work for 
 you is wholly out of the question. Your note leads me to hope 
 that a satisfactory settlement will take place, in which case you 
 will find me most ready to resume a connection, the interruption 
 of which has, I feel, arisen from no fault or default of mine." 
 
 It is quite unnecessary to pursue this correspondence further, 
 or to comment upon the last sentence quoted as coming from the 
 pen of one who had been, whether owing to his own fault or the 
 fault of others, a defaulter throughout the greater portion of his 
 life. That unjust feelings of hostility were rankling against Mr. 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XIX 
 
 Power in the breast of Moore, is evident from his Diary, as most 
 inexcusably published by Lord John Russell, to whom the oppor- 
 tunity of knowing all the circumstances of the case had been 
 afforded. 
 
 In the October subsequent to August, 1832, Moore came to 
 London, where, after nearly a week's disporting himself, he falls 
 in with the poet Campbell, and takes him as a kind of witness to 
 call at Power's, heartlessly recording respecting his best, his 
 steadiest, and most sincere friend —"my first visit to that gentleman 
 since I have been in town." Moore, however, had called at the shop 
 of " that gentleman" on the previous day, when he learned that 
 Mr. Power was confined to his bed at his private residence by 
 illness ; and yet, though that private residence was not one minute's 
 walk, (from 34, Strand to 22, Buckingham Street,) that minute 
 appears to have been so precions to the flutter of Mr. Moore 
 through the metropolis, as not to allow him time to perform the 
 ordinary act of courtesy from a " gentleman " towards a tradesman, 
 by inquiring after Mr. Power and leaving his card. If a Lord had 
 been in the case, Moore's conduct would probably have been very 
 different. 
 
 The 14th of October appears to have been the day of Moore's 
 call at the shop, and whether Mr. Power was found there or in his 
 bed-room by Messrs. Moore and Campbell, cannot be decidedly 
 stated from the Diary of the former. However, they " staid but 
 a few minutes." 
 
 The shop was that in which Moore had formerly been so anxious 
 to be admitted as a junior partner ; and he probably might have been 
 so, had not the sagacity of James Power foreseen that habits so 
 vainglorious, so reckless and unbusiness-like as those of Moore, 
 would soon have ruined the concern. Had the partnership taken 
 place, which luckily for Mr. Power it did not, it is impossible to 
 conceive a more unsatisfactory or vexatious partner than Moore 
 would have proved himself to be, notwithstanding the poet's pro- 
 mise to put annually a thousand pounds' worth of brains into the 
 stock, instead of subtracting £500 from it. 
 
 Moore's Diary, if closely tested by dates, facts, and circum- 
 
 b 2 
 
XX INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 stances, exhibits the most lamentable confusion of mind and 
 memory. But I am not going to revert to melancholy recollections, 
 nor to enter into too minute particulars to prove this : on the con- 
 trary, I would, if I could, appear as Moore's friendly apologist. 
 
 Let us now enter a new year, (1833,) upon which dawns the 
 hope of a reconciliation between Moore and Power. The latter, 
 however, still maintains the correctness of his accounts, and the 
 year opens gloomily enough upon poor Moore. The supplies are 
 stopped from that quarter and another source, (a periodical edited 
 by Captain Marryat.) Neither Harding's ^£1000 nor Heath's 
 £ 1000 were forthcoming, and on the 1st of January Moore makes 
 the following entry in his Diary : 
 
 " Had been for some days in correspondence with Lardner re- 
 specting my Irish History, which I am now about to resume in 
 earnest : and my resources from Power no longer going on, and 
 my supplies from the ' Metropolitan ' being now at an end, I found 
 it necessary to request of him an advance of money on the work." 
 
 Of course. So, on the 1 7th February, Moore writes to his 
 "Dear Sir," the following note, in which, however attempted to 
 be disguised, the cringing feelings of a subdued spirit, unwilling 
 to acknowledge itself to be in the wrong, peep out in every sen- 
 tence. Moore, who on the 13th of the previous October, could 
 not afford one minute to inquire personally after Mr. Power's 
 health, now commences, 
 
 " I am very glad to hear that you are so much better. I have 
 been, indeed, for some days past intending to write you to say that 
 I expected to be up in town about the beginning of next week, and 
 that I look to our then settling our accounts satisfactorily. All I 
 shall now say of them is that, as they stand at present, they ex- 
 hibit an instance of sharp dealing (to give it no harsher name) 
 which exceeds all I have ever experienced in my connection with 
 men of business, and in comparison with which all you have some- 
 times heard me complain of from your brother and from Carpenter* 
 
 * And yet Moore's statement (22d September, 1803) with regard to Car- 
 penter is, (Vol. I. p. 135 :) " My dear father should write to Carpenter and 
 thank him for the very friendly assistance he has given me. Without that 
 assistance the breeze would be fair in vain for me, and Bermuda might be sunk 
 in the deep, for any share that 1 could pretend to in it," &c. 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XXI 
 
 not only fades into insignificance, but actually appears fair and 
 liberal. Having thus, once for all, expressed my opinion of the 
 present state of the transaction between us, I shall not write or 
 utter another harsh word on the subject till I shall have seen 
 whether you yourself consider the matter in the way that is alone 
 worthy of you, and about which, believe me, there could not be 
 two ©pinions among men of fair and honourable minds." 
 
 Here let me interrupt the current of this letter by observing 
 that there certainly were " not two opinions among men of fair 
 and honourable minds ; " so far Moore was right, but their opinion 
 was adverse to Moore's judgment. He thus continues to Mr. 
 Power : 
 
 " I need not tell you (for I have often repeated it to you) that it 
 has always been my intention to go on with you as my publisher, 
 as long as I cared to write or as you cared to publish what I 
 wrote. But this intention was of course founded upon my con- 
 fidence that you would go on as you commenced, and not ■ 
 
 but I have said that I would not any more give way to what I feel 
 on the subject, nor will I. 
 
 "I have two works already on the anvil— the tenth numbeivof 
 the Irish Melodies, and a collection from the Latin Anthology. 
 In the warm hope that all will yet be right between us, I again 
 sign myself, 
 
 " Very truly yours, Thomas Moore." 
 
 On Wednesday, the 6th March, Moore arrives in town, but 
 professes to be so much engaged (his Diary will show how) that he 
 can only admit Mr. Power, whose purse is really of so much con- 
 sequence to him, to an audience after Sunday, and then only by 
 special appointment. " I have every hope," writes Mr. Moore, 
 " that we shall come to an amicable understanding together." 
 But he still doggedly continues to assert that Mr. Power and his 
 accounts are wrong, and that he should have paid him & 1 00 a 
 vear more than he was fairly entitled to, (as the sequel will show,) 
 or at the clear rate of £450, if not .£500 per annum. He strongly 
 urges this conclusion upon Mr. Power, as it would " at once 
 place us where we were, both in friendship and business." Then 
 comes the threat : " If, however, you should unfortunately persist 
 in your own view of the transaction, I must then only consult 
 
XX11 INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 with my friends (of whom but one at present knows any thing 
 about the matter) as to what steps I had best take." On the 
 17th March, (an ominous day when Irish harmony is in question,) 
 Moore evidently becomes uneasy at what he regards to be Mr. 
 Power's obstinacy, and, coupled with a request to send a copy of 
 the letter-press of the Irish Melodies to Mr. O'Connell, " as he is 
 in want of some mottoes for his letters from them," goes so far as 
 to admit that " it is just possible that in a business point of view " 
 he may be mistaken, and purposes to leave their differences to 
 arbitration, naming either Mr. Longman or Mr. Rogers on his 
 part, or leaving Mr. Power to name both arbitrators. To this 
 proposal Mr. Power promptly assented, as well as to both the 
 arbitrators named by Moore : but instead of Mr. Longman, his 
 partner, Mr. Rees, agreed to act on behalf of Mr. Power. 
 
 To save his time, Mr. Power left with Mr. Rees documents upon 
 which the arbitration was to be founded, to look over ; and ac- 
 cording to Moore's statement, both Messrs. Longman and Rees 
 said, that Power " had not, as they expressed it, l a leg to stand 
 on ;' " and adds Mr. Moore, in his Diary — " In consequence of 
 finding the case so bad, it was Rees's intention to decline being 
 arbitrator ; but I suggested it would be advisable to state at the 
 same time his reasons for so declining, as it might have the effect 
 of making Power think a little more seriously on the subject." 
 
 Now this suggestion, as recorded by himself with a view to 
 prejudice an arbitration, was not only impertinent, but most im- 
 proper on the part of Mr. Moore. The fact, however, is the very 
 reverse of what Moore has stated in his Diary, and that after 
 looking over the documents confided by Mr. Power to Mr. Rees, 
 the latter said that he " must decline to act in the matter, as Mr. 
 Moore had not a leg to stand upon ; and that it would be pain- 
 ful for him to urge an adverse decision upon any claim, however 
 fanciful, set up by Mr. Moore, considering his connection with the 
 publishing-house in which he (Mr. Rees) was a partner. 
 
 On the 27th March, Mr. Moore told Mr. Rogers, that Mr. Rees 
 had declined acting as an arbitrator, adding : " Nothing, Rogers 
 thought, could be more injudicious and mischievous to me than 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. xx iii 
 
 this step. Rees ought to have refused looking at my papers till 
 they were laid before him and Rogers together, when they mio-ht 
 have secured a settlement ; but now, by defeating thus the pros- 
 pect of an amicable arrangement, he has thrown the whole thino- 
 adrift, and left no other alternative but law. This I felt to be 
 but too true. * * *" 
 
 What do these * * * mean ? is not an unfair question ; 
 and " my papers ?" What ! — an advocate not look over his client's 
 brief before he went into Court to plead his cause ? Certainly 
 such things have occurred, but Mr. Rees was not a member of 
 the bar, 
 
 " Who would by every commonplace 
 Make wrong the right or better case." 
 
 No ; he was like Mr. Power himself, a plain-spoken, fair-dealing 
 tradesman, who lived respected and died regretted. 
 
 " My papers" indeed! why, Mr. Moore's own Diary, on the 
 very opposite page, without one word as to his verbal ex parte 
 statements, shows " that Power had been with Rees in the morn- 
 ing, and left him our deeds of agreement and some extracts 
 from my letters to look over." I should like to know what title 
 Mr. Moore had to call these documents his papers ! — papers to 
 be considered in an issue between Moore versus Power, and to be 
 merely used in self-defence by the latter, from the accusation of 
 an overcharge of 36500 in his accounts ! 
 
 On the 4th of April, 1833, Moore records in his Diary, " Visit 
 from Power ;" adding, that he " was soon made sensible of the 
 great injury Rees had done me by declining the arbitration, and 
 declining it too, in such a way as to leave Power still under the 
 impression that there was nothing beyond the mere ordinary 
 course of business in his conduct to me. * # **' 
 
 Here these mysterious and mischievous inuendoes occur again. 
 If the passage was worth giving at all, why leave its meaning 
 doubtful ? Why should not an editorial note abridge or explain 
 the circumstances — the result of the interview, or that the MS. 
 was torn or blotted, or could not be deciphered ? No, it stands 
 as left by the hand of Lord John Russell, a worse than " malig- 
 
XXIV INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 nant" attack— an unexplained insinuation against the conduct 
 of Moore's steadiest and unveering friend, "Honest James 
 Power." 
 
 If Mr. Rees had told Mr. Power that he " had not a leg to 
 stand upon," (as asserted by Mr. Moore), why should Power have 
 run himself into the risk of threatened law proceedings ? He had 
 already suffered severely in pocket from Moore's duplicity by law 
 charges. And the effect of this proposed arbitration having so 
 far failed by the withdrawal of Mr. Rees, it was determined that 
 another arbitrator should be named in his place with Mr. Rogers, 
 and that if I would accept the unpleasant office, I was to be the 
 party to act for Mr. Power: but circumstances prevented our 
 arbitration taking place ; and I will here only venture to repeat 
 that Mr. Rees's opinion was, that " Moore had not a leg to stand 
 upon," exacthj the contrary to what Moore has stated, as will be 
 presently established by the decision of two barristers, one of whom 
 I am happy to say survives, and may be appealed to, if necessary, 
 as to the accuracy of the following statement —Mr. Serjeant 
 Merewether, who was Moore's arbitrator, and from whom I first 
 learned that Moore had kept a diary chronicling the gossip of the 
 day. 
 
 After this interview of 4th April, between Moore and Power» 
 the latter called on me and asked me if I would have any objec- 
 tion to act on his (Power's) part in a little dispute about a small 
 sum of money of no great consequence between Mr. Moore and 
 himself. To this my answer was, " Certainly not ;" adding, how- 
 ever, that " I should like to know something more of the parti- 
 culars." When Mr. Power named Mr. Rogers as the party pro" 
 posed by Mr. Moore in an amicable arbitration, I did not hesitate 
 to assent, and a few evenings afterwards I was allowed by Mr. 
 Power to inspect his books for a series of years with reference 
 to the subject. 
 
 I found that for fourteen years Mr. Power had regularly cre- 
 dited Mr. Moore with ^£500, under the simple entry of " By an- 
 nuity," without charging, so far as I recollect, interest upon his 
 advances, which were on the 1st January 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 XXV 
 
 56102 11 11 
 
 1826 
 
 # # 
 
 — 2 6 
 
 1827 
 
 
 201 18 1 
 
 1828 
 
 . 
 
 504 6 6 
 
 1829 
 
 . 
 
 586 3 8 
 
 1830 
 
 . . 
 
 842 19 9 
 
 1831 
 
 . 
 
 1134 7 10 
 
 1832 
 
 > • • 
 
 £1233 
 
 6 
 
 11 
 
 . 1496 
 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 . 1547 
 
 ]2 
 
 8 
 
 . 1665 
 
 13 
 
 1 
 
 . 96o 
 
 12 
 
 4 
 
 . 814 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 . 534 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 1819 
 lb20 
 1821 
 1822 
 1823 
 1824 
 1825 
 
 On the 3 1 st December, 1 828, Moore wrote to Mr. Power — 
 " To have you so much in advance to me without any set-off in 
 my work, is a very uncomfortable feeling to me, whatever your 
 good-nature may make it to you." 
 
 Moore's work, covenanted to be performed for this annuity, was 
 always much in arrear, or in such a crude and sketchy state as to 
 be useless to Mr. Power, whose loss by the delay in the produc- 
 tion must have been considerable. There is an old adage that 
 " short accounts make long friends," but Moore thought other- 
 wise ; and long accounts appear to him to have been more agree- 
 able with his music publisher, when, in 1828 and 1829, Moore 
 could not but have been aware that he was upwards of £1 500 in M r. 
 Power's debt ; or to use Moore's admirable sentence with reference 
 to Sheridan, written about this period, (and which truly explains 
 Moore's own pecuniary situation,) he had attained " that happy 
 art in which the people of this country are such adepts, of putting 
 the future in pawn for the supply of the present." 
 
 Mr. Power's declaration was, that with a young and growing 
 family, he felt glad to get any thing from Moore, as a kind of se- 
 curity for this heavy advance over and above his annual payments 
 of 36500, but that he never could induce Mr. Moore to come to a 
 settlement, as, whenever the subject of their "reckoning" was 
 mentioned, he was " always in a flutter after Lords, Ladies, and 
 Lobsters." 
 
 Power's accounts showed at a glance that he had always acted 
 in the most liberal spirit towards Moore, as charges for music, 
 binding, stationery, books, and other similar items, although entered 
 in Power's Petty Cash Account at what is called "the trade" (or 
 a reduced) price, were often struck out, and sometimes the amount 
 
XXVI INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 was considerable ; — at least this is my impression. I had there- 
 fore no hesitation in expressing in writing to Mr. Power my candid 
 opinion that, from what I had seen, I did not think that Mr. Moore 
 ought to resist or dispute a balance of j6500 against him, in so 
 liberal an account current ; for even admitting that more than one 
 charge was wrong, they were balanced or nearly so upon the whole 
 by no calculation of interest upon money in advance being brought 
 to account, as well as by the deductions from the Petty Cash Book ; 
 and Moore could, if he pleased, in the course of the next year or 
 two, easily clear oif this balance against him by sixteen or twenty 
 songs in a state fit for publication. And therefore that according 
 to my feeling there need be little dispute or arbitration about the 
 matter. 
 
 From the documents which I had looked over, it appeared 
 clear to me that Moore was bound to furnish to Mr. Power a 
 certain number of lyrics (sixteen, I think, of course in a proper 
 state for the press) for his annuity of £500 ; but being unable to 
 do this without calling in professional assistance, he directly sanc- 
 tioned a payment or deduction from the annuity to Sir John Steven- 
 son of ^650 for his musical arrangements ; because Sir John wisely 
 selected the brothers Power to be his paymaster of 56100 a year, 
 in preference to drawing upon, or " flying kites," as it was then 
 called, with Thomas Moore. And thus did this charge creep into 
 the accounts of Mr. Power for musical arrangements, reducing 
 Moore's annuity to a£450. This is acknowledged by Moore. 
 
 Stevenson having failed, as Moore did (perhaps in consequence), 
 to execute his work within anything like the stipulated time, 
 Moore, whose fine musical ear and fastidious taste no one can 
 doubt, was left at liberty to select another •« musical arranger," 
 and his choice fell upon Sir Henry Bishop ; who however con- 
 sidered £250 per annum, instead of .£100, to be nearer his 
 marketable value for the performance of the work required of him 
 by Mr. Moore and Power ; towards this Mr. Power contributed 
 his half, charging the other against Mr. Moore. But let us revert 
 to previous circumstances. 
 
 Moore, in his letter of 10th April, 1813, to Mr. Power, says 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XX Ml 
 
 that he would give Sir John Stevenson one of his hundreds to get 
 him fixed with him. This shows that he was willing to pay, 
 twenty years previously to his dispute with his publisher, more 
 than .£50 per annum to arrange his lyrical compositions, for the 
 arranger suited his taste. 
 
 Mr. Moore even never objected to an additional sum charged 
 against him on the 9th August, 1816, for Sir John Stevenson's 
 compositions of five sacred songs, viz., £41 : 13 : 4. This alone 
 is a proof that Moore always considered himself to be liable for 
 such charges in proportion to the annuity, exclusive of the charge 
 for arrangement. 
 
 In letter of 29th August, 1818, Mr. Moore says that in justice 
 to Mr. Power his works " must be put into a finished state by 
 some one." He also says : " You can hardly fix upon any com- 
 poser for the purpose till I am on the spot to consult with you." 
 A proof that Bishop would not have been employed on Moore's 
 works without his advice and consent. 
 
 In letter of 23rd December, 1818, Moore says that he has 
 written to Stevenson to know if he means to finish his works, as, 
 if he will not do them off hand, he (Mr. Moore) must get some- 
 body else to do them. This shows that Mr. Moore considered 
 himself as employing his own arranger and composer. 
 
 On the 18th January, 1819, Moore stated by letter to Mr. 
 Power, that the account furnished to December was " highly satis- 
 factory," and made no objection to the sum of 3641 : 13: 4 
 charged by Sir John Stevenson for composing five sacred songs — 
 making the annual payment to him 5691 : 13 : 4. And yet, in 
 the face of this fact, Mr. Moore has the audacity to write to Mr. 
 Power, on the 8th May, 1832, " I but require you to adhere to 
 the terms on which we first commenced, with the simple excep- 
 tion of the 5650 a year deducted from my annuity to pay the 
 arranger, which is the only deviation from our original terms that 
 either you ever proposed, or that I, either by word or writing, 
 ever consented to." 
 
 After this strange lapse of memory, who can believe any state- 
 ment made by Mr. Moore ? 
 
 Moore's letters to Mr. Power of 16th and 22nd July, 1823, 
 
XXV111 INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 January, 1824, and 17th April, 1829, establish the fact that 
 Moore employed Bishop to compose music to his words, and of 
 course bound himself to pay for those compositions he had thus 
 ordered, however willing to transfer his debt to the shoulders of 
 his pecuniary Atlas, Mr. Power. 
 
 Indeed, all this appeared so obvious to me, that I stated to Mr. 
 Power my conviction that, without any arbitration being necessary, 
 if the matter was put in its proper light before Mr. Moore by any 
 mutual friend, he could not fail to be convinced of the erroneous 
 view he had taken of his case with Mr. Power, both in honour 
 and in equity. And I drew up a short statement, of which some 
 parts have been used in the present letter. But Mr. Moore was 
 not to be convinced, and he went about making representations of 
 his supposed grievance, which no doubt he made appear to be a 
 real one to many, by the suppression of facts. 
 
 Early in August, Moore appeared again in London, and returned 
 to his old charge about the accounts by addressing the following 
 somewhat taunting letter to Mr. Power : 
 
 " Brooks's, August 8, 1833. 
 
 " Dear Sir : — Until the main point of difference between us, — 
 that of the charges for arrangement which you have (so entirely 
 at your own discretion and without even asking my assent) brought 
 against me, — until this important point has been settled in the 
 way that not only myself, but all the friends I have consulted upon 
 the subject think fair and honest, you must excuse my declining to 
 enter into those details on which you ask for my reply. 
 
 " Mr, Bees informs me that since I was last in town, he pro- 
 fessed to you his readiness to undertake the arbitration which he 
 had before declined ; but that you did not seem disposed to ac- 
 cept the offer. J also, you will recollect, went so far (much too 
 far, in the opinion of some of my friends) as to beg that you your- 
 self would appoint any two persons whatever to decide between us, 
 and I would most willingly abide by their decision. What would 
 you think of the fairness of the man that declines such a propo- 
 sal ? I know, at least, what in former times you would have said 
 of him. 
 
 "Yours, &c. Thomas Moore." 
 
 As I had not given my refusal to act with Mr. Bogers as an 
 arbitrator in this, as it appeared to me, most unnecessary dispute, 
 Mr. Power had naturally and most honourably hesitated for the 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XXIX 
 
 second time accepting the services of Mr. Rees, of whose opinion 
 he was aware, in the adjustment of a very simple question, whether 
 Moore was entitled to receive ,£450 per annum, positively claimed 
 by him, or ^63 50, the difference having been paid to Bishop, 
 instead of Stevenson, for performing Moore's work. This state- 
 ment of the case has been repeated, for we are now about to come 
 rapidly to the conclusion of these unhappy differences, and to show 
 how completely Mr. Power was right, and how vexatiously Mr. 
 Moore was wrong. Even the loss of the "pittance " of £'350 per 
 annum, for no very great amount of labour, (sixteen songs,) Mr. 
 Moore does not appear to have, been very anxious to abandon. 
 And so he writes to Mr. Power : 
 
 " Brookes's, Nov. 3. 
 
 " Dear Sir : — Having brought up to town some musical works 
 for publication, I am unwilling to take any steps in the matter till 
 I shall have heard from you on the subject of our accounts, and 
 learned whether you are inclined to bring them to a fair and 
 equitable settlement ; my opinion of the statement you have 
 already furnished me with is so well known to you, that I need 
 add nothing more, than that I am 
 
 " Yours, &c, Thomas Moore." 
 
 "You will have the goodness to address your answer as above." 
 
 Of course Mr. Power did so ; and the result was, the appoint- 
 ment of the late Mr. Horace Twiss (M.P. and Under-Secretary 
 of State for the Colonies) as the arbitrator on his part, and on 
 that of Mr. Moore, Mr. Serjeant Merewether, (now Town Clerk of 
 the city of London,) with, of course, the choice of an umpire. 
 This agreement to refer to arbitration is dated 14 th November, 
 1 833, upon a stamp of thirty-five shillings, and was drawn up by 
 Messrs. Clarke and Fynmore, the award to be made on or before 
 the 21st December, or, in case an umpire was necessary on or 
 before 21st January, 1834. 
 
 It was soon followed up by the choice of an umpire in 
 " Power and Moore. 
 
 " We concur in requesting the favour of Sir George Rose to act 
 as umpire between us in the event of any difference arising. 
 (Signed,) " Horace Twiss, 
 
 " Dec. 3, 1833." " Hy. Alworth Merewether. 
 
XXX INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 
 
 " I am perfectly willing to act as umpire in the event sug- 
 gested. (Signed,) "G.Rose." 
 
 There was no occasion however, for any reference to an umpire, 
 as the following document will prove : 
 
 " Park Place, St. James' street, 
 
 December \7th, 1833. 
 
 " Every thing to rest as it is between the parties, except (as 
 hereafter mentioned,) both with respect to the accounts and works. 
 
 " Mr. Power to deliver up the Musical Annual, (except the 
 songs.) 
 
 " Mr. Power to give up the Miscellany. 
 
 "Mr. Moore to supply sixteen songs as before, for the tenth 
 number of the Irish Melodies, at the sum of 56500, allowing SoO 
 for the arranging them, and 56*100 for any other difference 
 betweenthe parties ; and therefore, on payment of '56350, Mr. Moore 
 to deliver to Mr. Power sixteen songs for the tenth number, and to 
 execute a conveyance to Mr. Power of the copyrights of the works 
 which Mr. Moore has supplied to Mr. Power." 
 
 " Wednesday, Dec. 18M, 1833. 
 
 "Met Mr. Twiss in Portugal street, and then went to Mr. 
 Power's ; told both that though the new proposal was a departure 
 from the old one, yet he would accede to it, but must require the 
 payment of the £350 when the tenth number was delivered, which 
 however, would not be for some months. 
 
 " Having thus settled the matter, begged Mr. Power to send for 
 his papers, which he did, and I delivered them to his son. 
 
 (Signed.) "H. A. M." 
 
 Thus ends ! these lamentable details of Moore's petulancy ; which 
 Would never have been allowed to see any other light than that 
 of the fire, had not Lord John Russell's publication dragged them 
 forth in vindication of the slandered character of as kind-hearted 
 and as noble-minded a man as ever existed. Moore's vain-glorious 
 opinion of his own floating ability through life, when buoyed up by 
 Power's cash and credit, made him have no hesitation, like a swim- 
 tning child, when he thought himself secure, to strike out right 
 and left, leaving the means by which he had been supported to 
 drift with the current. The retrospect is deplorable. Moore en- 
 tered into unworthy pecuniary discussions with his long-tried and 
 best friend ; they certainly gave many a severe and undeserved 
 
INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XXXI 
 
 pang to the closing years of Mr. Power's anxious and struggling 
 life. Moore was profuse, and even wanton, in his expenditure 
 both of time and money. Power liberal, but economical of both. 
 And that Lord John Russell's editorship should have revived the 
 recollection of these pangs, no one can regret more than myself. 
 It would not only have been kind, but judicious on his Lordship's 
 part, to have consigned these feelings of human frailty to the ob- 
 livion of the grave. And it is indeed a very feeble apology for 
 ungenerous admissions in a half-told story, that Moore "was one 
 of those men whose genius was so remarkable that the world 
 ought to be acquainted with the daily current of his life and the 
 lesser traits of his character." 
 
 If this be admitted as a truism, it will not be denied that there 
 are two sides to every question. And it only remains for me to 
 congratulate you upon the decided step you have taken respecting 
 submitting to the world the Power Correspondence of Moore, so 
 far as it is now possible to do so. 
 
 I remain, Dear Sir, your very obedient servant, 
 
 T. Crofton Croker. 
 
 P. S. — As I was about to close this letter, I received from Mr. 
 Murray a pamphlet, entitled " Correspondence between the Right 
 Hon. John Wilson Croker and the Right Hon. Lord John Russell, 
 on some passages of ' Moore's Diary,' with a Postscript by Mr. 
 Croker, explanatory of Mr. Moore's Acquaintance and Correspon- 
 dence with him." 
 
 The correspondence having appeared in the Times newspaper 
 of the 30th of January and 1st instant, you will probably have 
 seen, With the P. S., which, like that of a lady's letter, contains 
 the more important matter, it is unnecessary for me to trouble 
 you, as copies of the pamphlet will no doubt have found their way 
 into the United States by the packet which conveys this communi- 
 cation to you. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 Of James Powek, " honest James Power" as he is called in 
 England, it is here unnecessary to say any thing more than that 
 he lived and died respected. And that for twenty-seven years 
 he was the publisher of Thomas Moore's most popular work, 
 " The Irish Melodies." 
 
 Nothing perhaps can better impress upon the mind the rude 
 state of the Fine Arts in Ireland, at the period when this 
 National work was undertaken, than the representation of 
 Hibernia as stamped upon the cover of the first edition, from 
 the original block, which has found its way into the United 
 States as a venerated relic. 
 
IV 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 It has been said, that this wood-engraving was made for the 
 heading of a broadside, circulated in Dublin upon the execution 
 of the patriot, Robert Emmett, the composition of which upon 
 very questionable authority has been attributed to Moore; 
 although there are some reasons for believing that the design 
 itself was made and executed by the learned Irish Antiquary, 
 Doctor Petrie. However this may be, the impression of the 
 woodcut on the Street Ballad of 1803, and that which appeared 
 on the cover of the Irish Melodies which the Messrs. James 
 and William Power published in 1807, are unquestionably 
 from the same block ; for no one then thought it worth while 
 to stereotype a fac- simile, nor indeed until the genius of 
 Stothard in 1821 had sublimated this rude allegorical figure 
 into a more refined being ; and one not unworthy of association 
 in design with the polished verses of Moore. 
 
 The relative situations of Author and Publisher perfectly 
 justify the statement made in a recent number (CLXXXV) 
 of the Quarterly Review, that " Mr. Power seems to have been 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 the person deepest in his (Moore's) personal confidence — most 
 employed in all his concerns, and for many long and straggling 
 years, while Moore looked so gay and prosperous to the world, 
 his only resource for his daily bread." The same grave 
 authority has called Moore, " Mr. Power's Advertising Van" 
 during his annual monthly " revelation" of himself in London ; 
 as the poet's friend, Rogers, shrewdly termed Moore's restless 
 appearance in the gay and brilliant circles of the Metropolis, 
 about the month of June, when he entered into the absorbing 
 vortex of London society ; and which will account for so few of 
 his letters in the Power Correspondence, being dated in that 
 month, although several flying notes without date may be 
 correctly assigned to this 
 period. Copies of the 
 graceful caricature of 
 Moore, etched or litho- 
 graphed by Crofton Cro- 
 ker, are now not to be 
 found ; although some are 
 known to exist with com- 
 ments upon them by the 
 learned Doctor Maginn, 
 the facetious Hook, and Mr. Wilson Croker, which have 
 stamped the recollection of the plate deeply into the memory 
 of the Literature of England. 
 
 Moore was represented as a winged Grecian Youth, culling 
 flowers in a garden as he flitted through it, and balancing 
 himself by a ponderous wine pitcher on the right side. 
 Maginn's comment was a bitter sarcasm. 
 
 " Bp&fiara dia yaXaKrog Kal juleXitoq yevo/iej/a'" (?) 
 
 That so valuable a series of letters as Moore's Correspondence 
 with Mr. Power, illustrative of the personal history and habits 
 of the poet, should have been dispersed by unreserved Public 
 Sale, has been and still is a matter of regret, which, although 
 it had been spoken of generally in that feeling, no one stepped 
 forward to prevent by securing the whole mass of letters 
 
VI ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 and preserving them entire ; and they are now irretrievably 
 dissevered. 
 
 Copies of all these letters having been made, they were, at 
 the request of Mrs. Moore, furnished to her for Lord John 
 Russell's information : and his Lordship having, from about 
 twelve hundred, selected fifty-seven only for publication in the 
 Memoirs, Journal and Correspondence of Thomas Moore, 
 several of which fifty-seven letters his Lordship printed with 
 omissions, the British public, as well as ourselves, are under 
 an obligation to Messrs. Puttick and Simpson, the eminent 
 book-auctioneers of London, for calling attention to this fact, 
 and who, instead of having, as the London Athenaeum, which 
 strangely contradicts itself, asserts (2nd July) " over-cata- 
 logued" the collection sold by them, have done the utmost 
 within the limits of their power to preserve a general recollec- 
 tion of its most valuable contents. Indeed the same critical 
 paper of the previous week had the candour to acknowledge 
 that Messrs. Puttick and Simpson have been considerate 
 enough to give us in this catalogue a taste of Moore's Corres- 
 pondence with Power in several "well-selected extracts." And 
 in conclusion terms the Catalogue in question a " curious" one. 
 
 In the opinion of the Quarterly Review there is no du- 
 plicity. It truly predicts — " As to this Power Correspondence," 
 " We confidently expect to hear more than the Auctioneer has 
 told us." 
 
 The present volume, although entitled " Notes from the Let- 
 ters of Thomas Moore to his Music Publisher, &c," is con- 
 siderably more than a mere reprint of the London Auctioneers' 
 Catalogue, now not to be procured, except at an extravagant 
 price, in so much esteem is it held, and so eagerly are copies 
 sought after. The reader is here presented with an amplifi- 
 cation of Messrs. Puttick and Simpson's carefully compiled and 
 valuable record. All Lord John Russell's omitted passages 
 have been supplied from the original letters, by our corres- 
 pondent ; and why these omissions should have been made at 
 all, but to create suspicion, any one who will take the trouble 
 to peruse and consider them can scarcely understand. But 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. Vll 
 
 suspicion once aroused more frequently terminates in minute 
 and unsatisfactory inquiries, than in agreeable results. 
 
 Lord John "Russell's selection for book-making purposes 
 having been completed from the Power Correspondence, and 
 after it had been subsequently sifted by no unfriendly hands to- 
 wards Mr. Moore's memory, to detect offensive personalities, 
 that certainly could never have been intended for publication, 
 in any shape, removed all difficulty or delicacy in the disposal 
 of a mass of original letters, for what they would produce as 
 Autographs to the legal representatives of Mr. Power. And 
 the letters with a quantity of Manuscript Music and other 
 matters were sold on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th June, 1853, by 
 public auction in London ; under advice, that, if any valuable 
 property existed in them, it was desirable to ascertain the 
 exact amount, and to apportion it accordingly in cash to those 
 entitled to the same, instead of leaving them in ignorance, or 
 perhaps leading them into dispute upon a vague idea of the 
 probable proceeds. 
 
 The sum the letters produced was not what had been an- 
 ticipated, and certainly not one-fifth of their value to any one 
 capable of using such sterling materials in a systematic bio- 
 graphy ; but a self-satisfied nobleman had undertaken the 
 troubless " task" of printing an "apocryphal" autobiography, 
 fanciful recollections, and painful reminiscences, not always, it 
 appears, correct, set in the tinsel decorations of an Epicurean 
 Poet ; for no one will deny Moore's claim to that title, in what- 
 ever light they may be pleased to view his poetry. 
 
 The following pages will enable those who desire to do so, 
 readily to supply the omitted passages in vols. I. and II. of the 
 Biography of Moore, as it has appeared in London. It is not 
 our province to criticise Lord John Russell's judgment, nor 
 the portions of a disjointed work discreditably edited by him; 
 but if England can produce no better historians than Lord 
 John Russell and Lord Viscount Mahon, the sooner regular 
 Professorships of History are established the more beneficial 
 it will be for all concerned, as the latter Professors may be 
 discharged at the will of the public, and the former Professors 
 
viii ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 be thereby checked from discharging their own titled will at 
 the public. 
 
 It is however creditable to Lord John Russell's candour 
 that he admits the difficulty felt by him in arranging in 
 sequence the undated letters of Moore ; although the apology 
 appears very like a sobbing school boy's " very sorry, Sir," as 
 by the slightest trouble nearly every one might have been 
 satisfactorily assigned to its proper place from internal evidence. 
 Messrs. Puttick and Simpson, however, seem to have felt the 
 same difficulty; but although there is little excuse for the 
 former act of negligence in the Editor of an expensive work, 
 there is perhaps some for a hastily got-up Auctioneers' Cata- 
 logue, should not all the lots be placed in strictly chronological 
 order. In Lord John Russell's publication four hundred of 
 Moore's letters are huddled confusedly together. In Messrs. 
 Puttick and Simpson's, nearly three times that number have 
 been arranged into years, with something like attention to 
 accuracy of date ; and then generally into monthly lots, 
 averaging about a weekly letter from Moore to Mr. Power for 
 a quarter of a century. Letters dated only with the day of 
 the week or undated follow annually the letters with absolute 
 dates, and appear to be from the context, with few exceptions, 
 correctly placed. And then come annually in Messrs. Puttick 
 and Simpson's arrangement reference to the letters printed by 
 Lord John Russell, and, however injudiciously garbled by his 
 Lordship, judiciously numbered for reference. 
 
 The Sale Catalogue therefore, so far as it went, afforded so 
 excellent a foundation for the life of Moore, which has still to 
 be written in a truthful condensed and intelligible form, that 
 it has been thought better to preserve the lots in the same 
 order in which they were originally grouped for sale by the 
 Auctioneers, supplying some remarkable passages and adding 
 a few illustrative notes, which did not come within the 
 Auctioneers' province. Of these, attention is requested to the 
 following. 
 
 The suppressed Preface to the second number of The Irish 
 Melodies is alone a remarkable document. The note at p. 24, 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 upon the rhymes " kist all" and " crystal," is curious. The 
 reports of the trials of Power versus Walker at p. 31, and of 
 Power versus Power at p. 88, are important as to the question 
 of copyright. Lord Byron's suppressed verses on Moore at 
 p. 42, and Mr. Crofton Croker's Byronic hoax upon Moore at 
 p. 84, are singular literary documents. The minute account of 
 Moore's visit to the South of Ireland at p. 103, by O'Driscol, 
 the Chief Justice of Dominique, cannot fail with the other 
 illustrations and comments to give this Volume a permanent 
 interest in the annals of literature, so long as the lives of 
 Moore and his contemporaries are objects of public enquiry. 
 
NOTES FROM 
 
 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS 
 
 OF 
 
 THOMAS MOORE TO MR POWEE. 
 
 The Suppressed Preface to the second Number of the 
 Irish Melodies. 
 
 "Of the Melodies contained in this number, there are a few 
 which have long heen familiar to the world, hut they are so 
 beautiful and so authentic that the collection would be incom- 
 plete without them ; besides it is hoped that the novelty of 
 their present arrangement will, in some degree, remove that 
 triteness which their popularity has given them. The other 
 Melodies are but little known, and many of them though suited 
 to poetry, and the voice, by the regularity of their form, and the 
 limits of their compass, are now for the first time associated with 
 English words. 
 
 "The value of those airs, which Sir John Stevenson has 
 harmonized, is considerably enhanced by the skill and elegance 
 with which their parts and accompaniments are managed ; and 
 they lead us to think, by the facility with which they admit of 
 such arrangement, that our Melodies, in general, from indulging 
 less in those irregular intervals, those mutilations of the scale 
 which characterize the old Scotch music, are much more 
 amenable than the latter to the laws of harmony and counter- 
 point. 
 
 " With respect to the verses which I have here written for 
 this work, as they are intended rather to be sung than read, I 
 
 B 
 
can answer for their sound, with somewhat more safety than 
 their sense ; yet it would be affectation to deny that I have given 
 much attention to the task, and that it is not through want of 
 zeal or industry, if I unfortunately disgrace the sweet airs of 
 my country, by poetry altogether unworthy of their taste, their 
 energy, and their tenderness. 
 
 " Our history, for many centuries past, is creditable neither 
 to our neighbours nor ourselves, and ought not to be read by 
 any Irishman who wishes either to love England or to feel proud 
 of Ireland. The loss of independence very early debased our 
 character, and our feuds, though frequent and ferocious, but 
 seldom displayed that generous spirit of enterprise with which 
 the pride of an independent monarchy so long dignified the 
 struggles of Scotland. It is true, this island has given birth to 
 heroes, who, under more favourable circumstances, might have 
 left in the hearts of their countrymen recollections as dear as 
 those of a Bruce or a Wallace : but success was wanting to 
 consecrate resistance, their cause was branded with the dis- 
 heartening name of treason, and their oppressed country was 
 such a blank among nations, that like the adventures of those 
 woods which Rinaldo wished to explore, the fame of their 
 actions was lost in the obscurity of the place where they 
 achieved them — 
 
 Errando in quelli boschi 
 
 Trovar potria strane avventure, e molte ; 
 
 Ma come i luoghi, i fatti ancor son foschi, 
 
 Che non se n'ha notizia le piu volte. 
 
 Ariosto, Canto iv. 
 " Hence it is that the annals of Ireland, through a long lapse 
 of six hundred years, exhibit not one of those themes of national 
 pride, from which poetry borrows her noblest inspiration ; and 
 that history which ought to be the richest garden of the Muse, 
 yields nothing to her but weeds and cypress ! In truth, the poet 
 who would embellish his song with allusions to Irish names and 
 
events, must be content to seek them in those early periods 
 when our character was yet unalloyed and original, before the 
 impolitic craft of our conquerors had divided, weakened, 
 and disgraced us ; and the only traits of heroism which 
 he can venture at this day to commemorate, with safety to 
 himself or perhaps with honour to the country, are to be 
 looked for in those times when the native monarchs of Ireland 
 displayed and fostered virtues worthy of a better age ; when 
 our Malachies wore collars of gold which they had won in 
 single combat from the invader, (see Warner, Book 9, Vol. I.) 
 and our Brians deserved the blessings of a people, by all the 
 most estimable qualities of a king. It may be said indeed that 
 the magic of tradition has shed a charm over this remote period, 
 to which it is, in reality, but little entitled ; and that most of 
 the pictures which we dwell on so fondly, of days when this 
 island was distinguished amidst the gloom of Europe by the 
 sanctity of her morals, the spirit of her knighthood, and the 
 polish of her schools, are little more than the inventions of 
 national partiality — that bright but spurious offspring which 
 vanity begets upon ignorance — and with which the first records 
 of every people are obscured. But, the sceptic is scarcely to 
 be envied who would pause for stronger proofs than we already 
 possess of the early glories of Ireland ; and were even the 
 veracities of all these proofs surrendered, yet who would not fly 
 to such flattering fictions from the sad degrading truths which 
 the history of latter times presents to us? 
 
 "The language of sorrow, however, is, in general, best suited 
 to our music, and with themes of this nature the poet may be 
 amply supplied. There is not a page of our annals which 
 cannot afford him a subject ; and while the National Muse 
 of other countries adorns her temple with trophies of the past, 
 in Ireland, her altar, like the shrine of Pity at Athens, is to be 
 known only by the tears that are shed upon it ; ' Lacrymis 
 altaria sudant (Statius. Thebiad, lib. 12.) 
 " Dublin, October, 180/." 
 
One Letter, 4to. 28th December, 1808. Proposal to sell two or 
 three Songs 
 
 One Letter, 4to. 13th May, 1809 
 
 " I think, indeed, between ourselves, that the next two 
 Numbers will be all that ever shall come from my pen." 
 
 The FIRST AND SECOND NUMBER OF TEE IRISH MELODIES 
 APPEARED IN 1807; THE THIRD IN 1810; AND THE FOURTH 
 
 in November, 1811. 
 Three Letters, 4to. 20th February, 7th March, 8th May, 1810 
 " The Song which I wrote for Braham did not succeed at 
 all." Presentation copies of the third number of the Irish 
 Melodies to be sent to Miss Rogers, Mrs. Perry, Jeffrey, and 
 Leigh Hunt." " Will you have the goodness to go to Sherwood 
 and Neely, Paternoster-row, and get for me Mr. Keough's 
 pamphlet on the Veto, Sir J. C. Hippesley's Bill, and the Re- 
 solutions of the Bishops in 1799." "The only work I have 
 proposed to your Brother is one in the book line, which he told 
 me he had communicated with you about, and I have yet to 
 hear the result of your agreement with him." " Your brother 
 tells me that you expressed your willingness to join him in the 
 publication of my Irish Poetical Miscellany. I think between 
 you it may be made something of, and would be a very credit- 
 able beginning to any bookselling plan you may think of. I 
 have bid Carpenter sent you a copy of a little Pamphlet which 
 I have published here and in London —it is already in a second 
 edition here, and takes very flatteringly." 
 Two Letters, 4to. Jenkinstown, Kilkenny, 22nd and 31st August, 
 1810 
 Projected Irish Poetical Miscellany. Sends another duett, &c. 
 I look forward to our doing something grand together in 
 the musical way, when I return to London — for London, cer- 
 tainly, is the only Theatre for such things, and once I am set- 
 tled there again, I shall not easily be tempted away from it." 
 
Three Letters, 4to. 10th November, (two) 3rd December, 1810 
 Money arrangements " to pioneer his way through the streets 
 of London." At the Hen and Chickens, Birmingham, on his 
 way to 27, Bury Street, London. 
 
 One Letter ( marked " Private" ), 8vo. Thursday. Printed 
 in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 143. 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. and one 8vo. Monday, 22nd June, (1811?) 
 and 31st December, 1811 
 Moore's father's bill for £22. " I want to ask your advice 
 about something." " I am in town to-day to dine with Lord 
 Moira, but after to-morrow I am buried alive. I have just re- 
 ceived my freedom of Covent Garden from Mr. Harris." 
 
 Two Letters, 4 to. Kegworth, 21st May, 1812 
 
 Non-arrival of a box of candles. "I know you will be 
 ready to do any thing towards my illumination, and certainly the 
 loss of our best candles is the most gloomy privation that could 
 happen to us." " The Piano Forte has just arrived, and you 
 shall soon have good tidings from it." 
 
 One Letter, folio, Wednesday, (30th May, 1812) 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 171, with an 
 erroneous date, as the post mark proves, of seven days, and 
 with the following omission, " Will you have the goodness to 
 tell Mrs. Peneaud (some time when you are passing) that I have 
 found the Paper I missed" 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. one franked by Lord Glenbervie, 16th July, 
 9th and 13th August, 1812 
 " The Quarterly gives us a great lift." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. 19th and 3 1 st August, 1812 
 
 " I hope you have read Curran's beautiful panegyric on 
 Lord Moira in his speech at the late dinner. I suppose you 
 know that Lord Fingall and Lord Killeen have at the County 
 Meath meeting very warmly atoned for and explained away the 
 
reflections cast upon Lord Moira at Dublin, one by a most 
 flattering resolution in praise of him." "My friends the 
 Hamiltons you see are returned from America." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. 14th December, 1812 
 
 John Moore (the Poet's Father) draws by order of his son 
 Thomas Moore, on Mr. Power for 5625 at 61 days. 
 
 " Stevenson has written to me from Sandbach to say that he 
 is more than ever disposed to settle in London, and that if any 
 one would secure him three hundred a year he would stay." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. (one of two sides) 1812. Wednesday 
 
 "You shall hear from me from Lord Moira' s, whither I am 
 just setting out to walk, making in all near twelve miles." 
 
 " My mind will not be perfectly at ease till I know how you 
 wish me to act with respect to your brother's share of the 
 annuity ; for I find I must have at least a hundred pounds 
 more this year, and it is only for you to say whether I shall 
 draw upon him or you for it. My rent to Stevenson and Mrs. 
 Owen, my half year's taxes, this debt to Colonel Hamilton 
 (which is of itself forty pounds), all pull upon me this month, 
 and therefore, though I should like much to go to town, both 
 for my own business and the advantage of meeting Stevenson I 
 am afraid it would not be prudent to go to the expense. Though 
 I hope to leave a hundred of this year towards getting free of 
 your brother, yet my expenditure altogether will fall very little 
 short of five hundred pounds (including the other resources I 
 have had) which is much more than I counted upon —however, 
 now that Ellen and our neighbours the Moiras are gone, we 
 shall be able to retrench better." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. Thursday, 3 o'clock 
 
 " As Mosey M'Gill says * single misfortunes never come 
 alone.' I had no sooner got over the annoyance of conversing 
 and writing upon your business with your brother than I received 
 by the Post an attorney's letter, &c." "Your brother dines 
 
with us and sets off in the evening. For God sake get over 
 your differences, if you can. I feel at this instant, (tho' the 
 woman that has thus acted is only my aunt by marriage) how 
 dreadful and disgusting a family feud is." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. and two 8vo. Donington Park, Friday. 
 Kegworth, Friday, the two on note paper, undated 
 " I write only to say that I cannot write, as I am in the 
 hiidst of the bustle of this place, where we came on Tuesday 
 last with Rogers, who paid us a visit on Sunday last." " I wish 
 you joy of your injunction." " On Sunday I left Donington 
 with Rogers and went on to Matlock, poor Bessy not being able 
 after the fatigues and ceremonies of the week to come with us. 
 From Matlock we went to Dovedale, and I was much delighted 
 with the scenery of both places, though not a little happy to get 
 away from them all and return to my own quiet home." "It 
 will most certainly be throwing away the scabbard with your 
 brother," 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), Friday. Printed in Memoirs by 
 Lord John Russell, No. 176. 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. Thursday. Printed in Memoirs by Lord John 
 Russell, No. 177. "You need not send me the Examiner 
 any more," omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), Friday, June (12) 1812 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 178. The 
 following lines after the signature omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 " I have just recollected that on this day the money for our 
 Nurse's child is due. Will you take the trouble of going to 
 Mrs. Wright and asking whether there has been any answer to 
 the letter I wrote to Wiltshire upon this subject since I came 
 here ? If not I must sent up the money immediately —pray do 
 this if you can to-morrow. My remembrances to Mr. Benison 
 \_Mr. Power s head clerk], I rather think he liked the Tyrolese 
 
8 
 
 Air as I have done it. It ought to be favourite, and I shall 
 dedicate it to Miss Rawdon." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. Thursday night 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 179. 
 One Letter, 4to. Wednesday (August 13, 1812) 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 187. His 
 Lordship has appended an erroneous critical note upon the 
 alterations in the second verse as made in this Manuscript, 
 reflecting upon Mr. Power's accuracy of character as a Pub- 
 lisher. For " She is lovely [Printed by Lord John Russell 
 " lovel," vol. i. p. 298.] 
 
 — then love her! through joy and through pain, 
 
 Though life has but one happy season, 
 
 Thus Love had advised, and Til always maintain," &c. 
 The passages in italics standing as originally written by Mr. 
 Moore. 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. (with inclosure), no date 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 188. Five 
 lines at top omitted by his Lordship. " We got the Fish aud 
 the Rose — many thanks! I must trouble you to pay the 
 postage on the letters I inclose, and to send the parcel to 
 Broad-street carefully." 
 One Letter, 4to. Wednesday (October 1st, 1812) 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 196. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), Tuesday 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 199. Four 
 lines after the signature omitted by his Lordship. " Stevenson 
 is a shabby fellow, and I quite give him up. Of course you 
 will not mention to your brother that I have sent you his 
 letter, but it was the shortest way of letting you know its con- 
 tents." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (November 12, 1812) 
 
Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 204. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), Langley Priory, Thursday 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 206, and by 
 his Lordship dated November 18, 1812. This bears in Mr. 
 Power's writing in pencil, "Dec. 18, 1813." And Lord John 
 Russell has omitted the following passage from the body of 
 this letter, after " express to you," [writing as I do while Mr. 
 Gardiner the Sacred Melodist is screaming at my elbow] " how," 
 &c. And " Lord Tamworth came here yesterday, and we had a 
 desperate drinking bout of it," with two more lines after the 
 signature. " You will not get this till Saturday, but I dare- 
 say between this and then I shall hear from you." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (three sides), Tuesday. 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 207 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. franked by Lord Glenbervie (December *3rd, 
 1812). 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 211. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), Kegworth 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 212. 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. (two sides), Sunday, (Dec. 21st, 1812) 
 
 Printed in Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 213, but 
 without the "above" Musical Notations of Moore to his words, 
 " When the calm sun, at close of day," and the " Merrily oh ! 
 Merrily oh ! " to a Tyrolese air, with the memo. " As I first had 
 it — but in the slow part it may be left as Stevenson altered it." 
 
 Four Letters, 4to. (one of two sides), 1st, 9th, 23rd, and 
 
 January, 1813 
 
 " Many happy new years to you, and may each succeeding 
 one give only more strength to our alliance, and more bright- 
 ness to our prospects!" Mentions his "flute playing friend the 
 parson." — " I find my Father wants a little more of me, till after 
 he has disposed of his house, which he hopes to do to advan- 
 tage." " I can guess what your brother means by telling you 
 
10 
 
 he had written to me instead of answering you on the subject 
 himself. I told him that I should draw but one hundred of his 
 portion last year (1812) and let the remainder go towards the 
 discharge of my debt — immediately after you sent him the 
 account of what he owed you towards the annuity, he wrote to 
 remind me of this, and begged I would explain it to you. I 
 answered him that I certainly would — that I did not know how 
 far I might have exceeded the hundred, but that I was in hopes 
 I should so arrange whatever excess there might be as to keep 
 his share within my promised arrangement. Now, my dear 
 Sir, as I am in some degree committed to him upon the point, 
 and as I dare say the burden of paying him off will at last fall 
 in some shape or other upon you, it will perhaps not be incon- 
 venient to you to separate the hundred from whatever excess 
 there is above it, and I will draw upon him for the latter as 
 early in this year as you chuse. This you will observe keeps 
 strictly within my promise of not exceeding a hundred of his 
 portion for 1812, and it is perhaps the most easy and gradual 
 way of his discharging his debt. I hope I have made myself 
 intelligible in this — he will not hesitate sending you the hundred, 
 I think, instantly." 
 
 Five Letters, 4to. (3 of two sides), 12th, 15th, 1 7th, 25th, and 
 — January, 1813 
 
 Relate chiefly to matters of account between Mr. Power and 
 his brother. One contains three verses for a song " To thee, 
 my Lute." " I am doing words to the Rose-tree. I hope you 
 have not engraved ' Oh had I a bright little Isle/ as I must put 
 a totally new set of words to it." rt My aunt's business is a sad 
 blow (together with your brother's) to me., Do not you trouble 
 yourself about me, however, as I shall be able to disentangle 
 myself without laying hold of your skirts this time. I have, 
 you may be assured, no other old money transactions in such 
 diabolical hands as hers." 
 
11 
 
 Stamped receipt for £500 in Mr. Moore's autograph, folio, 
 6th March, 1813 
 This receipt was given to Mr. James Power for an annual 
 payment according to deed of 1811, for the copyright of the 
 5th number of the Irish Melodies, and the following songs. 
 " Oh see those Cherries." A Ballad 
 " Oh fair ! oh purest." A Sacred Song 
 "Joys that pass away." A Duett 
 " Oh forget that you ever were mine." A Ballad 
 "A Finland Song for three voices" 
 " Oh remember the time." A Song 
 " The Tyrolese Song of Liberty." 
 " From life without freedom*" A Song 
 and " The Song of War." 
 One Letter, 4 to. (two sides), 1 1th March, 1813 
 
 A very interesting letter upon a variety of subjects. " Those 
 two amiable persons your brother and my aunt." " How 
 unjust I was to feel any chill from a letter which contained such 
 a proof of your unabated anxiety and interest about me — but it 
 was all hippishness" " The Vignette I think very pretty, and 
 very well engraved." " Have you any objection to my substi- 
 tuting something better for ' One bumper at parting?' Bessy 
 is keeping herself up for Patrick's Day, which was the day her 
 own original calculations brought her to — only an old maid 
 set her astray, who could, of course, know nothing of the matter. 
 If he comes on the 17th he must certainly be called Pat." 
 Four Letters, 4to. 3rd, 8th, 10th, and 30th April, 1813 
 
 tl I am trying again to enrich the number by attempting good 
 words to ' Savournen Deelish.' " " I think the Wood-pecker a 
 very poor thing, indeed, but it seems to take wonderfully, — I wish 
 I could write such popular things for you my dear Sir — with all 
 my heart I wish it aud I must try — perhaps I may succeed." 
 * c Direct to me, Oakhanger Hall, Sandbach, Cheshire." 
 " Bessy said laughingly the other night, that your brother 
 
12 
 
 would come dow?i on me for ' Down, Deny, Down,' in the Post 
 Bag — but though this of course was nonsense, yet it set me 
 thinking seriously how I am to manage about my poem, which 
 will be full of songs, and the words of which I must not, at 
 least I ought not, sell to any one else. What's to be done about 
 this ? I wish you and I had our Shop and the whole difficulty 
 would be removed." " Cowan has just arrived without Sir 
 John, which is a great mortification to us all, but he swears as 
 soon as the Cathedral visitation is over, he will come." " The 
 Dean arrived to-day and looked black about the will — but I 
 hope she may defy him." " In about six or seven days you 
 shall see me." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of two sides), 8th, 17th, and 22nd 
 
 June, 1813 
 " We shall not for a few days longer, be able to sleep in our 
 cottage, so that I am still kept from business, except what my 
 sauntering meditations about the fields produce. I think your 
 idea about my having a dramatic piece in view, while I am em- 
 ployed about my poem (founded upon the story of the Poem, 
 retaining the songs connected with it, and prepared so as to 
 appear soon after it) is a very excellent thought, and I shall 
 certainly act upon it." "With respect to the time for the 
 Songs you have mentioned, it may be 
 
 Oh ! doubt me not — ivith feeling and cheerfulness. 
 
 One bumper at parting— with animation. 
 
 The valley lay smiling — in moderate time, (or, I should 
 prefer) — ' according to the feeling of each verse. 
 
 I do not know the original name of * the Rose Tree.' " 
 
 Four Letters, three 4 to. one 8vo., 14th August, 13th, 18th, 
 
 and 25th September, 1813 
 
 " We were last night surprised by a visit from the Widow 
 
 Cheshire (as Bessy has very well Christened Mrs. Ready) — she 
 
 rode over here from Buxton, where she has been with old 
 
 Cowan and his daughter — twenty-two miles in four hours! — 
 
13 
 
 she goes away again to-morrow. As the Knight is faithless, 
 she has a lover out in South America, whom she meditates going 
 to. Tell this to Mrs. Power, it will make her laugh. On 
 Friday you shall have one of the old things I promised you." 
 
 " I have written your brother a simple and true state- 
 ment of our motives in announcing the close of the Irish 
 Melodies, and have told him that the suggestion came 
 entirely from me. I also expressed what I felt at his ex- 
 traordinary charge of my having entered into a conspiracy 
 with you against him." — (i I have done the new words to 
 Young Jessica, and have made, I think, a pretty duett of it." 
 "I am getting on much better than ever with my poem." 
 sl Is there any chance of your concluding a bargain with 
 Bunting soon ? His airs would be a great treasure to us." 
 " I am but just returned home, for Sir C. Hastings (Lord 
 Moira's cousin) laid hold of us at Donington, and carried us off 
 to his place." "I think it will be prudent to remain here till 
 by the finishing of my Poem I am enabled to clear off all old 
 debts, and start free with you in a literary partnership which is 
 the main and chief object I look to for both our interests." 
 " I inclose a letter from Martin the Tallow Chandler — he is 
 Mrs. Pineaud's agent, and she having gone to Scotland, I have 
 some business with him about a Bill I gave her for rather 
 a long standing debt — these are the things that pull me back, 
 but, please heaven! next year will see me rid of them all." 
 "My Bermuda business is turning in nothing at all." "We 
 have walked all the way to-day, Hornsey, Highgate, and home, 
 and I am a little tired." " I had just written out the Preface 
 (which I have been these two days cutting down, altering, and 
 re-touching) when I perceived something in it, which I thought 
 still required correction." I have had another application from 
 Murray about my Poem, but I shall as you advise keep it un- 
 encumbered. I have told him that when it is finished, the 
 highest bidder shall have it." 
 
14 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to. } one Svo., 6th, 9th, and 12th October, 
 1813, one sealed with a lyre with Tibi under it 
 " I think either of the titles you have sent will do, therefore 
 chuse the one you think most attractive. If I should say 
 either, it is the one ' Oh remember the time/ as I do not much 
 like * celebrated' — it is a little too puffing, but chuse which you 
 like. As to the title of the songs, it would perhaps be better 
 'A Collection of the Vocal Music of Thomas Moore, Esq.' " 
 ' ' If you have not received a Memorandum from Carpenter 
 about my cocked hat, and should get this in time on Wednes - 
 day, send it by the evening's coach." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (two of three sides), 1st, 10th, and 23rd 
 November, 1813 
 " Shall you have any objection to defer printing, ' Oh fair ! 
 oh purest !' till the Poem comes out ? as I could introduce it, 
 and that will give it more effect. I am getting on famously. 
 I have seen the Monthly Review of the Melodies, it is a 
 great thing in our favour— only that it makes me nervous about 
 the goodness of the numbers that are coming. I am told the 
 celebrated Madame de Stael is one of the most industrious 
 puffers of the Melodies. I saw them blazoned out in a Jamaica 
 paper the other day, ' A few copies of the Irish Melodies just 
 arrived.' " " Will you have the goodness to send the Manu- 
 script of the Dram- atic Publican I left with you to him as 
 soon as possible with the inclosed note." " I have now 
 shut up for the winter, and have had the courage not to 
 return any one of the dinners that were made for us on 
 our coming into the neighbourhood. We now go no where, 
 but to a very pleasant family within a mile of us, and I 
 fear the winter will block us up even from this communi- 
 cation. I like your idea of keeping ' Oh fair, oh purest!' for 
 a set of sacred songs exceedingly, and the possibility of making 
 such a work very interesting between Stevenson and me, struck 
 me so much that I set to and wrote the following words for it, 
 
15 
 
 which I am sure you will like." Here follow three verses, with 
 momentary corrections of " This world is all a fleeting show." 
 " I like these as well as anything I have written — but do not 
 give them to Stevenson yet, as I mean first to try them myself." 
 " But the delicate situation in which I am placed between you, 
 and the danger I fear there is lest the world should suspect I 
 stood quietly by, taking advantage of the dissention of two 
 brothers, and leaning to the side that is most for my interest ; 
 this fear it is that haunts me, and makes me anxious to tell you 
 what I have all along felt and thought upon the subject." * 
 * * " However our bond may secure us in the eye 
 
 of the law, I would sooner throw it into the fire and myself 
 after it than produce it against that letter which your brother 
 returned to me." " I need only mention that when I asked 
 my friend Rogers's advice about it, he declared against it — not 
 on account of any unfairness there appeared to him in it (for 
 he did not know all the circumstances), but from the idea of a 
 man of business that two names to a deed were better than 
 one." " I have hardly made this legible, as I have been run- 
 ning after every coach in expectation of Stevenson — at last I 
 saw his name in the Guard's list, with ' Failed' opposite to it. 
 Failed indeed ! Tell him he may stay where he is. We had 
 a blazing fire in his bed-room, and our best breakfast on the 
 table for him — but he shall meet a cold reception whenever he 
 chuses to come after this. I did not mean to make this a long 
 letter." 
 Two Letters, 4to. 4th and 16th December, 1813 
 
 "With reference to Advertisement in Mr. Power's x^utograph 
 corrected by Mr. Moore, inclosed, the latter says — " You will 
 perceive it is your own, with a very few alterations, I could not 
 improve upon it ; and I think as Bonaparte has beaten his 
 antagonists into heroes, I shall write you into an author." 
 " The Melodrama is not Lord Byron's, but you see he has 
 another Poem in the Turkish style coming out. I wish I could 
 
16 
 
 write so fast." " I shall have paid within this short time Col. 
 Hamilton, my Aunt, Mrs. Peneaud, besides that cursed a^lOO to 
 your brother, and the Poem will pay off all my other old debts ; 
 so that I shall start free and unencumbered when our partner- 
 ship begins. A long Peace (which I think we may expect) will 
 make sunshine weather, I hope, for our undertaking." " The 
 Song that I wrote for Braham and intended for you has brought 
 me into an unpleasant scrape." 
 
 Two Letters, 4 to. Monday (1813) 
 
 " I inclose you the Preface for the Songs. I have taken a 
 good deal of pains with it." " Did you see the mention of my 
 name the other day in the Morning Chronicle, in an Essay on 
 the Drama, calling upon me, Byron, Scott, Campbell, &c. to 
 turn our talents fairly to the stage, and so, by the blessing of 
 God, I will, as soon as my present stumbling block is removed." 
 
 Five Letters, four 4to. (one two sides), one 8vo. Tuesday morn- 
 ing. Tuesday (1813) 
 " This morning, five minutes before six, Bessy produced 
 another little girl, about the size of a twopenny wax doll." 
 " Pray have it in the newspapers for me, ' At Kegworth, 
 
 1 Leicestershire, the Lady of Thomas Moore, Esq., of a daugh- 
 ter.' " " I have at last had my interview with Lord Moira, 
 and now my mind's at ease. I have not much time to write at 
 present, but the following is in brief what passed between us. 
 He told me he had not been forgetful of me, but that there was 
 no Indian place remaining for him to give away here, if how- 
 ever, on his arrival in India, he should find anything worth my 
 going out for, he would let me know — in the mean time, he 
 had every reason to expect that he could make use of the 
 patronage of ministers at home in exchange for what he could 
 do towards serving their friends in India, and that he would try 
 to do something for me through this channel. To all this I 
 replied, that from his hands I should always be most willing to 
 
17 
 
 accept anything, and that, perhaps, it might yet be in his power 
 to serve me ; but that I begged he would not take the trouble 
 of applying to Ministers for me, as I would rather struggle on 
 as I am, than take anything that would have the effect of tying 
 up my tongue under such a system as the present. I hope you 
 will approve, my dear Sir, of this answer — if there be any merit 
 in it, you have full claim to a share in it, for it is the prospect 
 of honest independence you have opened to my view, which has 
 enabled me to speak in so manly and conscientious a tone. 
 
 And now (and from this out) to business — with respect to 
 the song for Mrs. Ashe, I certainly wrote a second verse to it, 
 but where it is, or whether I ever sent it you, I have not the 
 slightest recollection. If I cannot find it, however, I shall write 
 another, and send it in a day or two. 
 
 If you have not already had " the Minstrel Boy" engraved, 
 I think it would be better to write it a note lower for the Song 
 — this occurred to me long ago, but I unluckily forgot to men- 
 tion it." " I had got on pretty far and pretty successfully 
 in a Song (on the prospect of going to India, as I told you) 
 for Savourna Deelish — but I am now quite sick of the 
 subject, and shall try some other." Wishes for a copy of 
 the suppressed Preface to the Irish Melodies. " I returned 
 yesterday from Wales, and I think you will not be sorry to 
 hear that I have given up that speculation. Nothing could 
 induce me to go so far from every thing civilized, but exceeding- 
 cheapness. I find, however, that is all a humbug in Wales, 
 and I am convinced from the price of coals and provisions there, 
 added to the tricks the Welsh play upon strangers, we should 
 find it the dearest place w r e could select." 
 
 One letter, 4 to (two sides), Wednesday (1813) 
 
 " The little thing was christened by the Rector ' Anastasia 
 Mary. 7 We had unluckily used up the name of Jane already." 
 " I am quite vexed at the disappointment and annoyance that 
 Stevenson's blunder-headedness is giving you. What's to be 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 done about the Rose tree?" " Mrs. Ready since she has heard 
 of our quitting this house, is hard at work fitting up half of 
 Oakhanger Hall for us, and insists most strenuously on our 
 making that our home. Is not this kind ? Their son-in-law, 
 the new Dean of Exeter, is to be there with his Wife during 
 our visit ; and Mrs. Ready proposed that the christening should 
 be performed at Oakhanger by the new Dean, offering himself 
 at the same time as Sponsor. We told her, of course, we were 
 otherwise engaged, but she appears to be a very warm hearted 
 woman, and I wish the knight had fast hold of her and her 
 thousands." " Only think of the Post Bag— the fifth edition 
 comes out on Saturday." 
 Four Letters, 4to. (one of two sides), Thursday morning, Thurs- 
 day, and Thursday night (1813) 
 
 " I have been applied to (with every promise of success) to 
 stand for the Librarianship of the Dublin Society, <£200 a year, 
 coals, candles, &c. &c, but as residence in Dublin would be 
 necessary, and that would not suit our plans, I have declined 
 it. What a pretty little addition, taking in the full use of 
 library, &c. &c. such a thing would be in London." Mrs. 
 Ready left us yesterday, and almost cried and tore her hair to 
 make us go with her to Buxton — but we were hard-hearted. 
 She is a good-natured woman with all her nonsense, for she has 
 taken great offence with me because I will not let her lend me 
 two or three hundred pounds. I am sure I do not know where 
 it is to come from if I accepted it." 
 
 " We are very much obliged by Mrs. Power's agreeing to go 
 bail for our little child." 
 
 " 1 was wrong about the Post Bag, for I received a letter 
 from Carpenter yesterday, announcing to me that the first 
 Edition was nearly sold, and that he had in consequence ordered 
 750 to be ready against the end of the week — this is pretty well, 
 I think, in eight or nine days. He says, too, that it is very 
 highly spoken of, and seems indeed quite agog about it — this 
 
19 
 
 gives me great pleasure, for I clo hate most mortally to produce 
 a flash in the pan, and I was afraid this would turn out so. 
 My Bermuda Man has written to me (no money in the letter 
 tho') telling me that in consequence of the increase of business 
 he has been obliged to get additional Clerks, Stationery, &c. 
 and that by the next conveyance he will send me my share of 
 the last year." " Thanks for the Sprats. I wish you would 
 call upon Mr. Murray, the Bookseller, and tell him I have 
 received ' the Corsairs,' but that I wish he would send me the 
 Poem I wrote for (SafleJ and ' the Missionary' by the Coach." 
 " Braham once told me the same, and I always looked forward 
 to at least having him in my piece. I should not have the least 
 objection to join him in doing the Music, and as the piece I 
 meditate will be rather a Drama with Songs than an Opera, we 
 can easily manage it between us." " I have got Mrs. Wilmot's 
 Tragedy at last, and must ask you to forgive me this we.rk's 
 work, as I have but a very short time to write the Epilogue in. 
 Am I necessary to you in your Trial ? I did not well under- 
 stand that part of your letter, but am, of course, at your com- 
 mand in that as well as any thing else, and it will be about the 
 time I should like to go for Mrs. W.'s Tragedy." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (two of two sides), Friday, and Friday night 
 (1813) 
 " ^ou may guess our consternation on arriving at Sandbach, 
 within four miles of this [Oakhanger], yesterday evening when 
 we were told that poor old Ready died on Tuesday. Though 
 it was a miserable inn we were at, and the children both sick, I 
 thought it would hardly be delicate to apprize Mrs. Ready of 
 our arrival the same evening, and we remained at Sandbach 
 all night — a most miserable one it was to me ; for besides the 
 illness and screaming of the young ones, my mind was more 
 agitated and perplexed with regard to the plan I should pursue 
 than ever I remember it. I looked upon our visit here as quite 
 out of the question, and what I was to clo with myself and my 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 poor companions, after giving up house, furniture, and eveiy- 
 thing like a home, was more than I could imagine or guess — 
 indeed, my dear Sir, it was a very perplexing interval that took 
 place till (upon my writing a note to the Widow this morning) 
 a very gay barouche with a pair of smiling servants arrived 
 to bring us to Oakhanger, where, between ourselves, there is as 
 little grief on the occasion as could be, with decency put on 
 She is most indecorously ready for the knight, and had even 
 before my arrival, written express for him to come and do the 
 last honours to his dear old friend the Captain — so that if Sir 
 John has a particle of spunk in him he will be here immediately, 
 I am sorry to find, from some conversation with her, that there 
 are three wills of old Ready's, the second of which cuts her off 
 to a very small annuity indeed, but the first and third agree in 
 leaving everything at her disposal. This third one must deter- 
 mine her fate, but I am afraid, from what I yet can learn, that 
 the circumstances under which she got it from him (it was but 
 last week he signed it) will appear rather suspicious. The Son- 
 in-law, the Dean of Exeter, is expected every day, and I suppose 
 there will be what is called a blow up about this will. The 
 grand point for her is that this last will agrees in every particular 
 with the first he made." 
 
 " What a noble place this is ! and how I should like to meet 
 Mrs. Power and you on a visit to the Knight at it ! it wants but 
 his own will (not forgetting Ready's Will too) to make a match 
 of it." 
 
 The letter of Friday night informs Mr. Power that Moore 
 is " tahen in for a funeral trip to Gloucester, whither the corpse 
 of the poor old Captain was sent off this morning, and I and 
 a Mr. Cowan from Dublin are to set off after to-morrow.'' 
 " The Widow dashed off to town last night to prove the will." 
 
 "I have had another letter from your brother, not having 
 answered his former one — I perceive plainly now that the busi- 
 ness will come into Court, and I feel that it is necessary for my 
 
21 
 
 own character to put my opinion of the matter at issue between 
 you fairly upon record. As long as I saw any likelihood that 
 by the yielding of your brother, any amicable arrangement might 
 take place, my decided preference for you, and even my 
 wish that your brother might be humbled a little for the very 
 wrabrotherly conduct which he appears to have been guilty of 
 towards you, made me give up, or at least suppress many of my 
 own opinions upon the way we have conducted ourselves towards 
 him in this arrangement ; but now that it appears so likely to 
 come before the Public, I feel myself called upon to throw my 
 fair and candid opinion into the scale, hoping that it will have 
 that weight which disinterestedness and a pure regard for you 
 entitle it to. You have bound me indeed so warmly to your 
 interests by your friendly assistance in the most interesting 
 moment of my life that there is nothing I would not sacrifice to 
 shew my gratitude except my opinion of what is right" u We 
 expect Lord Moira every day. You see how amply the news- 
 papers have provided for me. One of them has given me a 
 salary of four thousand a year ! My own opinion is that Lord 
 M. will not be able to do anything for me." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4to. the other on an irregular slip of paper, 
 Saturday, Sunday night, (1813) 
 Order for a copy of the Irish Melodies for Mr. Thomson of 
 Edinburgh. " I will give up the alterations I have made in 
 the Midnight Moon if it be of much inconvenience. My 
 reason for altering the first line is to avoid the similarity of 
 title with ' At the mid hour of night.' You will perceive in 
 the 4th line of the same that I am not quite decided about the 
 name of the ' grove.' " " My squibs I should suppose will be 
 out to-morrow — they were printed at the very quick rate of a 
 sheet a week." [The title of the Midnight Moon was subse- 
 quently changed into " The Young May Moon" and the 
 " Grove," named Morna, with a note by Mr. Moore referring to 
 John Brown's so called translation in Bunting's Irish Melodies.] 
 
22 
 
 Two imperfect Letters in Mr. Moore's autograph, 4 to., and on 
 an irregular slip of paper the second verse of " the Legacy" 
 from the second Number of the Irish Melodies, undated 
 Both of the letters refer to the dispute between Mr. Power 
 and his brother. On the back of one is written a draft of 
 part of a letter addressed by Mr. James Power to his brother 
 William, and the other is a draft of part of a letter for the 
 same purpose in Mr. Moore's Autograph in which the manner 
 he refers to himself is remarkable, viz. ■' In short to sum up 
 my determination upon the subject, whatever the easiness of 
 Mr. Moore's disposition may lead him to suggest to me, I never 
 will allow myself to be influenced either by him or you to make 
 any alteration in the Deed that has passed between us. Mr. 
 Moore, as you know very well, is not a man of business, and 
 however I may pay deference to his judgment upon other 
 matters, yet in the present affair, I am sure I consult not only 
 my own interest but his, in resisting every attempt to set aside 
 the agreement he has made with me — therefore it is useless for 
 you to give him anymore trouble upon the subject. Mr. Moore 
 tells me that, in consequence of a request you have made to 
 him, he purposes sending you copies of what he has written — 
 to this I shall only say, that the moment such act of his shall 
 come to my knowledge, I shall not consider myself restrained 
 by any delicacy towards him from applying to the Court of 
 Chancery instantly to prevent you from publishing a single line 
 or note of his, and commencing such proceedings against him, 
 as in such case I shall have it in my power to do. I have left 
 him with this assurance, and much as I should regret the loss 
 of a friendship so estimable [substituted for " valuable" struck 
 out] as his, I would sooner risk it, than admit any infringement 
 of the Deed by which he is bound to me." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of three, the others of two sides), un- 
 dated. (1813) 
 Arrangement of Songs in the fifth Number of the Irish 
 
23 
 
 Melodies. " Bessy wishes to have her Song 'I would mourn 
 the hopes' last in the Collection." " We hope to start from 
 Kegworth this day week. Our Sale is to be on Monday, and 
 I have great hopes I shall shirk the income tax, which 1 do 
 not feel the least remorse of conscience about — I am trusting 
 for everything to the sale, and have not paid a bill these two 
 months." " I have written to Stevenson most pressingly to 
 meet us at Ready's, if he does I shall be sure to settle your 
 business with him. I would really I think give up one of my 
 hundreds to him to get him fixed among us. Mrs. Ready is 
 fitting up a nursery for us, and seems determined that we shall 
 become her inmates. I can perceive by your silence that you 
 do not like my Post Bag. Its sale however is wonderful, and 
 I shall be very glad if we can produce a few such bad things 
 in the year, when we turn Leatherheads." " I am impatient 
 to say that I shall plague you no longer with your brother's 
 proposals. They are made so plausibly, that I am always 
 puzzled what to say to them. I shall now do what you have 
 advised." Long statement respecting Moore's irregularity in 
 accounts, illustrative as he says himself in his life of Sheridan, 
 of " That happy art in which the people of this country are 
 such adepts — of putting the future in pawn for the supply of 
 the present." "I 'got it into my head very foolishly that my 
 year ended with 1812, and though I am glad to find that I 
 have so much ' time to the good' for finishing my number of 
 Melodies to my satisfaction, yet I feel somewhat alarmed about 
 the enormity of my Saturday's draft on you, as it makes, I fear, 
 a most tremendous anticipation of my next year's resources, and 
 must inconvenience you in proportion. What led me into my 
 confusion about the time was my having, I believe, anticipated 
 in the same manner at the beginning of 1812. But I never 
 kept any thing like an account of my receipts before I came 
 here — therefore, of any sums received at the beginning of the 
 year I have not the slightest recollection— but since May I have 
 
24 
 
 drawn upon you, I believe, for £50, some time after my arrival 11 
 — for 36100 in September, and for £100 more on Saturday last 
 — this, with a ten pound note in November, and four or five 
 pounds when you were here, is all I have down in my book as 
 having received from you (what you have paid for me is another 
 account.) Now, if I have put down all my drafts upon you 
 since May correctly, these sums, with what I anticipated of the 
 present year, before I came down here, must leave me very little 
 even of your brother's portion untouched for the remainder of 
 the time, and therefore, a great part of my draft of Saturday 
 will fall unreasonably and prematurely upon you. When I 
 speak this way of your « brother's portion,' I am considering it 
 as we did last year (improperly I know) to be left to be paid at 
 the end of the year ; but I ought rather in the spirit of our 
 bond, talk of the .£500 at once, without separating your por- 
 tions. In this way, then, what I fear is, that there remains so 
 little of my £500 to me now, as to throw a great part of my 
 last draft upon the resources of next year, and that I am, like 
 Bonaparte, drawing out the conscription of 1813 before its 
 time." 
 
 Sends the first verse of 
 
 " From life without freedom oh ! who would not fly?" 
 Portuguese and Spanish Airs — Sends second verse of " the Song 
 of War." Begs a cancel in "'Thro' Erin's Isle' — to get rid 
 of one disgraceful rhyme."* Wishes to consider " of a some- 
 
 * It appeared notwithstanding*, 
 and was always a source of annoy- 
 ance to Mr. Moore. 
 
 " Shoots up hy Zephyr kist all, 
 
 And sparkles through 
 The limpid dew 
 Like emeralds through crystal '." 
 " Oh the Shamrock," he wrote 
 with reference to the annexed sketch, 
 
 "and that d d infernal stupid 
 
 rhyme of mine." 
 
25 
 
 what longer Preface for the Number coming from myself. It 
 has struck me that there is a little too much boasting in what 
 I have written, coming, as everybody will perceive from me, 
 though under the name of the Proprietors." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. undated (1813) 
 
 " Nothing yet from Bermuda." "The reason you did not 
 get my letter till Monday, was that my little Post Girl was late 
 for the Post on Friday morning. I missed your letter on Sun- 
 day, for some how I look for one from you on that day as 
 regularly as I used to look for your company to a Sunday 
 dinner at Brompton. The people here are beginning to visit 
 us much faster than I wish — and we are to dine out (for the 
 first time) to-morrow." Sends a verse of 
 
 " I'll think of you waking and sleeping." 
 " Here is a verse, my dear Sir, which I hope Stevenson will be 
 able to make something of — it will require that mixture of 
 lightness and feeling which no one knows better than his 
 knightship — You ought to have had it by yesterday's post, but 
 I got a sudden summons the day before to dine at the Park 
 and celebrate the Prince's Birth Day ; which you may suppose 
 / I did with all due solemnity and sincerity. — The wine was 
 I good and my Host was good, so I could have swallowed the 
 Toast if it had been the Devil !!" 
 
 Three Letters, 8vo. (one of four sides). Undated (1813) 
 
 " Pray send a Melologue directed to the Hon. W. Spencer, 
 3 7, [Bury Street, and one to Miss Douglas, Golden Square." 
 Directions respecting leaving a card u at the British Hotel for 
 Mr. Jeffery." With reference to the disagreement between 
 the Messrs. Power, Mr. Moore writes, " if it comes to that, 
 however, I may regret it, the many and deep-felt obligations I 
 am under to you, my dear Sir, not only in the way cf business 
 but of friendship, would not suffer me to hesitate a moment in 
 complying with your wishes, and if you still continue as decided 
 
26 
 
 in keeping him out of our Deed as he seems to be about getting 
 into it I shall not be long in chusing my side of the dispute 
 though a dispute it must be, and a legal one too, I have no 
 doubt of it." " I wish you had been with us last week. Lord 
 Moira sent us a haunch of venison, some moor game, and pine 
 apples." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides). Tuesday 
 
 Printed in the Memoirs by Lord John Russell, No. 217, 
 with the following twenty-one letters. 
 
 Three lines after the signature omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 " I have made many mistakes in copying out the words, but 
 Williams, the mad parson, is playing on his walking-stick at 
 the other side of the table." 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. (three sides). Friday 
 
 Memoirs, No. 218. 
 
 Three concluding lines omitted by Lord John Russell, who 
 has appended a note of five lines upon " a little job." 
 
 " For this next week, too, any strange anecdote that you hear 
 of these people will be very acceptable." 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. (two sides). Tuesday 
 
 Memoirs, No. 222. 
 
 Four lines omitted by Lord John Russell, and inclosed 
 are Moore's original sketch for the Music with copy for publi- 
 cation, endorsed 17th Feb. 1813, and Mr. Power's memorandum, 
 "Published 1816." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides). Monday, (Feb. 9th, 1813) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 223. 
 
 Sixteen lines omitted by Lord John Russell. 
 
 " My sending Carpenter these trifles to get published has 
 had one good effect, which is, that I have got the Manuscript 
 out of his hands, which you recollect he was so obstinate in 
 holding fast by. I have sent the last of the New Squibs, and 
 I think they ought to be out in a fortnight. The sale of the 
 
27 
 
 Tools, which was only last week in the Examiner, had been in 
 the Morning Chronicle six weeks ago, indeed soon after you left 
 this." " I am heartily sorry you should have any thing to give 
 you so much vexation as your brother must necessarily inflict 
 by his conduct ; but, on the other hand, it gives me most heart- 
 felt delight to hear you say that you do not suffer by or repent 
 our connexion." " I hope you will be .able to read this, but I 
 write it in bed, where I have staid to work, as they are washing 
 down stairs." 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. Not dated 
 
 Memoirs, No. 224. 
 
 Eight lines omitted by Lord John Russell 
 
 " I am sending so many letters to town, that I have not time 
 to do more than say, God bless you." Cl I have had many 
 sleepless nights with my jaw, but laudanum has at last got me a 
 nap." 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. Thursday 
 Memoirs, No. 225. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides). March 22nd, 1813, printed in 
 Memoirs 23rd, dated only " Monday" 
 
 Memoirs, No. 229. 
 
 Eight lines omitted by Lord John Russell. 
 
 After "poor Bessy" — " she was getting on wonderfully in- 
 deed, 'till an unlucky tooth ached her so much, that she has 
 been obliged to get it drawn this morning, after two sleepless 
 nights, which, I fear, will throw her back in her recovery." 
 " Best regards to Mrs. Power. I left the names of the Airs to 
 be filled up by Bennison, as I was not quite certain about them. 
 I shall, however, put them now." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides). December 7, 1813. Printed in 
 Memoirs Sunday — the post mark and pencil endorsement 
 prove that the above date of the receipt is correct 
 Memoirs, No. 230. 
 
28 
 
 Three lines after the signature omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 " Bessy is very anxious to know more about Mrs. Power and 
 the Children, so be explicit, when you have time for it." 
 One Letter, 4to. (three sides). Tuesday (1813) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 233. 
 
 Sixteen lines omitted by his Lordship. 
 After, " Ready s is every way convenient" " This being the 
 case, I shall be able to take Bessy there about the latter end 
 of April ; and it shall be entirely at your option, whether I wait 
 here till then, and deposit her there before I go, or go up now 
 and return to settle her at Ready's. The latter would be the 
 most expensive, and, indeed, the least convenient, measure ; 
 besides, May is such a good month in town, that five or six 
 weeks there at that time would do us more good than as many 
 about Easter would. I shall, therefore, take for granted, that 
 (however, it may be necessary for me to run up incog, to 
 consult you about business for a-day or two) I had better not 
 begin my company campaign in town till about May, when I 
 shall have shut up my house here, and left Bessy, Barbara, and 
 the maid, at Ready's." After the signature, " I send you my 
 signature upon a piece of paper, which you will have the good- 
 ness to fill up with the proper notice, and send to Stevenson to- 
 morrow evening for me along with the letter. You will not 
 neglect this ; you can inclose and direct it." 
 One Letter, 8vo. (two sides " Turn over") undated (1813) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 236. 
 
 The thirteen lines of the "Turn over" omitted by his Lord- 
 ship. 
 
 " You have made my mind very easy about my money mat- 
 ters, and I shall have no occasion to draw upon you, I hope, 
 till June ; but your brother's bill falls due upon the 10th. It 
 is a great pity it does not come after mine through Longmans, 
 as I might procure the supplies for it in that way ; but if you 
 should be urged, I can in some other channel. I shall not want 
 
29 
 
 to run up to town, thanks to your thoughtfulness in every re- 
 spect for me. Carpenter expects a call for a third Edition very 
 soon." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. Thursday, (1813, posted 27th December) 
 Me moirs, No. 23 
 
 Thirteen important lines omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 "I know this will bring money. I can go on writing the 
 convivial part of it, but the political (which shall not be so 
 strong as to do you any harm) had better be written near the 
 time of publication — and if it succeeds, as I have no doubt it 
 will, we can seize all the passing events in this way. Tell your 
 brother all this, though I have some doubt whether his nerves 
 will stand it. I mean now, instead of one thing every week, to 
 send you two things every second week, which will give me a 
 more uninterrupted spell at my Poem. One of the things shall 
 be either a Sacred Song, or something miscellaneous ; and the 
 other either Tom Brown, or an Irish Melody. D lton has sent 
 me the Bill of Fare of the First Meeting, and you shall have it 
 with my next packet, or, if not too thick, by this. It is almost 
 all from Sir John and me." " Will you have the goodness to 
 say in your next, whether you have any means soon of sending 
 a parcel to Ireland for Bessy." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. Wednesday, (1813) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 238. 
 
 Seven lines at the commencement, and seven lines at the 
 conclusion omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 " I received your letter yesterday, and likewise the one on 
 Sunday. We are both truly sorry indeed to hear that you have 
 had so many serious perplexities on your hands — the roguery of 
 your boy [a shop boy who had stolen a large quantity of music, 
 and sold it for waste ])aiper~\ must be every way a most dis- 
 tressing discovery, and I can easily imagine what a heart like 
 yours must feel at the infliction of the law's justice upon thi s 
 
30 
 
 ungrateful young reprobate." " I have been obliged, without 
 giving you such warning as I could wish, to draw upon you at 
 two months for 5624. 8s ; but, in about a week, if it is not a 
 death blow to you, I mean to draw for my usual sum, and shall 
 give you £24 out of it to meet the present draft. I wish I 
 could have kept from troubling you any more this year, but 
 necessity has no law, and you have been kind enough to say you 
 would accept for me." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides). 1813, (Post mark, 4th Sept. 1813) 
 Memoirs, No. 239. 
 
 Two lines after the signature omitted by his Lordship. 
 " Longman will send you a book for me, and I shall have 
 some more to make up a parcel soon." 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. Monday,— 1 8 1 3, (Post mark, 20th April, 1813) 
 Memoirs, No. 240. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. Tuesday night, (Post mark, 1st July, 1813) 
 Memoirs, No. 243. 
 
 Two lines at top omitted by his Lordship. 
 " Send the inclosed as soon as you can." 
 
 One Letter, 4 to 
 
 Memoirs, No. 244. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides)— 1813 (December 18, 1813) 
 Memoirs, No. 245. 
 
 Two lines at the top omitted by his Lordship. 
 " There has been an arrival from Bermuda since, and yet not 
 a word from Sneddon." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (three sides). July 14, 1813 
 Memoirs, No. 246. 
 
 " At the other side," and the words of the Finland Sons; " I 
 saw the Moon rise clear," (two verses) omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. (two sides and P.S. on back) Castle Donington, 
 Friday— (1813) 
 
31 
 
 Memoirs, No. 256. 
 
 The P.S. of four lines omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 " I bid Longman send the book for me to your house, and I 
 shall perhaps have some other materials for the parcel which 
 you meditate making for me." 
 One Letter, 4to. (three sides, October 23rd, 1813) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 258. 
 
 The twelve lines on the third page omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 " I have got my hat safe. It is very good of you to take up 
 my Bill of £24. 8s, but my payment of half my debt to Mrs. 
 Peneaud, with what I have had to do here, left me, as usual, 
 running close to the wind. I fell this as I do all your kind- 
 nesses ; not one of which I have yet an opportunity of repaying, 
 and this would be too burthensome if it went on long, but some 
 
 time or other perhaps ! The inclosed letter to Perry 
 
 is an answer to the last application about Drury Lane, which 
 was not indeed a formal application, but rather the account of 
 a conversation he had upon the subject at Holland House. I 
 have told him that I certainly will attempt a Drama for Drury 
 Lane, as soon as possible." 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. (four sides). Monday night (1813) [more 
 probably 1814, see 5th April in that year, p. 35, with re- 
 ference to Trial*] 
 Memoirs, No. 259. 
 
 Fifteen lines in the body of the note omitted by his Lord- 
 ship. 
 
 * The following is the newspaper report of this important Literary trial : — 
 
 COURT OF KING'S BENCH, 28th May. 
 
 Power v. Walker. 
 
 Copyright. — Mr. Horace Twiss stated that this was an action to recover 
 
 damages for pirating two songs, the one called, " Fly not yet," and the other 
 
 called " Eveleen's Bower." The songs were written and adapted to old 
 
 Irish melodies, by Thomas Moore, Esq. They were originally published among 
 
 many others, but being two favourite songs with the public, the defendant 
 
 had published them singly, and to conceal his piracy had varied the words in 
 
32 
 
 11 Dalton tells me he has had Mrs. Ready to dinner, with her 
 hair in ringlets over her neck — such hair ! and such a neck ! — 
 even Stevenson's heart was proof against them. By this I 
 should think she has but little chance of the Knight, and, in- 
 deed, I should be sorry he was thrown away upon her. Dalton 
 says Stevenson will come over with them in the Spring. I hope 
 you will like the words for Stevenson, and that he will set them 
 well. I have given my idea of the manner it ought to be set 
 in to Dalton." 
 
 such a way as to deceive those who inquired for the original works. Mr. 
 Moore's song began thus : — 
 
 " Fly not yet 'tis just the hour, 
 When pleasure like the midnight flower ; 
 That scorns the eye of vulgar light, 
 Begins to bloom for sons of night ; 
 And maids who love the moon." 
 The defendant's song was to this effect : — 
 
 " Fly not yet, 'tis just the hour, 
 When pleasure moves with brisker power ; 
 When fancy deck'd with pinions bright, 
 Exerts with sons of mirth her flight ; 
 And lovers court the moon." 
 The learned Counsel read the verses of each song, to the very great entertain- 
 ment of the Court. Mr. Moore's other song began in this way : — 
 " O weep for the hour 
 When to Eveleen's bow'r 
 The lord of the valley with false vows came." 
 The defendant's song was — 
 
 " O song of the hour 
 When to Eveleen's bow'r 
 The knight of the castle a courting came." 
 In this way did the defendant endeavour to avail himself of the popularity of 
 the plaintiff's songs. If such a system of imposition was suffered to prevail 
 it must ruin the plaintiff, Mr. Power, in his business, for he was actually 
 under an agreement with Mr. Moore to pay him £500 a year for the exclusive 
 right of publishing his lyric poetry. It was obvious that if the words of the 
 songs were sung inarticulately, as was too commonly the practice even with 
 
33 
 
 One Letter, small 4to. (two sides). (1813) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 260. 
 
 Six lines in the body of the note respecting the cancel 
 omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 After " done conveniently" — " if not, I shall add it as an erra- 
 tum to the New Preface, which you shall have in a day or two ; 
 though I should be almost tempted to leave the Advertisement 
 as it is, to vex your brother, who talks so impudently about it 
 
 our best singers, the one might easily be mistaken for the other. He then 
 made some observations on the national influence of songs, in guiding the 
 public taste and keeping alive the hereditary heroism of the people. So im- 
 portant were compositions of that sort considered by the English Government, 
 that Mr. Dibdin had been allowed a yearly pension for the songs by which he 
 had so often inspired our naval heroes. The defendant had boasted of his 
 numerous piracies of the same kind, and had described himself as a fire-ship' 
 that had done little mischief in the trade, though perhaps little accustomed to 
 such actions as the present. This Jire-ship could not be under a better 
 captain than his learned friend (the Attorney- General), but he trusted some 
 of the plaintiff's shot would strike her magazine, and blow her fairly out of 
 the water. 
 
 Mr. Moore proved that he was the author of the original songs, and that 
 he had transferred his interests in them to Mr. Power of Dublin, 
 
 Mr. Bennison proved that Mr. Power of Dublin, had transferred his right 
 to Mr. Power, of the Strand, but no writing passed, it was a verbal agree- 
 ment. 
 
 The Attorney- General contended that a copyright could not, under the 
 statute of Queen Anne, be vested in any one but the author, except it had 
 been transferred by a written instrument. 
 
 Lord Ellenborough, after looking into the Act of Parliament, considered 
 the objection fatal, and accordingly the plaintiff was nonsuited. 
 
 The Attorney-General observed, that the learned gentleman, by his manner 
 of conducting this cause, had shewn himself too able an advocate for his clients 
 to be under any apprehension of pirates, or even of ordinary perils, whatever 
 adventures they might embark in, under his guidance, in the ocean of law. 
 
 Lord Byron, Mr. John Kemble, and several literary characters were in 
 Couit 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 ■ — and I wish you would let me be at the expense of the altera- 
 tion in the letter-press, to annoy him." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. 3rd and 8th January, 1814 
 
 " Have you seen the splendid compliment paid to me and the 
 Melodies in the last Number of the Edinburgh Review ? It is 
 really most magnificent, and its appearance in that work is a 
 signal triumph to me." " Lord Byron is about another poem. 
 He is one of the very few men that write quick and well too. 
 I have a strong suspicion that he will dedicate this next poem 
 to me, but say nothing till we see." " If there should be a 
 Peace I will go to France and Italy to collect music for you, and 
 perhaps try a musical tour like Dr. Burney." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. (one of two sides), 16th and 24th February, 
 1814 
 " What a scrape my friend Lord Byron has got into by his 
 acknowledgement of the verses to the young Princess ! He 
 writes me word that the Prince till now always supposed them 
 to be mine." Of " poor Twiss's book," Moore says, [' I have 
 seldom read any thing that made me sadder than both its mirth 
 and its melancholy." " I wish the Satirist had more circula- 
 tion than it has; for they have just done for me what I could 
 not in delicacy do for myself, that is, published a pretty nearly 
 true statement of my transaction with Lord Moira." " I sup- 
 pose you have seen Hunt's honourable mention of me and the 
 Melodies in his ' Feast of the Poets.' " " I have had some 
 letters from unknown persons with Airs and information of 
 Airs." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4to., one 12mo., 12th and 17th March, ! 8 14 
 " I send this through Lord Byron." " I am in a sad 
 quandary about my Poem ; work as I will I cannot get it ready 
 to put to press till June, and that is quite too late for the season 
 — and yet I hear of more Persian tales likely to come out, 
 which may do me very great detriment, and makes . me feel 
 
35 
 
 very unhappy at the delay." " I have been too nervous and 
 frightened about this Poem, but nothing shall ever fidget me 
 so much again, or take up so much of my time — my friend 
 Rogers making me begin it all over again so often, has been 
 the whole cause both of my nervousness and my delay with it." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. 5th and 11th April, 1814 
 
 " I have at length received my dispatches from Bermuda, and 
 I know you will sympathize with my disappointment, when I 
 tell you the remittance is not half of what I was led to expect. 
 The mistake arose from Sheddon (in letter to me, announcing 
 what I was to expect) putting the word ' sterling' after the sum 
 he mentioned instead of ' currency,' which you know makes all 
 the difference in the world." " I wish you would let me know 
 whether it is quite certain that your Trial [See Note p. 31] will 
 come on before Summer, as I must be guided by that in my visit 
 to town, and manage so as not to be obliged to make two trips 
 of it." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4 to. one 8vo. 29th April, 6th May, 1814 
 
 " On Sunday night next I hope to eat bread and cheese and 
 drink long-untasted porter with you in the Strand. Many 
 thanks for your offer of a lodging — but I have written to be- 
 speak my former ones in Bury Street, 33." " I want a good 
 ( air to write a dashing Song in praise o/Lord Wellington. 
 y Our Irish hero ought not to go unsung." "Will you let me eat 
 a hasty bit with you to morrow? (a little before four, if not in- 
 convenient,) as I am going to the theatre to see Kean's Iago. 
 I had Whitbread with me for three quarters of an hour yesterday 
 about a play for Drury. Lord Byron has done two Songs 
 already for me." 
 
 Two Letters, 4 to. (one of three, the other of two sides), 9th and 
 25th June, 1814 
 Two curious and interesting letters. One contains the second 
 verses of " When twilight dews," and " When I am dead," with 
 
 I) 2 
 
36 
 
 an alteration in the Musical Notation of the latter. " I ar- 
 rived very tired on Saturday evening, not the less so for meeting 
 with very unexpected honours from the fools of Derby, who 
 came out to meet us about a mile from the town (on account of 
 the confirmation of Peace) with ribbons, oak-leaves, &c. took 
 the horses from the mail and pulled us through the town. 
 After we had dined, the same wise animals pulled us out again. 
 We were received at Ashburne (both places being long re- 
 markable for their fits of frenzy) with the same cavalcade and 
 triumph, and the only thing that amused me in the whole 
 business was an idea that struck me of buying a whiskered 
 mask, before we came to Derby, which I made a man in the 
 mail (who had an odd sort of black tufted travelling cap) put 
 on, and he hurraed like a Don Cossack out of the windows." 
 " The one [Melody] I send has a good many verses to it, and is 
 a subject I have long meditated. It is on the Prince's desertion 
 of Ireland, and done so as to appear like a love song, in the 
 manner of some other political ones in the Collection. I am 
 sure you will like it when you see the rest." 
 
 Six Letters, five 4 to. (one of three and one of two sides, one 8vo. 
 of two sides), 4th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 20th, and 21st July, 
 1814 
 " A word from you is worth (I was going to say ten com- 
 mandments from any other quarter.)" " Unless you particu- 
 larly wish my attendance, I had rather be spared both the 
 vulgar laugh at my unfortunate verses, and the Old-Baily sort 
 of language I may expect from the Attorney-General — indeed, 
 I felt as if I were gibbetted the last time." (A facetious letter). 
 Three most interesting letters respecting the dispute between 
 Messrs. James and William Power and their arrangement with 
 Moore. " I write now, under cover to Lord Byron, to tell you 
 that Kelly's book contains no less than four or five very pretty 
 Airs for our purpose, and on Friday I expect to send you one 
 of them with words." "The circumstances under which we 
 
37 
 
 parted were such as to make me tremblingly alive to the least 
 suspicion of alteration in you. You saw how ready I was to give 
 up your purse, but you will never see me ready to give up 
 your friendship." 
 
 Four Letters, 4to. 10th, 18th, 18th, and 29th August, 1814 
 
 " Jeffrey has written me so many pressing letters to do some- 
 thing for the Review, and Rogers and Byron have seconded 
 him so warmly, that I am obliged to give him two articles for 
 this Number — but I never will give him any more ; these things 
 will be too valuable to us to be thrown away so slightly." " I 
 write now merely to say that I have done ' Cuislah ma chree,' 
 after many trials." The letter of 18th August announces the 
 birth of" Miss Olivia Byron Moore (that is to be)." " I think 
 you will not grudge ten pence for the intelligence of Bessy's 
 safety, it would be worth twenty pence, if I had a boy to an- 
 nounce to you, but unluckily it is another girl." •' But I will 
 drink an extraordinary glass or two to-day, and one of the ex- 
 traordinaries shall be to you and yours." " I have been wisked 
 away to the Derby Races by my friend Joe Atkinson, and the 
 worst of it is cannot get back for love or money. I am invited 
 from this by the Duke of Devonshire to meet the Harringtons 
 with him at Chatsworth for some days — but I do not think I 
 shall go. Forgive me all my sins," &c. 
 
 It was upon this occasion that Mr. Atkinson wrote the 
 following, we believe, unpublished epigram. 
 
 I'm sorry, dear Moore, there's a damp to your joy, 
 
 Nor think my old strain of mythology stupid, 
 When I say that your wife had a right to a boy, 
 
 For Venus is nothing without a young Cupid. 
 But since Fate, the boon that you wished for, refuses, 
 
 By granting three girls to your happy embraces, 
 He meant, when you wandered abroad with the Muses, 
 
 That your wife should be circled at home by the Graces." 
 
38 
 
 Mr. Moore to Sir John Stevenson and Mr. Power, 2 letters 4 to. 
 (one of two sides), 10th and 13th September, 1814. 
 " I have just received a scatter brained letter from him to say 
 that he means to start on Tuesday morning for Gloucester, 
 which is in an entirely opposite direction to us. Now what I 
 entreat of you is, that the moment you get my letter, you will 
 proceed to seize this wild frolicksome youth — put him into one 
 of the coaches that leave London for Manchester at two o'clock, 
 and if possible put yourself in with him." " I shall have Paddy 
 O'Rafferty ready for Stevenson to arrange, and shall make him 
 do the Sacred Songs." " I depend upon your sending Stevenson 
 to me." 
 
 Six letters, five 4to. (one of three, and one of two sides) one 
 8vo., 6th, 7th, 10th, 21st, 24th, 28th, and 28th Novem- 
 ber, 1814. 
 A Piano Forte "for Mr. Arkwright (the son, you know, of 
 the great Cotton Man, who lives in Ashbourne.)" Correction of 
 verse in the Song of " Dear Harp of my Country." " Obliged 
 to give a dinner." " One fine and dashing dish enables one to 
 be as homely as one pleases in the rest of the dinner, and if 
 Turtle soup be not too extravagant, I should like to have a little 
 down, enough for six persons," — limits the price to a guinea. — 
 A long and interesting letter. " I wish I had sent one of my 
 two eldest young ladies over with you to Ireland, for I find the 
 addition of one more in the house makes an incredible difference 
 in point of noise, and I hear every thing in this small cabin so 
 plainly, that really I am very seriously disturbed by them, and 
 shall, I fear, be many ideas out of pocket by their riotousness." 
 Criticism on the illustration to Moore's Song of my Wellington's 
 name. " I hope the Turtle soup is comeatable, as I am rather 
 depending on it." The first number of the Sacred Songs, with 
 reference to the Deed. " My dinner went off illustriously, and 
 your oysters in the evening were pronounced the best ever 
 eaten." " I cannot reconcile it to myself to delay one moment 
 
39 
 
 my congratulations on the amicable turn your business with 
 your brother is likely to take. Heaven send it may all end as 
 cordially as I wish." " I am not at all satisfied with the state 
 of the 7th. No. We want something striking, and I must try 
 on till I find it." " I have just had a long letter from Lord 
 Byron — he is at Verona." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4 to., one 8vo. (both three sides), 26 Dec. (note 
 undated) 1814. 
 " I have waited two or three days, and delayed the second 
 verse of Wellington in the expectation of proofs from you." 
 Sends second and third verses with corrections of " While His- 
 tory's Muse," and the third verses to "The time I've lost," and 
 "Come rest in this bosom." '* These have been my employ- 
 ment since I came down — hardly a line of my Poem. I shall 
 now try the Ballads for Braham, and then take to my Sacred 
 Songs and Poem." " I have just got your letter, very sorry 
 about the Turtle. But do not mind the Cod's head, as I have 
 fish ; only send the oysters." " I have kept back ' Fill the 
 bumper' to consider of it." "I am sorry to see that you have 
 put my name in full to those foolish early songs of mine, which 
 I never authorized more to than T. M., Esq." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. (two sides), 17th January, 1814. 
 Memoirs, No. 265. 
 
 Six lines at top, and four lines after the signature omitted by 
 his Lordship. " Wednesday — this letter was written to go off 
 on Tuesday, but the young ladies had not their packet ready — ■ 
 so that they must take the place of my own inclosures on 
 Friday, and I shall send my two Songs by the way of Davies- 
 street the beginning of next week ; in the meantime as I trust 
 you will think this letter worth tenpence it shall go by itself." 
 " I suppose you saw that the Tyrolese Glee was sung at the 
 great dinner given to Mr. Canning in Liverpool. When you have 
 any parcel to send us, I wish you would put up some dried 
 sprats from your neighbour Hicksons, 170." 
 
40 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), 29th January, 1814. 
 
 Memoirs, No. 271. 
 One Letter, 4 to. (two sides), undated. 
 
 Memoirs, No. 272. 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. (two sides), 1st August, 1814. 
 Memoirs, No. 292. 
 
 Eight lines at top omitted by his Lordship. 
 " Whenever you send me another parcel, pray send me some 
 Music paper — and oh ! the Bill for Tyrrell, for goodness sake 
 do not forget this. The filtering stone broke all round the top 
 before it was taken out of the case — there was a great seam in 
 the stone, which cracked ; pray hear what the man has to say 
 to this some time when you are near him." 
 One Letter, 4to. (three sides), 31st October, 1814. 
 
 Memoirs, No. 303. 
 One Letter, 4to. (three sides), 12th November, 1814. 
 
 Memoirs, No. 307. 
 Four Letters, 4to. (one of four sides), 7th and 20th January 
 14th and 18th February, 1815. 
 Sends words of " No tears are not always," 3 verses, " Love 
 and Time," 3 verses, " I love thee now," 3 verses. " I have 
 been particularly prolific since I wrote last. In addition to the 
 above, I have written words (to an air I have made out from 
 Beethoven) of five verses, about 48 lines. You may give one 
 of the above to Michael Kelly if you please — ' Love and Time* 
 perhaps. I shall alter either for him or Braham any words they 
 may boggle at." " I shall leave home for Chatsworth, I think, 
 on Monday. How do the engravings go on, and did the artist 
 succeed to your satisfaction in the sketch of the Leprechaun ?" 
 As to the Doctor's request, I have, of course, not the least ob- 
 jection — but I do not like the style of his wording. Suppose 
 we say, ' To the gentleman who favoured me with this air I am 
 indebted for many other old and beautiful melodies, from which, 
 
41 
 
 &c. &c. Nothing better seems to me at present, ' scientific' is 
 not one of my words." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. 3rd, 10th and 30th March, 1815 
 
 " Send it to the office to be franked for me — direct under 
 cover to Mr. Greville, War Department, Downing Street. I 
 am anxious to know whether he may be depended upon." 
 " The new setting of * Fill the bumper' will do — but Stevenson 
 seems to have resolved upon doing it tastelessly." One of the 
 letters contains " a small alteration in the Sacred Melody" of 
 three bars. " This being for no other purpose (as Kings say 
 in their letters) I pray God to take you into his holy keeping." 
 Your daughter " is flourishing most promisingly, and if she 
 gives but fair play as to time, will exchange her lilies for roses 
 before she leaves Mayfield." 
 
 Four Letters, 4to. (two of two sides), 8th, 21st, 22nd and 29th 
 April, 1815 
 With reference to Mrs. Wilmot's Tragedy, Mr. Moore writes — 
 " it has been so often postponed that I do not like to send up 
 my Epilogue till I have something more certain than her 
 announcement of it." "I should have liked very well to have 
 taught Mrs. Bartley my own method of reading the Epilogue 
 but as to witnessing the speaking of it my nerves are as well 
 without that trial. I dare say it will go off as flat as the Melo- 
 logue. ,, "Poor Mrs. Wilmot's Play got a complete and 
 irredeemable damnation. Lord Byron writes me word not a 
 line of my Epilogue was either intelligibly spoken or heard. 
 And it was so much the better, for really it would have 
 appeared like a satire on the poor deceased Lady. No — no — 
 ' your gentle Inas will not do,' was quite a prophecy of the 
 event. I find however my Epilogue has made up lee-way, in 
 the reading y most triumphantly." 
 
 Four Letters, 4to. (two of three and one of two sides), 3rd, 
 9th, 18th and 25th May, 1815 
 
42 
 
 " I fear very much I shall not be able to compass my visit 
 to town, though there are many things I want to do there, 
 besides the great use those ' annual revelations of myself (as 
 Rogers calls my visit) are invariably of, to me, in every way — 
 but the supplies are not forthcoming, and I fear I shall be 
 obliged to ask the loan of your name for our trip to Ireland 
 where I should not like to appear ' shorn of my beams' in any 
 respect ; you can understand why, for every reason I should 
 like to put my best leg foremost in Dublin " u Did you see the 
 mention of my work and the price in the Chronicle last week ? 
 How Lord Byron must curse that fellow Nathan, who is puff- 
 ing off his Jewish wares in all sorts of quackish ways. He 
 had a Puff about them the other night directly under the 
 Lottery Squibs, in the small type part of the Courier. Talk- 
 ing of the Jew — I have the second verse of ' FalPn is thy 
 throne O Israel !' to send you." Sends the four verses of this 
 song with the notes. — Comment on his friend Dalton's con- 
 duct. — " I hope the above is sacred enough for you. I flatter 
 myself it is both words and music, a very tolerable hit. Was 
 there ever any thing so bad as the Hebrew Melodies ? # Some 
 
 * Lord Byron is said to have heard of this or a similar letter written by 
 Moore, and to have revenged himself in the following 
 
 EPITAPH. 
 
 Lasciva pagina 
 
 Vet a proba est." 
 
 Tread light o'er the Poet, whom Death was to blame 
 For gathering so soon to his store ; 
 Tn the lays of his youth he was Little in fame, 
 Though his name has since shone on us More. 
 
 The Muses and Graces hung over his lyre, 
 And taught him the feelings to move ; — 
 To wake the warm glow of impassion'd desire, 
 And kindle the bosom to love. 
 
43 
 
 of the words are of coarse good, tho' not so good as might 
 have been expected - but the Music ! ' Oh Lord God of Israel!' 
 what stuff it is ! and the price ! If the Angel in the title page 
 had four Crowns instead of one and the odd shilling tucked 
 under his wing, it would be four times more emblematical than 
 it is." — " I have just had a proposal from Douglas Kinnaird 
 to join him and Lord Byron and Lord Essex in the Committee 
 of Management of Drury Lane. What do you say to that, 
 shall I accept it ?" " Tell the Champion to direct to me 
 Kilmaiuham Lodge. I have given up the management." Sends 
 second verse of the " Song of Miriam" — " Oh when shall 
 come that glorious day." 
 
 Four Letters, one folio, two 4to. (one of two sides), and one 
 8vo. 5th June, 11th, 26th and 31st July, 1815 
 " This expedition is bleeding me most profusely, though I 
 am not at expense for lodgings, that excellent fellow Richard 
 Power having lent me his house." "We leave Dublin on the 
 loth for the Powers and Bryans and after that go to Lord 
 Granard's." "7, Kildare Street"—" We returned to town 
 after near a month's ramble through the County Kilkenny, 
 during which time we made visits to four different houses, and 
 
 Though some have complain 'd of his verses, the spell 
 
 Is far too voluptuously wrought ; 
 
 That the action of love is depicted so well, 
 
 The passion is almost forgot. 
 
 Yet peace to his ashes ! if sometimes too warm 
 
 His luxuriant effusions may seem, — 
 
 In each line of those strains breathes a soul-touching charm, 
 
 Which forsook him in changing his theme. 
 
 Of the dead we'd fain speak and would always hope well ; 
 Tommy's errors, we trust, are forgiven ; 
 But if there's one thing that will send him to Hell, 
 'Tis his singing so vilely of Heaven !"* 
 
 * See ' Moore's Melodies,' by T. Moore. 
 
44 
 
 you may easily suppose idleness was the order of the day with 
 me. 5 ' Sends five Sacred Melodies. 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of two sides) 1st .September, 9th and 
 14th October, 1815 
 " I but last night returned from another country visit of 
 three weeks duration to my sister in Tipperary." — " I had a 
 sad journey of it— poor Bessy was taken very ill with me at 
 Holyhead and I was obliged to forfeit the inside of the coach 
 which I had paid for to Chester. We were five days creeping 
 along, and it cost me every farthing of forty guineas before I 
 got home." ft I am not only at my money's ends, but my wit's 
 end too." " If you are sending me Gardiner's 2 vols, pray 
 let the Scourge of this month (containing caricature about Big 
 Ben) come with it." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of two sides) 4th, 14th, and 19th No- 
 vember, 1815 
 " I have deferred sending you the enclosed from my wish to 
 have Lord Byron's answer to a proposal I made him some time 
 ago (before I left Ireland) with respect to his song. I found 
 a very pretty Irish Air to which the words went remarkably 
 well, and I told him that as I had failed in setting them my- 
 self, the next gratification I should feel would be with your 
 leave and his, to put them in the next Number of Irish Melo- 
 dies — to this he has answered that he should infinitely prefer 
 having them ' embalmed? (as he expresses himself) in that work 
 to their being scattered abroad as a single Song. It is for you 
 now to express your opinion." " I have some fears (from my 
 recollection of the dates), that two of the Bills, which my ne- 
 cessities in Ireland extorted from me, one to Stevenson, and the 
 other to your brother, will become due to-morrow. Their 
 united sums will be, I think, about eighty or ninety pounds, 
 and I accordingly send you a draft on the other side for 36100 
 upon the Longmans. I have apprized them by this Post of the 
 sort of informal draft you are to present, and I should be glad 
 
45 
 
 if you would defer presenting it till it is absolutely necessary. 
 The Bill your brother drew was for money he let me have, and 
 has nothing to do with any debt to him, which I took care not 
 to increase." 
 Seven Letters, five 4 to. one franked by Mr. Arkwright, two 
 
 8vo. (one of three sides), 2nd, 4th, 8th, 11th, 13th, 21st, 
 
 and 28th December, 1815 
 " I have not felt very well for this week past, and sometimes 
 think I have symptoms of the muscular inflammation in my side, 
 which laid me up for so long a time about nine years ago, as I 
 know I am apt to be fanciful, it may perhaps be nothing but 
 imagination. I shall, however, apply leeches if the pain con- 
 tinues." These letters are chiefly relative to Moore's Sacred 
 Songs. " I have not been out of my own demesne more than 
 twice these three weeks." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. (one of two sides), two 8vo. (one of two 
 sides), Sunday, (1815) 
 " I have not time at this moment to give you half the thanks 
 you deserve for the kind and feeling account you have indulged 
 me with of your visit to my dear and excellent mother. I am 
 quite happy that she saw you, because I know what a comfort it 
 was to her — indeed they had written to me about it, before I 
 heard from you." " These two [Irish Melodies'] are Savourna 
 Deelish, and Sweet Harp of my Country, which I am so very 
 anxious about, that I wish to keep back the rest of them till the 
 very last moment." " I am never done touching and retouching 
 while the things lie by me, and nothing but a printer's devil at 
 my heels ever drives me into finishing. To be sure with copper 
 plates this is not so convenient, but you must be prepared for 
 this sort of proceeding, when we come to our literary operations. 
 My Anacreon, Little, Post Bag, have all gone to press before 
 they were more than half finished ; and I have succeeded well 
 enough in all not to make me wish to change my method." 
 <: I should like Wellington's Song in the middle, and Sweet 
 
46 
 
 Harp of my Country of course the last." " As soon as I have 
 got the two puzzles of the Melodies off my stomach I shall 
 send you the second verses of these Songs. I have not been 
 able yet to separate Stevenson's chaff from his grain in the 
 immense mass of music-paper he has scribbled over." " If the 
 story of the Leprechaun be authentic, keep it so — but let me 
 know whether you do by return of Post, directed ^o me, at 
 Chatsworth, Derbyshire, as I must mention it in the note on 
 the Song. I send you a Sacred thing to keep the Leprechaun 
 in countenance." "I rather fear the Cobler is too vulgar for 
 the style of my Song. I wish now we had chosen another 
 subject." — [See Crofton Croker's Fairy Legends.] 
 Three Letters, 8vo. (one of three, the other of two sides). 
 Wednesday evening, two undated, (1815) 
 " I like the second sketch very much — indeed 1 like both, 
 and the figure of History in the first one is particularly pretty 
 — the moment too, he has chosen, excuses the triumphant air 
 of Erin. Upon the whole, however, I think I prefer the second, 
 and seizing the most prominent feature in the Song — the 
 words under it must be 
 
 ' She saw History write, 
 With a pencil of light, 
 That illumed all the volume, her Wellington's name.' 
 I am afraid that you will cry out at the alterations I have made 
 in * When first I saw' — but remember they are to be put down 
 to my account." " It is very amusing to think of Byron 
 becoming a ' sweet singer of Israel,' — but you will find but 
 little of the poetry actually his." Of one of his Sacred Melodies 
 Mr. Moore writes — " You may send words and all to Steven- 
 son, as they are married indissolubly together, There will be 
 several verses to it.' et I return the proofs [of the Irish Melo- 
 dies'] 1 must have a revise of the Advertisement, which has 
 given me inconceivable trouble. I had a long rig-ma-role in it 
 about Wellington — in which I said that it was at your request 
 
47 
 
 I wrote the Song ; but that of course I did it with c all my 
 heart and soul, &c. &c.' but, after twisting it into a thousand 
 shapes I left that and much more out." " I will say for myself, 
 there never was a fellow left more completely to his own mother 
 wit in these things than I am. "Why does not Stevenson 
 solicit something ? Lord Byron has sent me a song to set — 
 very beautiful, but devilish hard to put to music." " I have 
 not been very well latterly, continued head-aches — I should 
 think from hard fagging ; for I am all day at it." " I am 
 sorry to give you so much trouble about the Preface, tho' it is 
 nothing to what I give myself." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of three sides), one undated, two 
 " Thursday night " (1815) 
 " I find Rogers suspected me of some Epistle there has been 
 about the shows in the Park ; but I have written nothing since 
 Blucher." " The sixth [Irish Melody'] I had to send was, 
 ' Come fly to this bosom,' which, however, I am doubtful about 
 retaining." " Pray, do not let the engraver put in the words 
 in the first verse of the Duett beginning, ' Go then, deceiver, 
 go,' as I think I shall alter these four lines." " I send you a 
 Sacred Melody, which I have taken from Haydn, with altera- 
 tions of my own." " I could not help putting the words, 
 ' Should any one,' &c. under the Prince's Song ; however, I do 
 not at all insist upon your keeping this in. If the verses are 
 allowed to stand it is the most I can expect. I have a piece of 
 friendship to tell you, very unlike the high promising hollow- 
 ness of certain friends of mine. You have often heard me 
 speak of Douglas. [John Erskine Douglas was appointed 
 Captain of H.M.S. Boston in December 1797, and 'Rear- 
 Admiral Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica, 6th January , 1815, 
 which command he held until the end of 181 7.] He has just 
 been appointed Admiral on the Jamaica Station, and the first 
 thing he did was to offer me the Secretaryship. The salary is 
 something under five hundred a year, but the perquisites, even 
 
48 
 
 in peace, are considerable, and if the Devii should put it into 
 Madison's head to carry on the war, it would be a fortune to 
 me. He has also told me there is a house there for the Ad- 
 miral, with nearly 100 acres of land, which is all quite at my 
 service, and I may take out Bessy to it. Is not this kind ? is 
 it not courageous, too, considering the sort of interest by which 
 Douglas has got his appointment ? He is a sterling fellow. I 
 have written, however, to decline it, as we," &c. 
 
 " And to tell you the truth, my dear friend, I look to the 
 plan which you and I have between us, as an equally abundant 
 source of emolument, with greater comfort and less risk. The 
 Duke of Devonshire has asked us to Chatsworth. I shall go 
 for two or three days, but Bessy does not like such operations." 
 "That paragon of honest fellows, Douglas." " Pray, let Mr. 
 Benison correct the spelling of ( Cuishlah ma chree ' according 
 to Dr. Kelly, and likewise procure the name of * Has sorrow 
 thy young days,' as I have just hunted through all my music 
 for Kelly's book and cannot find it." 
 
 118 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), 3 1st January, 1815 
 
 Memoirs, No. 318. 
 
 119 One Letter, 4to. (four sides), (1815) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 319. 
 
 Sixteen lines on the third side and four lines on the back of 
 this letter omitted by his Lordship. " Don't you think it 
 would be a good plan to send all the words I write to selected 
 Airs over to Stevenson, and let him try his hand at them. If 
 he succeeds, I can write other words to the selected Air, and 
 there is so much gained. If not, we can leave it as it was — 
 but pretty airs are such an object, we should try every means to 
 get them. Do not tell Stevenson, however, there is an Air 
 already to what you send, or it will make him careless. Bessy 
 joins me in entreaty that as soon as your dear Jean is able to 
 travel she may come down to us and take a month or two of 
 country air — which I have no doubt will do her great service. 
 
49 
 
 We shall nurse her, you may be sure, as if she were our own. 
 Now pray think seriously of this. Bessy will be delighted to 
 have her." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), 30th May, 1815 
 Memoirs, No. 329. 
 
 This letter bears Mr. Power's endorsement, "July 5th f 
 1815," but the Postmark establishes the date of its receipt 
 in London, to be 5th June. 
 One Letter, 4 to. (two sides), Sunday (December 19th, 1815) 
 Memoirs, No. 338. 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. (two sides), Monday night (1815) 
 
 Memoirs, No. 339. 
 
 Two lines omitted by his Lordship. " I sent off the proofs 
 by Pickford last night." The fourth line of the verses altered 
 " hold (bend) my flight" struck through. 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to., one 8vo. (three sides), 1st, 28th, and 
 — January, 1816 
 
 " As for myself I have got quite well again." " Just now 
 I am at the very end of my tether." " My conscience is very 
 well satisfied with the way I have performed my task for you. 
 You have here, I think, the purest and most perfect little col- 
 lection of poems I have ever written, and I only hope the 
 Public may, for your sake, agree with me in opinion ; I mean 
 to dedicate the Number to Dalton. I have discovered since I 
 wrote last an error in the words of Lord Byron's l Farewell" 
 by Stevenson, which would annoy the Noble Bard if he saw it. 
 ' For others weal availed on earthy should be ' availed on 
 high.'' " " I must tell you a trait of this Upholsterer: two or 
 three months ago I called upon him at Derby to chuse a music- 
 stand for my room. After I had chosen the one I liked, or 
 rather indeed asked whether he could not make one cheaper 
 for me, the poor fellow said, blushing and stammering, ' Mr. 
 Moore, if you will do me the favour to accept of that trifle 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 from me, as a small mark of my esteem for your character, I 
 shall consider it as the greatest favour you can do me.' I did 
 not hesitate, of course ; these things are very gratifying." 
 
 Four Letters, three 4to., one 8vo., 8th, 12th, 15th, and 18th 
 
 February, 1816 
 
 " I am going to give on Wednesday my annual dinner to the 
 
 natives here — indeed, the smallness of our table will force me, 
 
 I fear, to make two dinners of it— and I want you to send me 
 
 off by to-morrow's night Mail a Barrel of Oysters and three or 
 
 four Lobsters, which will arrive on Tuesday and be ready to 
 
 take the field on Wednesday evening. The Fish for Dinner I 
 
 think I can get good enough here, and certainly cheaper." 
 
 " I wish you would send to Longman for ' Paul's Letters to his 
 
 Kinsfolk ' for me, and if Murray has not already forwarded 
 
 Hunt's ' Rimini ' to me, they can come together." 
 
 Five Letters, three 4to., two 8vo. (one of three sides), 14th, 
 21st, 23rd, 27th and 31st March, 1816 
 " Poor Lord Byron ! I begin to think you had better per- 
 haps publish his Song with Stevenson's Music, for I should 
 suppose he would not wish the words any longer delayed from 
 the Public." " The fish you sent was excellent, I assure you 
 my name as a dinner-giver has gone far and wide on the strength 
 of it. The lobster particularly will not soon be forgotten. No 
 one here ever saw so large a one, and I have heard more than 
 once since of my ' Lobster as big as myself?'" "We had a 
 charity ball in Ashbourne on Tuesday, of which I was steward, 
 and I am to be in the chair at the Lancaster anniversary at 
 Derby on the 30th, so you see what I am promoted to," " ac- 
 tually smoked out of our house." " The poor man at the 
 inn (whose charity ball was last week), has just sent me in a 
 small account of about six pounds, if you could conveniently send 
 me so much before Sunday — for I believe he is much distressed." 
 "I lost half my last night's sleep in fidgetting over the possi- 
 
51 
 
 bility of your having already distributed some copies of this 
 Song." " How could you think that I would take away the 
 compliment of the Dedication from Dalton, or that Bessy 
 would accept of it, so transferred?" " I hope you drank our 
 healths on the marriage anniversary, last Monday." " I have 
 promised to dedicate • Oh yes — when the bloom of Love's boy- 
 hood/ to Miss Strutt." 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to. (both of two sides), and one folio, 
 11th, 14th, and 22nd April, 1816, (the latter franked by 
 Mr. Arkwright) 
 "You really are to be pitied. Your Poet 140 miles off, 
 your Composer 300, and your poor assistant Benison lying ill — 
 no one else would bear it with half so much patience." "It was 
 very lucky you sent me the former revises of the letterpress 
 with the last ones, for I find that the Printer had the unac- 
 countable stupidity to put instead of • The Star of its Worship' 
 — The Star of its Honship. One would think he was looking 
 at the caricature you sent me, for the star of his Horseship 
 would be very appropriate there — but there is no such thing as 
 trusting printers. I suppose my hand-writing misled him." 
 <{ You have not said what you thought of my grand exhibition 
 at Derby ?" " The impudence of that scribbler Fitzsimons is 
 quite amusing." Sends dedication of the first number of Sacred 
 Songs to Edward Tuite Dalton, Esq. " As I exp?cted I am 
 obliged to give another dinner to clear off my debts here. You 
 cannot conceive what a Dr. and Cr. account they keep of din- 
 ners." t( My number at dinner is six — a Baronet and an M.P. 
 the chief dignitaries ! is'nt salmon very good just now ?" 
 
 Two Letters. One 4 to., one 8vo. Thursday, and May 30, 
 
 1816 
 
 " Athenaeum, Thursday. u I came to town last night and 
 
 have just been to Longmans where I have l done the deed,' 
 
 and you shall have the money to-morrow." [See Lord John 
 
 e 2 
 
52 
 
 Russell's note in Memoirs, Vol. II. p. 110.] " Bessy wants a 
 set of the Irish Melodies, as those I gave her before we were 
 married are grown too old and too precious for use." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of three sides) 6th, 13th, and 24th 
 June, 1816 
 " I hear rumours of war from Dublin, between you and the 
 Knight, and you and your brother. Is there any further pro- 
 gress in hostilities since I left you ? " " I am in a most ner- 
 vous state of anxiety about our next number of Irish Melodies, 
 for we are sadly off for materials. I must have Bunting's two 
 volumes to look over and Thomson's first." "I wish you to 
 have the name ' Bessy' cancelled in the last verse of the ' Sale 
 of Loves,' and ' Susan' put in its place. My happiness is (as 
 they say) * too true to put in a Ballad ! ' " " The collections 
 you have lent me (particularly Doctor Kelly's) have given me 
 more confidence about our next number." On the other side 
 are the remaining verses of " Reason and Folly and Beauty." 
 [Four verses follow.'] 
 
 Five Letters, four 4to., one 8vo. (of three sides), 1st, 16th, 
 31st July, Monday Nt., and Tuesday Nt. 1816 
 
 " Your Prospectus or Advertisement you should have had 
 sooner— but that I have some doubt about the policy of appear- 
 ing so anxious for subscribers to the work. Any great desire 
 for subscription always looks too like a diffidence in the attrac- 
 tion of the work to purchasers — however, if you think any 
 object is to be gained by it you must know better than I, the 
 effect of these things — only I have always perceived that when 
 a book is well established in public favour there is never much 
 anxiety shewn about subscribers — of all this, however, you are 
 the best judge." 
 
 " Don't you think it would be right to say • Moore's Irish 
 Melodies, over the Advertisement ? there are so many now." 
 44 1 have paid my rent this day — twenty pounds, which I 
 
53 
 
 nursed up since I left London, and have at the same time, 
 given six months' notice of quitting my cottage. So that you 
 see I am determined to pass the winter with you." " Heartily, 
 most heartily sorry am I that the die is cast, and that you are 
 indeed become ' belligerent Powers,' instead of keeping to that 
 ' Holy Alliance' which Nature meant between you. But there 
 is no help for it now. What I write principally for is to beg 
 that you -will bring a copy of Fitzsimon's second number with 
 you." 
 Four Letters, two 4to., two 8vo., 11th, 14th, 19th, and Monday 
 Night, August, 1816 
 " I wish you would look at a house I see advertised, No. 2, 
 in the street off Grosvenor Place, where Raymond lives, and 
 let me know the terms, &c." "We expect Rogers here the 
 day after to-morrow, and I am afraid he will insist upon my going 
 on with him to the Lakes for two or three days." " Rogers has 
 been with us for the greater part of last week, and it was with 
 some difficulty and much regret on both sides that I got off 
 going with him to the Lakes of Cumberland ; but I could not 
 spare the time, and besides Bessy is ordered for a week or a 
 fortnight to Matlock or Buxton." " I wish you would send 
 to Hone, the bookseller (in Fleet St., I believe, he who pub- 
 lished something of Lord Byron's) for half a dozen copies of 
 
 ' Lines on the Death of , from the Morning Chronicle/ 
 
 They are mine, and I find from my friend Rogers, have made a 
 great noise." " Tired as I am after an excursion to Dove-dale 
 with our young friend Grierson. I have contrived to copy out 
 my weekly task for you." " We go to Matlock for a few days 
 on Wednesday." 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to. (one of two sides) one 8vo. (two sides), 
 
 2nd, 12th, and 29th September, 1816 
 
 " Matlock. With much difficulty I have got a pen and ink 
 
 to scrawl you a line, which I fear you will take for Stevenson's, 
 
 from the penmanship of it." lt This place is very pleasant, but 
 
54 
 
 we shall leave it the day after to-morrow." " I send you the two 
 I promised, I have a good many more verses to * Ladies eyes.' 
 What is the real name of this Air?" [Fague a Ballagh — 
 a phrase now applied to the 88th Regiment.'] Sends two 
 verses : 
 
 " He was wandering from virtue, from peace, and from fame, 
 Nor knew what he sunk to, so flowery the fall." 
 
 Four Letters, three 4 to. (one three and one two sides), one Svo. 
 (three sides), 10th, 14th, 20th, and 30th October, 1816 
 " Derby." ft I have only time to say that here I am in the 
 thick of the Music meeting, and (what is better) here is Sir 
 John Stevenson too. He goes back with me to the Cottage on 
 Friday or Saturday." " Sir John came with me here (May- 
 jield Cottage) on Saturday, and we have been at work ever 
 since. We have done ' Silently Sleeps.' ■ This earth is the 
 planet.' 'Hark the Vesper hymn.' 'Tell me not of Eden's 
 bowers.' ■ The banquet is over ' — and I have written a few 
 anonymous words for him to one of his own duetts." Enquiries 
 respecting Sir John's son. " I never ceased courting Mrs. 
 Robt. Arkwright at the Musical Festival on the subject of her 
 Songs for you." " I open my letter to add, that we must like- 
 wise inflict upon you the trouble of going to Stevenson's 
 Slaughter House in St. Martin's Lane to enquire if there are 
 any letters for him." * I send you the following things which 
 Stevenson has arranged within these few days. ' The banquet 
 is over ' ' This earth is the planet.' " and eight more are named. 
 " Which three \last~\ (he bids me tell you), with the two above 
 mentioned Sacred Melodies " [' Go forth to the Mount ' and 
 1 Weep Children of Israel' ("written by me and compared by 
 him within this week ")], and the nineteen he sent you by Mr. 
 Rawlins from Derby, make up his Number of twenty- four." 
 " Between ourselves, the worthy knight has brought a most 
 troublesome house about my ears. His son has now been with 
 us for a week, and unless you contrive to urge Sir John to 
 
55 
 
 leave town, he is likely to continue as much longer, which will 
 be such a tax on my time and patience as I really shall but very 
 ill be able to bear. In addition to all this, the Lambarts have 
 arrived [from Lord Talbot's in Staffordshire] to see young 
 Stevenson to-night, and they dine with us to-morrow, and I 
 should not at all wonder if they too took a fancy to their quar- 
 ters and remained here till Stevenson's arrival — so pray do hurry 
 him out of town, or I shall be ruined. I tell you all this in 
 perfect confidence, but time is just now so precious to me, that 
 some thing must be done to free me from these very inconsi- 
 derate visitors.' , 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (three sides), 5th November, 1816 
 
 Sends Dedications of ' Oft in the Stilly night,* and other 
 Songs done " during his \j$ir John Stevensori s~] last moments 
 here " \_at Mayfield Cottage] to Miss Caroline Strutt, to Miss 
 Isabella Strutt, and to Miss Selena Cooper. " His boat glee is 
 to be inscribed to Miss Cooper/' 
 
 " When you are sending me down the Reviews ge Philipp's 
 Garland for Sheridan, and let it come with them." " Stevenson 
 has had the magnificence to make me a present — at least I think 
 he means it so. You are to order for me next door to your 
 house, four cravats of the same pattern he got there. One of 
 them was spotted with a kind of rose-bud, and another with a 
 little purplish spot. They were to be put down to his account/' 
 Mr. Moore to Mrs. Power (during Mr. Power's absence in Dublin). 
 Two letters, 4to. 2nd and 28th December, 1816 
 " I have had a letter from Mr. Power, and am delighted to 
 find that the business between him and his brother is likely to 
 be settled by arbitration." 
 
 Five letters, three 4to. (one of three, and one of four sides). 
 
 Thursday Night, Saturday Night, three undated, 1816 
 
 " Indeed, my chief reason for wishing to go to town was, 
 
 the thought that I might be instrumental in bringing you and 
 
 Stevenson to more amicable feelings towards each other." Copies 
 
56 
 
 of "Almighty God, when round thy Shrine," published in the 
 Sacred Songs, and " The Sale of Loves." " Only I know you 
 are not a sarcastic fellow, at least to me, I should have sus- 
 pected something of the kind lurking in the first sentence of 
 your last letter, where you hoped that the ' recovery from the 
 fatigues of my dinner parties (one of them about six weeks 
 since) would enable me soon to send the Ballads I had pro- 
 mised.' You shall have the Ballads and myself along with 
 them on Sunday next, and we shall I hope crack a bottle over 
 the birth of the Sacred Songs before I leave you." With re- 
 ference to Mr. Philip Crampton's words, for a duett by Sir 
 John Stevenson, entitled " Peace," Mr. Moore writes — " As to 
 what Stevenson says about the Duke of Dorset, the words are 
 not so meant by any means. They allude (though certainly 
 rather confusedly) to the Duchess's signing, with Lord Whit- 
 worth, the short peace of 1802." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (two sides), 14 th January, 1816 
 Memoirs, No. 342. 
 Three lines at the end omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 One Letter, 4to. 24th September, 1816 
 
 Memoirs, No. 359. 
 One Letter, 8vo. (two sides), 1st October, 1816 
 
 Memoirs, No. 360. 
 
 Two lines in the body of the letter, with five after the signa- 
 ture omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 After the Melodies. u His [Sir John Stevenson' 's] letter 
 (which is, to be sure, a unique) is inclosed." " Pray send the 
 inclosed as soon as possible. Mrs. McMullins address you 
 have somewhere in your books, it is Hercules Buildings, 
 Lambeth, I think." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. 2nd, 4th, and 22nd January, 1817 
 
 " I have just been suffering scarification over my left temple, 
 and have lost between three and four ounces of blood for a 
 
57 
 
 troublesome pain I had had for some time in my head, which 
 the medical men both here [Derby] and at Ashbourne say has 
 proceeded from too intense application." " The pain in my 
 head returned again last night, and I suppose I must lose a 
 good deal more blood — it is unfortunate I should be troubled 
 with any thing in my head just now when I have such urgent 
 demand for all its exertions." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. (one of two sides), two 8vo. February 
 8th, and 26th, 28th, and 31st March, 1817 
 
 " I have not yet looked at the proofs, but shall endeavour to 
 send those you want for Stevenson immediately, and shall take 
 the rest with me to town myself the week after next when I go 
 to put my Poem \Lalla Rookh] to press, and take a house some- 
 where near London till it is published. I do not mean to 
 carry up my live luggage till I have the house ready to put 
 them in. I got the £5 quite safe, and it has kept the devil 
 out of my pocket these few weeks past — but I am now obliged 
 to draw, and I am sorry to say most of the sum goes to pay the 
 Longmans what I lately extracted from them, till I see whether 
 there is likely to be any evasion about the Terms of the Poem. 
 If they hesitate you and I will print it ourselves." 
 
 " I feel quite sure you will not press me now (in the crisis of 
 my fate) more than is absolutely necessary, nor oblige me to 
 bring out the Number in a state I do not perfectly approve of. 
 In addition to the feelings of kindness I know you have for me, 
 it would evidently not be your own interest to do so, as if I fail 
 in my great work I shall still have my fame in the lyrical way 
 to retire upon ; but, if I should so unluckily contrive it, as at 
 the same time to fail in both, I am be-devilled, and you with 
 me. You may depend, however, upon my doing every thing to 
 have the Number out as soon after the Poem as possible, but I 
 am the more anxious to have it good from looking upon it as a 
 corps de reserve for my fame, in case the main attack is unsuc- 
 cessful." " I have just given my tailor a draft for 5639 which 
 he will present to-morrow." 
 
Eight Letters, two 4to., five 8vo., one l2mo., 24th, and 26th 
 April, 6th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 21st, and 31st May, 
 1817. One of two sides, dated "Hornsey," with a 
 draft on Mrs. Branigan for j£20. (never presented). 
 " My money I left with Mrs. Branigan to take care of for 
 me." " I have not been in town since I saw you except on 
 Saturday last, when I went in to the Royal Academy dinner." 
 " I believe I am to be announced for the 22nd, so you may 
 imagine what a bustle I am in." " About this dav week I hope 
 to.see you in town and crack a bottle with you to Larry Rook 
 and other Irish friends of ours." "Will you and Mrs. Power 
 come out and dine with us to-morrow ? You know our hour 
 (three o'clock), and the stage will take you back at seven," 
 Six Letters, one 4to. four, 8vo., one 12mo. June — , 26th August, 
 10th, 18th, 19th, (56, Davies Street,) and 20th September, 
 1817 
 " I have received the Edinburgh Review, full of praises of 
 Lalla Rookh. The one that first spoke slightingly (as I told 
 you) has quite altered its tone, and there is in the Journal called 
 * The Scotsman' a most flattering article." " We think Barbara 
 a little better-." " Barbara has been this morning so ill that 
 we felt seriously alarmed — however, the medical man says she 
 is not worse." "All's over — my dear sir — we've lost our poor 
 Barbara," &c. "You will find us here — where we are more 
 retired (there being none of them in town) than we could be 
 any where else. May I trouble you to lend us a couple of table 
 and tea spoons and a couple of forks," &c. " May I ask you 
 to have the inclosed put in the Morning Chronicle, Times, and 
 Courier of Monday V 
 Five Letters, three 4to., two 8vo. ,9th October, 15th, 24th, 27th, 
 and 30th November, 1817. One with beautiful impres- 
 sion of the Poefs Seal, with Erin go bragh above the 
 Irish Harp. 
 Wishes Mr. Power to accompany Bessy " in the Coach down 
 
59 
 
 to Sittingbourne, and look at a house there is there to be let ?" 
 " Stothard means to do the Willow over again, and, indeed, 
 
 promised to have it ready to-day. Rogers says the two other 
 
 drawings are the best he ever saw of even his favourite Stot- 
 hard's, and wishes you would dispose of them to him, when the 
 engravings are taken." Sends new words to " the Girl I left 
 behind me." " I am gradually getting into some sort of com- 
 fort." " I shall try him again by Tuesday's post, when I shall 
 send you the second verse of ' Wreath the Bowl' with the music. 
 When we are settled, however, I think we shall be very com- 
 fortable the Green-house has been left in statu quo ; 76 
 
 plants as per inventory." [Post mark, Devizes.] 
 
 Four Letters, one 4to., three Svo. (one of two sides), 3rd, 8th, 19th, 
 and 29th December, 1817 {see Uth December, 1818) 
 " This note is the first I have written in my new study, 
 which is I assure you very neat and comfortable. We were last 
 night till very late getting the books into the shelves." Allud- 
 ing to an air composed to " Tell me not," Moore writes, " I 
 think it is the sort of thing Braham would like— if he will sing 
 any thing of mine — and at all events you had better try him with 
 it." " I am glad you agree to my decision about Steven- 
 son, and hope it will all end as amicably as I wish— but 
 would' nt it have been better of you to tell me you wanted my 
 opinion in writing, as a document ? because that would have 
 given me an opportunity of wording it with more care and 
 strictness. As it is, there is nothing in what I wrote to you, I 
 believe that is not exactly what I mean. But I certainly should 
 like that, at the same time with my opinion of his want of punc- 
 tuality, there should likewise stand upon record what I thought 
 of your over-exactness, if you had held him down rigorously to 
 the strict letter of his agreement. It is now, however, I hope 
 in a fair way of being settled — but it is the ill-blood generated 
 in these transactions on both sides, which always makes it so 
 difficult to do anything with them." "I send you the little 
 
60 
 
 Preface [to the National Airs] which I hope you will like. 
 You will perceive, that I have made a pretty direct puff in it, 
 and I rather think it will not be taken wrongly. If, however, 
 it should appear to you too strong, it will be very easy to leave 
 out the two last sentences altogether, and end with the words 
 ' Hippocrene with its Song.' " [This passage did appear ', but is 
 omitted by Mr. Moore in his Collected Works.] " The Edin- 
 burgh Article is come out, and considering that Jeffery had 
 a hard card to play, having committed himself to the Public 
 by such a sweeping condemnation of my poetry altogether, I 
 have come off pretty well. Indeed the only thing he seems to 
 complain of is my having too many beauties." 
 Six Letters, two 4to., three 8vo., one irregular, Monday (two), 
 Wednesday, Saturday, Saturday Night, and one undated 
 1817 
 "Oft in the stilly, &c, I shall take up with me." Parcel 
 " to be folded in strong paper and forwarded by the mail to 
 Mr. Jeffery immediately." " Send the inclosed to Twiss, and 
 get an answer if you can to it? I don't know his direction, 
 and our places at the Theatre to-morrow night depend upon 
 him." " I am obliged to go off to the Russell Square region to 
 enquire about the Branigans, but I shall be with you at four 
 o'clock, and join you over your pot -luck, if you'll let me." 
 " We have left our keys behind us in the bundle, and therefore 
 shall be doomed to pass the night in a lock up house f if you do 
 not send it to us by the bearer." " We shall have a fine life of 
 it between him [Mr. William Power] and Carpenter." 
 
 One Letter, 8vo. 8th January, 181/ 
 Memoirs, No. 362. 
 
 Three lines in the body and two at top omitted by his 
 Lordship. " I send three Irish Melodies, and shall make a 
 parcel of the Proofs as soon as I have the other two ready for 
 you." " I must trouble you to pay the postage of the inclosed 
 for me — it is for Venice." 
 
61 
 
 One Letter, 4to. 18th January, 1817 
 Memoirs, No. 364. 
 
 [Memo, by Mr. Power] " Bank of England note for £5. 
 dated Nov. 8, 1816, No. 4563." 
 One Letter, 4to. Paris, 7th August, 1817 
 Memoirs, No. 379. 
 P.S. omitted by his Lordship. 
 " Pray pay the inclosed for me." 
 One Letter, 4to. 19 th November, 1817 
 Memoirs, No. 386. 
 
 Eight lines in the body omitted by his Lordship. 
 " I wish you would immediately on receiving this go to the 
 Morning Chronicle office and alter my direction from Calne to 
 Devizes. Write a little note also to Mr. Cruise, newsman, 
 72, Little Britain, and bid him direct my Examiner to Sloperton 
 Cottage, Devizes. I should be glad also if you would any time 
 you are passing by Murray's leave my proper address with him — 
 any day will do for this, but pray mind about the others im- 
 mediately, and bid Cruise send the Examiner off on Sundays" 
 One Letter, 8vo. 20th December, 1817 
 
 Memoirs, No. 387. 
 One Letter, 4to. 23rd December, 1817 
 Memoirs, No. 388. 
 Eight lines omitted by his Lordship. 
 
 "As to the dedication, you know it was merely under con- 
 sideration whether I should dedicate it to Lady Lansdowne — 
 and I rather think it would look too ready with my homage to 
 the noble neighbours, and that I shall not dedicate to any one." 
 " I find I omitted inclosing the notes of the worthy Father and 
 Son — but they shall go in my next." 
 Five Letters, four 4 to. (one of two sides), one 8vo. (unsigned, 
 two sides), 5th, 12th, 21st, 27th, and 31st January, 
 1818 
 " The air of ' a Temple to Friendship' is a Waltz, but of 
 
62 
 
 what country I don't know. You could easily find out by 
 enquiring. It is in these things we miss poor Bennison. We are 
 going on Monday to pass a day or two at my friend Bowler's, 
 and I expect to make use of him in finding out for me some 
 good sacred airs." " Lady Lansdowne has so won me over by 
 her good nature to Bessy, that I mean after all to dedicate the 
 book to her. I told her, however, she should have the Songs 
 to look over, before she committed herself as Dedicatee." 
 Mentions a long letter from Lady Flint about her compositions 
 to Lalla Rookh. Corrections to "Dost thou remember," and 
 "Oh come to me." " I was surprised on Sunday by a letter 
 from your brother's Attorney, giving me notice of my attendance 
 being necessary in February at the trial of his action against 
 you. This is sad work every way, and will be devilish incon- 
 venient to myself — besides the real and deep regret I feel at 
 the explosion between you. Lady Lansdowne is coming to call 
 on Bessy this morning, when I mean to play the airs to her." 
 " We expect Mrs. Branigan down on a farewell visit some time 
 soon. You know, I suppose, they are going to Jamaica for two 
 years." Sends dedication to the Marchioness of Lansdowne. 
 "I am in great alarm about our Seventh Number [Irish 
 Melodies'], in the first place T miss one in the set which you 
 sent me, which I particularly wish to keep, that is, ' Shake the 
 tears from thy harp, let the light of its Song.' In the next place 
 I cannot reconcile myself to keeping ' When the cold earth lies 
 over,' though they are some of my best words ; but they go so 
 cursedly ill to that tune. In the third place you have printed 
 the two different sets of words I sent you for ' the Girl I 
 left behind me' together. When I wrote the words beginning 
 * Against the wind her foaming track,' I meant that the former 
 ones beginning 'Tho' joy in every land may cheer,' should be 
 entirely cancelled. For God sake look for * Shake the tear 
 from thy harp,' as I tremble for the success of the Number 
 unless we make it much better than it." " When vou are 
 
63 
 
 advertising the National Melodies, do not put f dedicated to, &c* 
 as it always looks puffy and vulgar." 
 
 Three Letters, 4 to. (two of two sides). 6th, 21st, and 28th 
 February, 1818 
 With reference to numerous cancels Mr. Moore writes, 
 " You may easily suppose it would be much less trouble to me 
 to let it go out as it is without racking my brains to improve it ; 
 but my anxiety for the reputation of the work is predominant 
 over every other feeling." " Let me have Philipp's second 
 letter to the Edinburgh Review published by Hone." " What 
 Stevenson now proposes," &c. (he being much in want of money), 
 &c. u it will give great pleasure to hear that the matter is finally 
 settled, as we have had God knows enough of wrangling — 
 enough to disgust me almost with what has hitherto been the 
 pleasantest pursuit of my life, and to incline me very much to 
 give it up altogether." rt Wishing success to whatever side 
 right is upon, and trusting," &c. " A letter which I received 
 yesterday induces me (though it was my intention not to agi- 
 tate this matter till after our approaching settlement) to ask 
 you whether it is truly and sincerely your wish to renew the 
 agreement that has been between us, on the same terms and for 
 the same time. I have no other object in asking this question 
 than merely that it may enable me to answer more satisfac- 
 torily rather an important suggestion that has just been made to 
 me by a friend of mine— therefore if you think your answering 
 it would commit you, in any respect, further than you wish, the 
 matter is not so urgent but that I can wait your own time with 
 patience — particularly, as it is not my intention to decide upon 
 any thing till after the settlement of my present account 
 with you. Whatever may be your determination or my own 
 I trust nothing wi 1 ever disturb the friendly intercourse be- 
 tween us so long. You will always find me ready to acknow- 
 ledge with gratitude, the liberality, promptitude, and friend- 
 liness of your dealings with me. As to your transactions 
 
64 
 
 with your brother, that is another concern, and I have seen 
 much on both sides to lament and disapprove of. But with 
 respect to your conduct to me, I am glad to have an opportu- 
 nity of thus putting upon record, that up to this moment (with 
 the single exception of your a/^er-thought of a deduction from 
 my annuity — (a circumstance which I myself do not see in half 
 so unfavourable a light as some of my friends), I have ex- 
 perienced nothing from you but the most ready liberality, the 
 most kind attentions and the most considerate toleration of my 
 irregularity and delays. This is the language, altogether, 
 which I hold to every one, in speaking of your conduct to me, 
 and I trust I never shall have reason to recall a single word 
 of it." 
 
 Six Letters, four 4to., two 8vo., 4th, 9th, 13th, 24th, 28th and 
 30th March, 1818 
 " I am sadly vexed to find Stevenson has not written the 
 new accompaniment to the single voice (it will not require any 
 alteration as harmonized) of ' Wreath the Bowl.' He pro- 
 mised me most faithfully he would, and it was only on that 
 promise that I let him off the evening we looked over them 
 together." " Why don't you announce the National Melodiesin 
 the Newspapers. Is this the name you have determined on ? 
 I should rather have preferred (what I believe I called them at 
 first), ' Airs of all Countries,' or something perhaps shorter 
 than this — but I suppose the title's engraving. Do you see a 
 new book by Thomas Brown announced in the Papers ? What 
 a dreadful account of your Strand Fire !'' " Returns proofs of 
 7th Number Irish Melodies, except * They may rail at this 
 life/ for which I must have another second verse, if I can pos- 
 sibly hit upon one to please me, and many is the attempt I 
 have made. — It will, I believe, be a pretty Number after all — 
 The words are certainly as good as any. Luck attend it and 
 all you undertake is sincerely the wish of yours, &c." " It 
 would be a great ease to my mind to leave out ' They may 
 
65 
 
 rail at this life,' but it will be such a gem in the Number, if I 
 can finish it properly, that I will certainly not indulge my idle- 
 ness by rejecting it." " After many attempts (so many as 
 would surprise you) I have found that my first idea of the 
 second verse for ' They may rail at this life' was much better 
 than I have since been able to strike out, and accordingly with 
 some alteration in the four last lines, it is to stand pretty much 
 as it was before.— Has the Arbitrator made his award? I have 
 been anxious, but almost fearful to ask about it." 
 
 Five Letters, three 4 to., two 8vo., 12th, 14th, 16th, 19th and 
 25th May, 1818 
 " It has occurred to me since I came down that we must 
 have a Preface to the 7th Number, and it is odd neither of us 
 thought of it before. You shall have it in a day or two. I 
 have got a most valuable correspondent and contributor for 
 our future Melodies — a Mr. Croker, near Cork, who has just 
 sent me thirty-four Airs, and a very pretty drawing of a cele- 
 brated spot in his neighbourhood. He promises me various 
 traditions too, and sketches of the scenery connected with 
 them. All which will be of the greatest service to us." " I 
 shall set out for Ireland on Monday." — " What an extraordi- 
 nary decision this is ! I cannot understand it, tho' I own I 
 feared all along something unfavourable to you. My only hesi- 
 tation as to a future agreement between you and me is the fear 
 that with all these burdens on you, you will not be equal to it. 
 One thing I can promise you and that is, that your brother 
 shall never have anything to do with me. — Keep up your 
 spirits, my dear Sir. Nothing is got by drooping, and with 
 exertion you may retrieve all yet." "I am delighted to hear 
 you are making up your mind so heroically." Manchester — 
 Saturday, " I will attend to what you say about Stevenson. I 
 hope to be in Dublin on Tuesday." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4 to., one 8vo., 23rd and 26th June, 1818 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 " What is to be done about the Sacred Songs ? Stevenson 
 was very ill when I was in Dublin, and I had no time to speak 
 to him, but your brother told me he is determined not to arrange 
 them. Dalton however seemed to think he ought as a private 
 matter between him and me, and I intend to try whether he 
 will not." " Didn't I say that ' They may rail at this life' was to 
 be set half a note lower? It can't be helped now, I suppose." 
 • " You have not I suppose seen a full account of my dinner, 
 as it appeared in the Irish papers — and I have not one to spare 
 to send you." " The Longmans' have behaved with un- 
 common generosity to me about the Fudges— they have added 
 two hundred pounds to my share of the profits from their own, 
 which is a thing of course I never could have dreamt of." 
 
 Four Letters, three 4to., one 8vo., 7th, 12th, 16th, and 24th 
 July, 1818 
 " Your brother has kept so close to the wind with me, that 
 I feel not the least overflowings of generosity towards him, and 
 therefore should wish him to have no more than according to 
 the most rigid interpretation of the deed, he is entitled to. 
 With you I trust I shall have other opportunities (after we 
 have entirely settled this affair) of shewing what I feel. I con- 
 gratulate you on the spirit that has been shewn in so many of 
 the Elections." " Mr. Rogers will send some papers to your 
 house for me, which you will take great care of (as they are 
 Sheridan's MS.)" " I wish you to get a plate engraved for me, 
 at some Stationer's near you, for a paper to paste in the front 
 of my books with my name and crest. I dare say you have 
 seen what I mean. Only don't let them make the Black's face 
 too like me ! Tell them it is the crest of the Drogheda Arms 
 (a black's head out of a Coronet), and perhaps they will be able 
 to put it in some more tasteful form than the above, by en- 
 closing it in a garter or some such way; — but pray get it done 
 as soon as you can, and have a thousand struck off for 
 
67 
 
 me." w The motto in the garter ought, I suppose, to be that 
 of the arms, which is 
 
 FOKTIS CADERE CEDEEE NON POTEST. 
 
 Let them not make any mistake in the words. The Coronet 
 maybe in or not." 
 
 "In your various characters of Bill Accepter, Fish-Agent, 
 &c. &c. I keep you always fully employed. I now want you to 
 dispatch me, by to-morrow night's coach, a good dish of fish 
 for Saturday's dinner. Lord Lansdowne comes to eat a family 
 dinner with us, and a Lord's family dinner is a poet's best one 
 you know." " You perceive we have got rid of our large bill 
 — all by the Fudges. I do not owe the Longmans' a farthing. 
 I shall however in the course of a few days make use of your 
 name for a small shot of forty pounds or so." 
 
 Three Letters, 4 to., 14th, 18th, and 28th August, 1818 
 
 " I am full of grief and dismay, as usual, at the prospect of 
 interminable war between you and your brother, and I am 
 seriously afraid it will have the effect of preventing any satis- 
 factory arrangement between you and me, for I am sure to be 
 hooked, some way or other, into the conflict, if I continue con- 
 nected with either party." " I think of going in a few days to 
 Leamington Spa for the purpose of having an interview with 
 Mrs. Lefanu, the only surviving sister of Sheridan." " On my 
 return I found your letter with the account of poor Mr. Cooper's 
 death, and 1 have since had one from his son on the same sub- 
 ject. It appears to me to have been very like murder alto- 
 gether. I inclose you a letter I have had from Stevenson, 
 which you will see leaves us in the lurch altogether as to our 
 arrangements. I really do not know what is to be done. I 
 detest the idea of giving my things into the hands of any one 
 else, and yet in justice to your claim upon them, they must be 
 put into a finished state by some one." " Pray pay Lord 
 Byron's letter for me." 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 Six Letters, five 4to., one 8vo., 3rd and 30th September, 2nd, 
 5th, 12th, and 31st October, 1818 
 
 " I have promised to go for two days to Sir Francis Burdett's, 
 and as his house is on the way to town, my intention at present 
 is (if it will not delay your business too much) to go to him on 
 Monday next, stay over Tuesday, and be in town on Wednesday 
 night." With reference to Sir John Stevenson, Mr. Moore 
 says that he conceived that Mr. Power had performed his part 
 of what he had decided between them, in accepting Sir John's 
 draft, " and that he alone appeared to me to have failed in not 
 giving those things he had agreed for. I shall now I think 
 tell him that as I perceive I cannot depend upon his steadiness 
 for fulfilling punctually what I determine, I shall leave him to 
 his other advisers." " I write to you now about a most im- 
 portant affair — no less than a turtle of 120 lbs. weight, which 
 Branigan has, it appears, consigned to you for me. I shall be 
 much obliged by your receiving the illustrious stranger with 
 all due attention, and forwarding him in as good health and 
 spirits as possible to Sloperton. I mean him as a present to 
 my neighbour the Marquis, who is much better able to enter- 
 tain such an expensive guest than I am." " I hope this reforma- 
 tion in his [Sir John Stevenson s] ideas will be the means of 
 restoring peace between you." " I grieve to hear that the 
 Foreigner we expected has died upon his passage, and am sorry 
 you have had so much trouble about him, but I forgot to men- 
 tion to you that this Captain is also the bearer (or ought to be) 
 of a shawl for Bessy and a small parcel for me. These can't 
 have died on the passage also, and are worth inquiring about." 
 " You see Perry has puffed us well, and Hunt has promised an 
 Article on the subject ; but I wish you would call at the Morn- 
 ing Chronicle office with the correction's I have written at the 
 other side. How could they make such a precious blunder?" 
 *' I find that Wilkie and Murray are coming down to me about 
 
69 
 
 rny Sheridan work. If you and the Longmans were to join the 
 party I should be finely beset !" 
 
 Four Letters, 4to. (one of two sides), 11th December, 1817, (the 
 first referring to arbitration with Stevenson, placed out 
 of date by mistake), 14th November, llth and 22nd 
 December, 1818 
 
 "I suppose you find the 7th Number [Irish Melodies'] rather 
 slow in its circulation, from the dull season it was brought out 
 in, but I trust it will be a thriving winter vegetable for you." 
 " There is nothing in the world more easy to be understood 
 than the decision I proposed, and you have shewed over and 
 over in conversation with me that you did understand it. How- 
 ever, here it is again. That Stevenson should make up his 
 number of twenty-four each year from the commencement of 
 your agreement to the end, and that you should pay him the 
 full amount of the stipulated annuity. My arguments to induce 
 you to sacrifice the contested points (viz. his irregularity in the 
 time of giving these things, &c.) I shall not repeat ; because if 
 they were good for anything you remember them, and I thought 
 indeed you were convinced by them. I perceive, however, the 
 whole affair is as unsettled as ever, and I shall therefore hope- 
 lessly resign my office as arbitrator. What I mean by saying," 
 &c. " I am sorry we did not come to some more explicit un- 
 derstanding about our future connection when I was in town, 
 as there are many circumstances about which I am puzzled how 
 to act. I have found it necessary to make use of your name 
 for a bill at two months, having got rid of all my money in , 
 leaving myself (thank God) without a single serious debt on 
 my shoulders. I have written to Stevenson to say that I com- 
 pletely and finally wash my hands of all future concern in the 
 differences between him and you. I also have entreated him 
 to let me know decisively what he means to do with respect to 
 the pieces that yet remain to be arranged for the Sacred Melodies, 
 
as if he will not do them off hand for me, I must get somebody 
 else." 
 
 Three Letters and Advertisement to the National Melodies, 
 
 (with the omitted passage, termed by Moore " a 
 
 pretty direct puff" three 4to., one 8vo. Wednesday, 
 
 Epping Forest, Wednesday — Saturday, Pater-Noster row, 
 
 (1818)? 
 
 u It is not indeed, without strong hopes of success that I 
 
 present this First Number of our Miscellany to the Public. As 
 
 the Music is not my own, and the words are little more than 
 
 unpretending interpreters of the sentiments of such Airs, it will 
 
 not perhaps be thought presumption in me to say I consider it 
 
 one of the simplest and prettiest collections of Songs to which I 
 
 have ever set my name." — T. M. 
 
 " I suppose it is too late to object — but I do not like the 
 Magdalen at all [by Westall]. There is not sufficient beauty 
 in the face, and the drawing is bad." " I am better pleased 
 with the set since I wrote last, and if Stevenson will attend to 
 my remarks, he may improve his symphonies, &c. without 
 much alteration. What I wished very much was to get some- 
 thing like ' Sound the loud Timbrel.' " " Arrived this morning 
 and went instantly to a Proctor ; who has given me some comfort 
 — my case is not so immediately desperate as I feared. I should 
 have been with you afterwards, but the rain has made me prefer 
 close quarters here, where I dine." [Pater-noster Row~\. 
 
 Mr. Moore to Mr. Power, and Mr. John Power, five Letters, 
 one folio, three 4 to. one 8vo. (of three sides), undated. 
 " Tuesday morning. I am not very well, and am going to 
 my Father's to dinner." " The letter to Sir James Cockburn 
 must be put in to-morrow." " Will you, when you are sending 
 any thing to me, find a little book called ' the adopted Daughter/ 
 for Statia, and let me have it. It is written by a Miss Sand- 
 ham." Second verse of "A Temple to Friendship," [for 
 National Melodies, after which Stothard made his drawing 
 
71 
 
 engraved in that work]. " The two last lines may form the 
 subject — the figures to be the sculptor and the maiden carrying 
 off a statue of Cupid, while an image of Friendship stands 
 neglected on the floor." " I am sorry that I gave you the 
 annoyance of sending the seventh Number to Stevenson (for 
 it could have been easily avoided), but, indeed, where there is 
 so much disagreeable entanglement, I find it is impossible to 
 stir a step without annoying some of you. As to keeping the 
 proofs, that may be my fault also," &c. " I long to hear what 
 was your set-off against your brother's charge on Carpenter's 
 business. That was (to say the least of it) unlucky. I did 
 not hear Maiden's evidence, but Carpenter told me that, if he 
 were upon oath, he could not rate what he gave you in at less 
 than seventy pounds. I was very anxious to hear your own 
 statement of this." 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. 6th April, 1818. 
 
 Memoirs, No. 392. 
 
 The last line, omitted by his Lordship. " You saw but one 
 thing of mine in the Chronicle." 
 One Letter, 4to. 16th June, 1818. 
 
 Memoirs, No. 396. 
 
 Twenty-four lines in the body of the letter omitted by his 
 Lordship. " I have had a sad mishap on my way home, which 
 I want you to set about remedying for me as immediately as 
 possible. I have exchanged portmanteaus with some one on 
 the road— a Mr. James Rogerson, as the brass plate on his 
 portmanteau shews. My name is also luckily on mine, so that 
 I should suppose we shall have but little difficulty in restoring 
 our property to each other. What I want you to do is to go 
 immediately to the Bull and Mouth Inn (which is the place, 
 I believe, where the Shrewsbury Mail puts up), and ask there 
 whether a gentleman who arrived in the Mail from Shrewsbury 
 yesterday morning had said anything about a mistake in his 
 portmanteau, or had left his address there. I left Shrewsbury 
 
72 
 
 in this Mail and quitted it at Birmingham, where I rather think 
 the exchange took place. His portmanteau shall be forwarded 
 to him the moment I hear that mine is safe. There are some 
 papers of great consequence in mine, besides the whole of my 
 wardrobe, which makes me of course very anxious about it. 
 Pray, lose no time about this. I send you on the other side a 
 draft upon the Longmans for the twenty pounds, which you 
 have to pay my landlady on the 18th. Tour brother borrowed 
 from Ellen her copy of the National Airs, and, I suppose, 
 instantly set to work upon them, as she had not got them back 
 when I left Dublin. He says he can play the deuce with you 
 for publishing before him — is it so V 
 
 Three Letters, two 4 to., one 12mo., 7th, 16th, 21st January, 
 1819. 
 " I inclose some Music to go to Birchall's, and a list of 
 things I want from him. Do you think it will be too re- 
 markable ordering so many National Collections •?" "The 
 Quarterly Review is very favourable indeed." " I write to you 
 now merely because I promised to do so — not that I have any- 
 thing particular to say about the papers For your brother's 
 extraordinary estimate upon which the extraordinary affidavits 
 were forwarded you had already shewn me in town. There is 
 one item, indeed, which (if I could agitate it) will give me some 
 trouble, and that is the 56100 for your half the Irish Miscel- 
 lany, with which your brother has already charged me, and 
 which I am sorry to say, he has been paid. 1 should like to 
 have your advice how I ought to proceed with him on this 
 point, as if I could get off paying the sum twice over) without, 
 however, going to law about it), it would be at least so much 
 saved out of the fire. If you and I are to have another agree- 
 ment together, I should be glad it was regularly and finally 
 arranged, as it would not only enable me to give a decisive 
 answer to enquiries on the subject, but would set my mind at 
 rest with respect to the tasks and pursuits that are before me. 
 
73 
 
 I have had no answer from Stevenson to my serious representa- 
 tions about the Sacred Songs. I know not therefore what to 
 do — to chuse another arranger would be, I perceive, a break up 
 for ever — and yet the work must come out." " If you want 
 filling up your portmanteau (not otherwise), you may send to 
 Lanman the Taylor, at the top of St. James's St., not far from 
 the York Hotel, for my Kilkenny coat, which he had to alter." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to., two 8vo., (one of two sides), 26th Feb- 
 ruary, 16th, 18th, and 25th March, 1819. 
 " My Tom Crib (upon which you must be very silent, as I 
 have gone to the trouble of having the MS. copied before it 
 goes to the Printer, in order to enable me to deny it stoutly) is 
 nearly ready, and I am yours for the remainder of the year." 
 " I send you four Sacred Songs, all (I think) good ones." " I 
 have just had a letter from your brother, telling me that he is 
 about to open a house in London, and modestly asking me to 
 give him the preference in the publication of some of my works! 
 I mean to write a last strong letter to Stevenson about this 
 number of Sacred Melodies. I heard yesterday from Long- 
 mans that the first Edition of Crib (2000 copies) is nearly sold 
 already, and they have worked off 2000 more. This is spanking 
 work. I hardly expected any sale for it. Mrs. Power will 
 be glad to see that I never mean to touch H. R. H. again." 
 "I am going to the Harmonic at Bath on Friday." " I tried 
 something for the St. Patrick's, because you seemed to wish it 
 — but I could not please myself, and it is, I assure you, no loss 
 — for there is nothing less respectable than writing Songs for 
 these occasions, to be roared out by such fellows as Webbe and 
 Broadhurst. My Stewardship will cost me, I dare say, ten 
 guineas." Requests Mr. Power to send this ten guineas for 
 him to Mr. Tegart, Pall Mall. " Mind, you deny Crib stoutly 
 for me. I told the Longmans it would have been better to get 
 some inferior bookseller to publish it ; but they had stronger 
 hopes from it than I fear will be realized." 
 
74 
 
 Four Letters, 4to., 7th, 15th, 25th, and 26th April, 1819. 
 
 " I forgot to tell you that I have written to Corry to call 
 upon your brother and pay him the £20 which you know 
 remained of our account, getting at the same time a receipt in 
 fall from him, which I shall be most happy to possess, and 
 have done with him for ever." " Did I tell you of the splendid 
 reception I met with at the Harmonic in Bath ? my health 
 drank, with a nourishing speech from one of the Stewards, and 
 three times three. My songs encored over and over, &c. &c. 
 It was indeed very flattering." " I send you two Nationals and 
 the Song from Croker's book, which I thought you had taken 
 away when last here." " I have done a Sacred Song that I 
 think beats ' Sound the loud Timbrel,' in the same style. Its 
 title is ' War against Babylon.' " We shall be most happy to 
 see you at the time appointed. I want your services in the Fish 
 line for Friday, as I find I must give a clearing dinner before I 
 go to town — so by Thursday's coach, pray do not forget to send 
 me a good dish of Salmon, with S?nelts to garnish (if there are 
 any), and a lobster or two. If you could be down by Friday 
 yourselves you would not be less welcome than the fish to us 
 and our guests." Family arrangements, &c. 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. 5 6th May, 16th and 25th June, 1819 
 
 Directions about il a light smart hat" from Bicknell's. " I 
 am glad to see that two of our Pieces are performed at the 
 Covent Garden Oratorios. But why don't you make them 
 announce ■ Hark the Vesper Hymn,' as from Moore's National 
 Melodies?" "I was sorry I had not another peep at you 
 before I left that racketting town of yours. The quiet I have 
 plunged into here is just as much in the other extreme, and 
 almost as disagreeable." " I have sent off all my worldly 
 wealth to Bessy [Mrs. Moore had gone to Edinburgh, to attend 
 her Sister's Marriage with Mr. William Henry Murray, of 
 the Theatre Royal Edinburgh, which was solemnized on the 
 \9th July, 1819], to enable her to come home, and should 
 
75 
 
 have been myself upon the Parish or upon you, if it were not 
 for the God-send to which the inclosed refers, which Branigan 
 has sent wherewith to buy some things for his little girl." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to. (one of three sides), 22nd and 2Sth July, 
 1819 
 
 " I have some very gratifying accounts to give you of the 
 kind offers that have been made to me — even by some of my 
 great friends." 
 
 " The persons I alluded to in my last letter were, in the first 
 place, Lord Lansdowne, who wrote immediately to me on seeing 
 the statement in the Newspapers, offering to become security 
 for me to the amount of the claims, or to do any thing else 
 that might be of service. Lord Tavistock, too, wrote down to 
 his brother Lord John (who is at Bowood), bidding him enquire 
 whether any thing had been done or was doing for me, and 
 adding these words — ' I am very poor, but I have always had 
 such a strong admiration of Moore's independence of mind, that 
 I would willingly sacrifice something to be of use to him.' 
 Lord John himself had already begged me to accept the copy- 
 right of a book he has just published, as his mite towards my 
 extrication. In short, never was any thing more gratifying than 
 the zeal every body shews about me. I have just heard from 
 Dublin, that the Bishop of Kildare (whom I do not know, even 
 by sight) offered to put down £50 himself towards a subscrip- 
 tion." Pecuniary arrangements — "The Longmans I must keep 
 entirely for my great effort, so that in the mean time I shall 
 be quite adrift for the means of subsistence, travelling, &c. 
 unless I can raise the wind by the assistance of you or Murray. 
 Him I have not tried yet, &c." To Mr. Power Mr. Moore 
 apologises for " thus pressing and ' spurring so free a horse ' as 
 I have always found you." "I suppose you saw the paltry 
 paragraph extracted from that fellow Fitzsimon's paper — 'the 
 talented friend' of Lord Donoughmore.' " 
 
7Q 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to., one 8vo., 3rd, 4th, and 18th August, 
 
 1819 
 A Commission for "our neighbours the Phipps's — to send 
 down directed to me, by Thursday's Coach, four good lobsters, 
 200 prawns, and three German Sausages. They are to have 
 a rural pic-nic on Friday, and this supply is for the occasion." 
 " Many, many thanks for your kind exertions to assist me. 
 There could not be any thing, just at this moment, more con- 
 venient, or more full of relief to my little difficulties, than your 
 having discharged this last Bill. You see I have attended to 
 the hint at the end of your letter (which was according to the 
 good old mode of the Commons of England in tacking grievances 
 to a Money Bill), and have sent three Nationals, which, I 
 think, will all do — at least in the company of their betters," 
 &c. " I send back the Sausages, which are pronounced to be 
 very bad. You will make the best exchange of them for better 
 that you can. The lobsters and prawns were excellent." 
 Letter transmitting one of them. Three Letters, 4to. (one of 
 
 two sides), 23rd October, (7th) and 11th November, 
 
 1819 
 Florence. " The fact is, I have met with nothing in our 
 way since I came to Italy, and they may talk as they will of 
 the music one hears in this Country, I can only say, that 
 (except an hostler singing * Bi tanti palpiti ' in the Stable Yard 
 the other night) I have not heard a sound of any thing like 
 popular music since I came." Rome. " I hope to be in Eng- 
 land about this day month." " I send as accurate a descrip- 
 tion of the times of the Airs [intended for 2nd Number of 
 National Melodies'] (which it is a great pity we did not think 
 of that evening we revised the whole) as I can possibly make 
 out from a recollection of their characters here; and, as I 
 observe you are one short of the number, you must only put in 
 * How happy once ' as a Swedish Air, and turn my other Air 
 into a ' Moorish ' one." 
 
77 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of three sides with Musical Notation), 
 13th, 16th, and 31st December, 1819 
 " Just arrived in Paris, safe and sound." "I am ready to 
 set about any and every work you may have for me to do. I 
 find I must not come to England. The Longmans have written 
 to me that it is the opinion of all my friends I should by no 
 means think of crossing the water." " I have only time (from 
 Chantrey going so much sooner than I expected) to write out 
 the first verse of the Song I promised." [Name spelled 
 Chauntry.'] " 30, Rue Chanteraine. You will perceive there 
 is an alteration in the first verse" ['When thou shalt wander by 
 that sweet light,' — sends the two verses]. " I had better write 
 out these words with the music on the other side." " After all 
 this is a better place to pick up music in than Italy." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one of two sides), 29th January, 8th and 
 28th February, 1820 
 " I have been in a most wretched state of distraction and an- 
 comfort here. Indeed it is the first time since I married that 
 my home has been uncomfortable ; for being thrown upon ex- 
 ternal supplies for our dinner, &c. and contriving that but ill 
 and expensively (from Bessy's powers of management being 
 completely nullified by her ignorance of the language), and 
 being in the midst of the bustle of a Metropolis, struggling 
 against its distractions and its expenses without success, my 
 mind I assure you has been kept in a continued state of fever, 
 which was not a little increased by the Longmans having 
 pledged me to the public for a work of which there are not # 
 hundred lines written, and the proceeds of which, you may well 
 believe, are essentially necessary to my existence at present. 
 However, all this is, I trust, now at an end. I have been lucky 
 enough to find a Cottage, just such as you know I like for a 
 workshop, within fifteen minutes walk of Paris (indeed hardly 
 out of it), to which we take ourselves on Monday next, and out 
 of which I shall seldom stir till I have brought up my arrears in 
 
78 
 
 all directions, to you as well as to others. My address now is, 
 No. 11, Allee des Veuves, "Champs Elysees." "Life swarms 
 with ills for us all, but they are made much worse by yielding 
 to them — therefore, courage ! and hope for better days." 
 
 "You may depend upon having all the third Number 
 [National Melodies'] before the end of June." "I doubt 
 whether the Irish Melodies would be practicable if I stay in 
 Paris. I promise you, however, before the end of the year, a 
 sort of Musical Tour, made up of Songs and Poems, which I 
 think I shall make something catching of. As to any thing 
 about the King for the Oratorio, my heart would not go along 
 with it. Such things always do me more harm than good, and 
 I have never ceased to regret the Song I threw away in the 
 same manner on the Duke of Wellington." 
 Four Letters, three 4to., one 8vo., 7th April, 3rd, 19th, 27th 
 June, 1820 
 "Fudge Family in Italy, which is not to appear." The 
 Longmans have been as liberal and considerate under this dis- 
 appointment as they are indeed in every matter in which I am 
 concerned with them. I should like (if you have no objection) 
 to apply the materials which I have for the 3rd Number 
 [National Melodies] to my little Musical Tour." " Pray tell 
 Mr. Croker that I am delighted with his excellent ideas of sub- 
 jects for the Irish Melodies, and that I will answer his letter in 
 a very few days." " I find your brother is about to publish the 
 words of all the Irish Melodies, and that Mr. Sullivan (who is 
 here and informed me of the circumstance) is to write a preface. 
 Mr. Sullivan, by the bye, tells me also that the reason of the 
 compromise between you and Sir John is the discovery of some 
 receipts which were supposed to have been lost by Stevenson, 
 and which enabled him to prove some parts of his case against 
 you more strongly than before. Is this true?" " I suppose 
 you were somewhat alarmed about ns from the exaggerated 
 accounts of the "Riots here [Paris] that reached London. All 
 
79 
 
 is now perfectly quiet." " I sent you three songs by Lady 
 Davy, and you have here two more," &c. " My book, after all, 
 is not to come out. You shall know why when I write again.'' 
 
 One Letter, 4 th July, 1820 
 
 " The subjects I send you now are both good for designs, there 
 are many more verses to ' Who'll buy my love-knots,' but the two 
 first would afford an excellent subject to Stothard." " I shall 
 give all the assistance in my power towards the publication of 
 the words of my Melodies, &c. and by having the work set up 
 here, which can be done for eight or ten pounds, the delay and 
 trouble of sending proofs backwards and forwards may be 
 avoided. I shall also write a short preface for you. We have 
 come on a visit to some friends at Sevres (about 5 or 6 miles 
 from Paris), who have purchased a beautiful place here, and 
 lent us a cottage in their grounds. I shall stay in it as long 
 as I can, for it is perfectly quiet, and surrounded with delicious 
 scenery, and (tho' last, not least) free of much expense." 
 
 Eight Letters, one folio, five 4to., two 8vo. (one of two sides), 
 12th July, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 18th, 21st, 28th, 31st August, 
 1820 
 La Butte. " I send you three more Songs, which will 
 make up the number of twelve National Melodies. I shall con- 
 tinue at intervals sending you more, in order that we may 
 choose the best, and shall do my best in order to get up a 
 number of Irish Melodies for you at the time you mention. 
 But I shall want Bunting sent over to me : do not, however, 
 send it till you hear further on the subject from me." " I am 
 at present living at but little expense, being on a visit to some 
 friends, with whom I dare say we shall stay for two months 
 longer." "As soon as I receive the Irish Airs I shall set 
 lustily about the 8th Number, and in the meantime I hope to 
 send you two very pretty Nationals which I have lately got." 
 " I send you a National Melody and an Irish one, which I hope 
 you will like, though you have become so cautious in expressing 
 
80 
 
 your opinion of what I send, that it is a very long time since I 
 had the satisfaction of knowing whether you approved of them or 
 not. I shall go on now as industriously as my materials will let me 
 with the Eighth Number, though I must say that the difficulty 
 of squeezing it out in this hurried way is such as, under any other 
 circumstances, or for any one else, not six times the sum I am 
 to get for it would induce me to undertake, and I think you 
 know me well enough to be aware that this is no idle flourish." 
 " The advertisement had better run thus." [Of the Eighth 
 Number of the Irish Melodies being nearly ready for press, and 
 the preparation of the letter-press of the whole work in a Volume, 
 tvith illustrations']. " I send you two Irish Melodies and a 
 National one, which I think you'll own is very industrious." 
 
 Three Letters, 8vo., 3rd, 10th, and 28th September, 1820 
 
 " I have done one more Irish Melody since I wrote, and if I 
 am lucky in my operations, hope to be able to send you three 
 more by my next dispatch, which will complete the half of our 
 Number." " I have been lucky enough to achieve the three 
 Irish Melodies in the time I said, which now gives us half our 
 Number, and they are all such as may stand. The other 
 Bunting will be a great reinforcement to us, as I think I have 
 exhausted my present forces. The weather is again delightful, 
 and we are still in our beautiful abode at Sevres." " I send 
 you three more Irish Melodies. I hope you will admire my 
 poetical description of the Poiteen [Drink of this cup.'] It 
 strikes me that this number will be, contrary to my first ex- 
 pectations, a very good one. I have received the Bunting by 
 Ellis."* 
 Seven Letters, four 4 to. (one of two sides), two 8vo. (one of 
 
 two sides), one 12mo. (two sides), 5th, 9th, 10th, 
 
 26th, and 31st October, 1820 
 " Mrs. Moore bids me tell you (what she knows you will be 
 
 * William Henry Ellis, Esq., an Irish Barrister. 
 
81 
 
 glad to hear) that her sisfer has just been confined, and is the 
 mother of a little boy." « c I send you our tenth Melodv. 
 I shall be delighted to do something on the subject of O'Do- 
 nohue and his White Horse, but I have not by me the extracts 
 which Mr. Croker gave me relating to it. If he should not be 
 in London to furnish you with them, pray get Weld's Book on 
 Killarney, in which I believe the details may be found, and get 
 them copied out for me immediately. I have an air which I 
 think would suit the subject/' " By last post I sent you an 
 Irish Melody. I am now searching anxiously for an air, at 
 once spirited and melancholy, to which I may write some 
 words allusive to Grattan. Our National work ought not to 
 terminate without some remembrance of him. This and the 
 Song upon Donohue will make the twelve. The materials of 
 the latter I look to you for." " I am getting on with my 
 verses on Grattan, for which I have been lucky enough to find 
 a suitable air. They will I flatter myself be no small ornament 
 to outnumber. I forgot to say that I think Mr. Croker's de- 
 sign for the Title very tasteful and elegant, and that I have no 
 
82 
 
 change whatever to suggest in it." " I have copied out the 
 lines upon Grattan for you, but had not room for the last verse. 
 I shall send it to you however with the Music, by the next op- 
 portunity ; and hope to have the Song upon Donohue for you 
 in the course of next week." Proposes writing verses for a 
 work the Music to be selected from Blangini's Notturnes. 
 " I send you the remaining verses of the Donohue Song. 
 Tell Mr. Croker that he may put the young girl into his draw- 
 ing, standing beside the Lake and looking at the visionary 
 chieftain in the distance. I intend to say that one of the tra- 
 ditions about Donohue is a girl having gone wild and thrown 
 herself into the Lake for love of him. You shall have Blan- 
 gini the next thing. I have not been very well this week past, 
 and rather think that the anxious struggle I am for ever kept 
 in between the importunities of society and the effort to be busy 
 is beginning to shew itself in the state of my nerves and general 
 health. Do you know that Lord John Russell has dedicated the 
 second edition of his last book to me, and signed himself my 
 • attached friend.' This is truly flattering." 
 
 Three Letters, one 4to., two 8vo. (one of two sides), 6th, 13th, 
 and 20th November, 1820 
 • I have been obliged to tell Murray and Wilkie fairly, that I 
 cannot finish the Life of Sheridan satisfactorily to myself while 
 I stay here, and that therefore they must draw upon me for the 
 sum which they have advanced upon it. This is very magnifi- 
 cent of me, but how I am to manage the magnificence is yet in 
 the clouds." " I send you the first verse of my song on 
 Donohue [Of all the fair Months']. You had better have a 
 sketch made from this subject, representing the Lake of Killar- 
 ney and a number of spirits both male and female, gliding 
 over it, strewing flowers around them, while a warrior on a 
 white horse is seen in a sort of indistinct, visionary way at a 
 distance on the water— Consult Mr. Croker about it. By my 
 next you shall have the Music of the Grattan Soug, and per- 
 
83 
 
 haps the remaining verses of Donohue, but you can proceed 
 with the Sketch on the description I have given."* " There is 
 going to be a grand dinner and ball here in commemoration of 
 Lord Liverpool's discomfiture." 
 
 Four Letters, 8vo. (one of two sides), 3rd, 14th, 18th, and 21st 
 December, 1820 
 " My distractions here, in the way of visitors, &c. increase 
 upon me so as to derange very much my progress in writing. 
 You come off best of any of my employers, because it is that 
 kind of work which can be done at fits and starts, but the 
 great task (to which I look for a sweeping sum to meet my 
 Bermuda compromise stands still), and unless I can find some 
 quieter situation when my time in this house is expired, I don't 
 know what is to become of me. Yesterday Lord John Russell 
 and Lord Charlemont dined with us. Paris swarms with my 
 friends and acquaintances." "That paragraph in the Courier 
 was false. I had nothing to do with the proposal for a Public 
 Dinner that was in the Reading Rooms." 
 
 Eight Letters, four 4to., four 8vo., 1st, 8th, 11th, 16th, 18th, 
 21st, 25th, and 27th January, 1821 
 Refers to "an accident which (though of no great conse- 
 quence) has confined me to my bed for these three days past, 
 and may probably for a few days longer." "The tumour has 
 been lanced, and I have to day got to my sopha." " I have 
 been busy sending off recommendations for a man [Quere ? 
 Sheridan's brother-in-law} who is candidate for an office at 
 Dulwich, and wrote to me to use my influence for him." (i I 
 still feel a little weak after my confinement." " I have just 
 received an invitation to dine with the Duke of Orleans to- 
 morrow." "Tell Mr. Croker that I thank him very much for 
 his remarks. He is right as to ' again', it having been put by 
 
 * A Drawing in Sepia of this subject was made by Mr. Martin, but it has 
 never been engraved, and remains in Mr. Power's family. 
 
 G 2 
 
84 
 
 mistake instead of ' once more,' and you will have the goodness 
 to have the latter words inserted in place of ' again' The 
 other passage he has remarked is no mistake, but quite as I in- 
 tended it. It may be possibly, however, obscure to others as 
 well as to him, and, therefore, had better be put thus 
 ' howe'er the world may shake 
 It's inmost core/ 
 You will see that this is carefully done/'* 
 
 * See, the Song of " Thee, thee, only thee," in the Irish Melodies, where 
 this passage now stands— 
 
 " howe'er the world may wake 
 Its grief, its scorn," — 
 
 The Air Staca an Mharaga (the Market Stake), to which Mr. Moore's 
 words are adapted, was popular in Ireland as a Jacobite Song — and Mr. 
 Crofton Croker appears to have sent the Music of it to Mr. Power, with a 
 humourous letter informing him that Lord Byron's Hebrew Melodies having 
 proved to be " out and out failures," his Lordship was trying his hand upon 
 some Irish Songs, and had " written the following verses to a tune made by 
 an old blind Irish bagpiper named HefFernan," whom he had engaged on 
 the joint recommendation of Sir John Stevenson and Mr. Bunting to be his 
 travelling accompanyment in Greece. Mr. Power sent on this letter to Mr. 
 Moore, and the use made of it by Moore is perhaps the most extraordinary 
 instance of the beauty of parody in existence — 
 
 Scene — The Cidee Cellar. 
 Time, from seven in the evening till four in the morning. 
 Harmonized for the solemn voices of four Irish Law Students. 
 
 The closing of day — the candle's blinking, 
 The morning's dawn — still finds me drinking 
 Of gin — gin, only gin.* 
 
 * Ginnestan is the name given in Persia to an ideal intoxicating region 
 inhabited by Jins or Demons (e^")> and as clearly demonstrates the affinity 
 of the Erin of the West with the Iran of the East, as the Sunny Persian 
 Shamrack connects itself with the Shamrock of " The Emerald Isle." 
 
85 
 
 Five Letters, one folio, four 4to., 9th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 19th 
 February, 1821 
 "I have written to Stevenson by this clay's post to say how sur- 
 prised," &c. " We are to have a great dinner here on Patrick's 
 day. I am to be in the Chair, and either Lord Miltown, o r 
 Lord Charlemont to be my Vice." " I believe I told you in a 
 letter some time ago, of my being introduced to Mr. Canning at 
 his own request. I dined with him again on Friday last." [This 
 letter received on the \4th February, is dated Jan. 8, 1821.] 
 " I wish, when you have an opportunity, you would send me 
 copies (handsomely bound) of the two Numbers of National 
 Melodies for Mademoiselle the Duke of Orlean's sister." 
 
 When friends are met, and plates are laid, 
 
 And supper-time is fast approaching, 
 Uncheer'd by all the board's parade, 
 
 My soul like tapster dreams of broaching 
 The gin — gin, only gin. 
 Whatever in art might wake the palate 
 To suppers, gout, there's no such sallad 
 
 As gin — gin, only gin. 
 Like spice, by which some cook fran<jois 
 
 To simple dish can give a relish ; 
 Sermons and suppers, grave or gay, 
 Are swallowed down in places Hellish, 
 For gin— gin, only gin. 
 I have not a thought, but of thy waking, 
 And pain is half forgot when taking 
 Sweet gin — gin, only gin. 
 Like Venice glass that topers break, * 
 
 When lips have quaff' d the Wine within it ; 
 This heart, as any glass is weak, 
 
 And breaks in just as brief a minute 
 For gin — gin, only gin. 
 
 * In Italy, after drinking a patriotic toast, it was customary to dash the 
 glass upon the ground, in order that it should not be profaned by other lips. 
 In Ireland the custom of throwing empty bottles at one another's heads is not 
 unusual, and by a duck or luck they are sometimes broken against the wall. 
 
86 
 
 Seven Letters, four folio, three 4to., 6th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 23rd, 
 27th, and 30th Marth, 1821 
 " I do not quite like the way ' Thee, Thee,' is done. You'll 
 see my remarks on the music." " At the end of April we go 
 to our new cottage." Blangini's Notturni. " You need not 
 wait for an Advertisement to the 8th Number [Irish Melodies] 
 as, for reasons J shall tell you in my nest, I do not mean to put 
 any." « Mr. Charles Sheridan will send you a packet, which 
 was undone at the Custom House, but the articles are to be 
 distributed thus. The workbox for your Bessy, the puzzle for 
 James, the yellow fan for Mary, and the white one to be folded 
 up and directed to Miss Tegart, Pall Mall, with Mrs. Moore's 
 compliments. I suppose you have no objection to my beginning 
 another Number of the Nationals for you forthwith. Lord 
 John, I think lives in Stanhope Street, but you can inquire at 
 Lord Tavistock's in Arlington Street." 
 
 Five Letters, one folio, two 4 to., two 8vo., 5th, 12th, 16th, 
 24th, and 27th April, 1821 
 "If Perry puts in the lines I inclose (they are about Naples, 
 and dated Champs Elysees), pray send a copy of the paper 
 directed to Miss Dalby, Castle Donington, Cavendish Bridge, 
 Leicestershire." "The book is magnificent, and worthy of the 
 most royal hands ; though I almost grudge it to her Highness, 
 and shall at least have the showing of it to every one else before 
 I let her have it." "I was very glad to find my account with 
 you (for the first time, I believe) creditable for me in every 
 sense of the word." w x\s soon as Lord Byron's tragedy is out, 
 pray send it to me through Mr. Greville, — don't forget this." 
 
 Eight Letters, one irregular size, five 4to., two 8vo. (both of 
 
 two sides). 1st, 3rd (two), 5th, 8th, 10th, 22nd, and 
 
 29th|May, 1821 
 
 " I send you a National Melody, which I think you will like, 
 
 and pray keep Mr. Bishop's learning down as much as you 
 
 can." " My money goes from me most rapidly in this change 
 
87 
 
 of residence." " We have been working hard at all sorts of 
 gaiety this week past." " I have just received a most flattering 
 letter from Mademoiselle d'Orleans, with the present of a clock 
 for my chimney-piece — so you see what the splendid binding 
 has done." "She [Miss Power'] dined with us yesterday at 
 our neighbours the Villamil's to meet some French Princesse s 
 and Countesses." " Pray let me have Bowles's answer to 
 Lord Byron, just published — and will you tell my friend 
 Thomas Campbell (who I rejoice to hear is become very well 
 acquainted with you), that I shall answer his letter by next 
 post." 
 
 Three Letters, one 4to. two 8vo. (one of three, the other of two 
 
 sides). 4th, two (received?) and 10th June, 1821 
 
 Sends the additional verses to {i Who'll buy my love knots ?" 
 
 " You seem to wish that I should work double tides this year, 
 
 and indeed my expenses here will make it necessary — for I am 
 
 still too near the shoal of friends I have in Paris, and the 
 
 hospitalities I am obliged to exercise (as Jane will tell you) 
 
 impose a tax upon me, which if I stay beyond this year in 
 
 France, I am determined not to incur again." " Bessy begs 
 
 you will contrive to bring her back from Ireland a tabbinet gown, 
 
 purple, and it would also gratify her very much if you could 
 
 find leisure some Sunday to go and see our poor Barbara's 
 
 grave, and give a few shillings to the Sexton to keep it in good 
 
 order. You will, of course, not mention in your letter to me if 
 
 you should find it in a bad or ruinous state, but do what is 
 
 necessary towards repairing it, and tell Bessy it is quite as ifc 
 
 should be. As soon as I have got through the fourth Number 
 
 of Nationals, I shall I think attempt something of the dramatic 
 
 kind, we once mentioned, for private performance." "I wish 
 
 to have the duett, * Our first young love resembles,' (Blangini) 
 
 dedicated to Mrs. Villamil," (of La Butte Coaslin). "Your 
 
 brother's proceeding with respect to the 8th Number is, to be 
 
 sure, most daring." 
 
88 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to., two 8vo. (one of two sides). 16th, 
 20th, 21st, and 29th July, 1821 
 " I take for granted this will find you still in Dublin." Mrs. 
 Moore has gone "into Wiltshire, to see my books deposited in 
 some safe place upon the giving up of our cottage there, which 
 will henceforth only be let with land — an undertaking I, of 
 course, should not wish to embark in." "I am sorry to find 
 that the double tide working which I proposed for this year 
 will press too hard upon you." " If I can finish pretty soon 
 a great work I am about, I shall have plenty of money this 
 next year." " I most anxiously hope that your business in 
 Dublin will be settled satisfactorily, and (what must be a great 
 object to you) speedily"* " Between ourselves, I am just now 
 
 * DUBLIN ROLLS COURT— July 24 avd 25, 1821. 
 J. Power v. W. Power. 
 
 On the 3rd of July, Tames Power, of the Strand, London, music seller, 
 obtained an injunction to restrain William Power, of Westmoreland-street, 
 Dublin, from publishing a pirated edition of the Eighth Number of Moore's 
 Irish Melodies ; the said James Power having the sole property in the 
 above-mentioned work, by deed of assignment from Thomas Moore, Esq., 
 the author. On the 17th inst Mr. O'Connell, on behalf of W. Power, 
 moved the Court to dissolve the injunction. 
 
 The decision of the Court was, that the injunction should remain undis- 
 turbed till the case was argued. 
 
 This important case came on yesterday and the day before, to be argued on 
 its merits, before his honour the Master of the Rolls. 
 
 It appeared from the statement of Counsel on the side of the plaintiff, that 
 he had entered into an engagement with Mr. Moore in the year 1811, for a 
 period of seven years, the latter covenanting to supply the former with one 
 number of Irish Melodies and certain other works specified, for the considera- 
 tion of an annuity of ,£500, which was to be paid him by plaintiff. In 1812 
 plaintiff entered into an agreement by deed with defendant, by which he gave 
 him the licence of publishing Moore's Works in Ireland solely, in considera- 
 tion of defendant paying him 2-5ths of said annuity; said deed to be con- 
 sidered null and void whensoever the defendant should fail to pay- his quota 
 of annuity to plaintiff. On the expiration of the seven years, after 6ome time 
 
89 
 
 negotiating the sale of Lord Byron's Memoirs, which you know 
 he made me a present of, and which he is anxious I should turn 
 to account in a pecuniary way. I have asked two thousand 
 pounds for them. They would be worth three times that, if 
 they were to be published immediately, but they are not to 
 appear till after Lord B's death, which makes a great difference, 
 I am, however, determined to sell them to the best bidder. 
 This of course you will keep to yourself." Sends communica- 
 tion from Professor Momigney " who is anxious to be employed 
 by you." " I wish you to get me a few hundred more of those 
 papers for my books struck off." " I have not been able yet 
 to see Madame de Broglie, about Knyvett's Air (as he chooses 
 
 plaintiff entered into a new agreement with Mr. Moore for a further term of 
 six years, under which agreement, and in this present year, the Eighth Num- 
 ber of the Melodies, which forms the subject under litigation, was delivered 
 by Mr. Moore to plaintiff, and by him published as his sole property, which 
 appeared by deed of assignment as well as by the regular deed of agreement. 
 The defence set up by W. Powell was, that he in fact was the sole proprietor 
 of all Moore's Melodies, and that plaintiff had no right to publish them even 
 in England, without his concurrence and approbation ; but he totally failed 
 in shewing any written document whatever in support of his assertion. His 
 case was ably argued by Messrs. Joy, O'Connell, and Bennet, who displayed 
 much ingenuity, by arguing on the assertions of the Solicitor upon facts 
 which were not contained in the pleadings. 
 
 The plaintiff's case was argued with great clearness and talent by the 
 Solicitor- General, Mr. Plunkett, and Mr. Adair. 
 
 The Master of the Rolls, in giving his decision, said, that the defendant had 
 set up two defences, neither of which were tenable. The plaintiff had estab- 
 lished his title by the production of the assignment from Mr. Moore, in whom 
 the property was vested, from his having written the work himself, it would be 
 very injurious to the copyright of literary productions, if an injunction should 
 be withheld from the plaintiff, who claims his right by virtue of such deed, 
 when the defendant has no written document to substantiate his claim, nor is 
 there a word of the existence of such document sworn to or set forth in the 
 pleadings. He concluded by saying, that he would give an order that the 
 injunction obtained by Mr. James Power in this case, should stand unmoved, 
 till the defendant should shew any legal title to the work before a court of law. 
 
90 
 
 to call it). It was she who danced to it five or six years ago, 
 and called it a Cossack Dance. How long is Knyvett's Glee 
 published? Knyvett's originality is a ticklish subject, and 
 he had better not make a stir about it." Note of introduc- 
 tion for Doctor Williams to Mr. Power. 
 
 Four Letters, three 4to., one 8vo., 6th and 13th August, 3rd 
 and 17th September, 1821 
 " As to the Air claimed by Knyvett, I have been able to 
 learn no more than I have communicated in my letter to you 
 some weeks since. But if his composition appeared but within 
 these three years, I can safely swear that I heard the Cossack 
 Air five or six years since. I will however write to Madame 
 cle Broglie on the subject. I inclose six National Melodies, 
 almost all of which I think lucky ones— set Bishop to work." 
 " You are welcome back to London. I am not yet decided as to 
 the incognito trip I mentioned to you." •' I mean to leave 
 this on my incog, trip about Wednesday next, so that I shall 
 arrive in London on Saturday or Sunday. You will lose no 
 time in sending the inclosed note to Rogers's housekeeper. I 
 mean to sleep there but shall board with you." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4to., one 8vo., 2nd and 22nd October, 1821 
 
 " St. James's Place. Here I am again, and mean to come 
 to you as soon as I have written some letters." signed T. Dyke. 
 " I shall come to Buckingham Street, early, and will dine with 
 you, if it suits me." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to., two 8vo., 2nd, 15th, 27th and 29th No- 
 vember, 1821 
 " Salisbury, Thursday, four o'clock. I have been put out 
 of my accustomed line of Coaches by being obliged to paya 
 visit at some distance from Calne, and though I have but little 
 doubt of getting a place in some of the Night-Coaches, yet as 
 ill luck may come across me, I just write this line to tell you 
 my situation in order that you may know why I do not appear 
 
91 
 
 at dinner, and prevail on Mr. Bishop to meet me at breakfast 
 on Saturday." "I send you the second verse of 'Bright be 
 thy dreams/ I merely have written the Notes, without mark- 
 ing the time as I do not well remember it." li I inclose the 
 last proofs. We certainly have no reason to complain of 
 Bishop's display of his science this time." " In my next I 
 hope to be able to tell you about ' Hark, the Vesper Hymn,' as 
 Madame de Broglie is in Paris." 
 
 Six Letters, one 4to., five 8vo., 10th, 13th, 17th, 24th, and 
 
 27th December, 1821 
 " I have enquired of Madame de Broglie about the Air, and 
 she cannot give me any farther account of it than that she 
 heard it in France as a Cossack Air, and always considered it 
 as such. But I think you have nothing else to do than to 
 assert stoutly that it is a Russian Air, and let Knyvett prove 
 that it is not." Refers to Perry's death. " I am therefore 
 obliged to draw upon you through Lafitte, till I can arrange 
 something of the same kind with my friend Kinnaird, to whom 
 I write by this day's post." " Madame de Broglie is not an 
 Opera Dancer, but a Duchess, and it was in private society I 
 saw her dance that tune about seven or eight years ago. You 
 may call ' Row gently here,' a Venetian Air." " I send back 
 the proofs. These two Duetts are very beautifully done, and 
 the symphony to 'When first that smile,' is beautiful." " 1 
 return the last proof with my benediction— may the work 
 prosper!" " You shall soon have some grist for the Musical 
 Mill." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4 to., four 8vo., undated (1821) 
 
 " Keep my coming as secret as you can — too many here 
 know it." " My Mother some time ago sent a bottle of eye- 
 water to you for me. I hope it has come safely to your hands 
 and that you will be able to forward it to me by some early 
 opportunity. Will you tell the Longmans to send to Villamil 
 by whatever mode they can manage it, ' The theory of the 
 
92 
 
 projection of Rockets by Colonel Congreve." " You saw the 
 poem of Lord Byron to me correctly (since you wrote) in the 
 Chronicle and Examiner." " I am at present working as hard 
 as the world will let me to patch up the work I wrote a year or 
 two ago (Rhymes on the Road) for publication this Spring, in 
 order to meet the heavy debt the Longmans have against me 
 and get rid of the Insurance." 
 
 Seven Letters, one 4to., five 8vo., (two of two sides) one 12mo. 
 
 7th, 14th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 28th and 31st January, 
 
 1822 
 "With reference to Mr. Kinnaird — " You will see by his 
 letter (which I inclose) that the sort of credit he offers me is 
 no additional accommodation whatever, as Lafitte just * as 
 readily cashes my Bills upon you as they would on Ransom ; 
 and the only difference Kinnaird's plan would make consists in 
 its being more round-about and troublesome." " I am at pre- 
 sent driven to meet more than my usual scale of expenditure — 
 so much so that I think it will be prudent (from every consi- 
 deration) to sacrifice two months rent of my lodgings and re- 
 turn to England in March instead of May as I first intended. 
 A good Summer of application in England will give me an 
 overflowing purse once more, and in the mean time I know I 
 may rely upon you to help in keeping my chin above water." 
 " I am not left one minute to myself here." " Will you have 
 the goodness to look among the books and things of mine sent 
 to you from Mr. Rogers, for a Manuscript book called ' Mrs. 
 Brown's Album, and send it immediately to Murray. He and 
 I have got into a scrape about this trumpery volume," &c. 
 " Have you ever done anything about those MSS. of John 
 Brown's that are in your hands? I hope you have got them 
 copied, as otherwise we shall be called upon for the originals 
 suddenly and lose them entirely. Indeed they ought to have 
 been in his sister's possession long before now." — "I suppose 
 you know Stevenson is in London." " I cannot do anything 
 
93 
 
 here, and I mean to bolt for London in about a month or six 
 weeks." " How could you suppose, my dear Sir, that I meant 
 to compare what Bishop has done to your brother's piracy of 
 the Eighth Number 1 I must have been very ingenious indeed 
 to find out any resemblance between the two transactions. No, 
 I alluded to Stevenson's continuation of the Irish Melodies 
 with another Poet, for which both he and your brother (though 
 cast off by us) thought necessary to apologize to me, and I 
 compared it to Bishop's having done the very same sort of 
 thing (though our ally) without thinking it necessary to make 
 any apology at all. As to his statement about Golding, lam 
 much inclined from what I have heard, to doubt it, as I have 
 reason to think that the plan was arranged between him and 
 young Bailey in one of his last year's visits to Bath." 
 
 Four Letters, one 4to., two 8vo., one 12mo. } 3rd and 
 
 February, 4th and 21st March, 1822 
 " I seem destined to have all my little plans for quiet and 
 comfort disturbed. The Smiths are leaving La Butte (Mrs. S. 
 not finding it agree with her health), and now if I go to the 
 cottage it will be subject to the chance of being turned out by 
 the new tenant, whoever it may be. Meantime our furniture, 
 my books, writing things, &c. are gone out there. I know not 
 what to do, for I cannot afford to take any other place, and 
 this is full of inconvenience." " Few things could give me 
 more pleasure than those symptoms (however slight) of a re- 
 conciliation between you and Stevenson ; as nothing has given 
 me more pain, since I knew you, than the interruption of har- 
 mony (in every sense of the word) which your difference with 
 him has produced among us. You will be sorry to hear that, 
 after having arranged for the retaking of our cottage, and for 
 Bessy's departure in about ten days in order to get it ready for 
 me, we have just learned that the ' old Victualler ' (as Lord 
 Lansdowne calls him) has again got possession of it, and we 
 are ousted, I suppose, for ever. This disconcerts my plans 
 
94 
 
 amazingly." " I forgot last time to tell you that I had re- 
 ceived the 3rd Number, and like it exceedingly. I only hope 
 the public will be of my opinion about it. I have secured the 
 copyright [in France'] of the words both of this and the second 
 Number by having a few copies printed." " Lord John 
 Russell receives and franks my letters for my Mother." " I 
 am still in hopes that I shall be able to start for England about 
 the latter end of next week, but it depends upon what the 
 Longmans do with respect to the Bermuda claim." 
 
 Five Letters, four 4to., one 8vo., 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, and 11th 
 
 April, 1822 
 
 " There is as yet no letter from Longmans, and I almost 
 
 fear there will be some obstacle to my going — at least to reside 
 
 in London." " Still no letter to decide about returning." 
 
 " Inclosed is the letter from Longmans, which you will see 
 
 dooms me to further banishment." " I mean to start at all 
 
 hazards for London about Saturday next, and shall set to work 
 
 with Bishop for you till it is finished. Say nothing, however, 
 
 about my coming, as it may perhaps be dangerous." " Not a 
 
 line from anybody — my lodgings are half dismantled. I have 
 
 just packed off my fine clock to be sent to England. My 
 
 rooms are full of packing cases ; and I have all the uncomforta- 
 
 bleness of going without being able to decide whether I shall 
 
 go or not. The person to whom the Villamils have let La 
 
 Butte (Smith, Lord Carrington's brother) has offered us our 
 
 Pavilion for the summer in the kindest manner." " I mean to 
 
 start on Saturday." 
 
 Six Letters, three 4 to., three 8vo. (one of two sides), 9th, 20th, 
 
 21st, 23rd, 27th, and 28th May, 1822 
 
 " Direct to me at ' La Butte Coaslin a Sevres, Paris/ " 
 
 " The worst of it all is, too, the delay and difficulty I find in 
 
 getting any sort of a quiet apartment to fly to. All are so dear, 
 
 so noisy, so diabolical. Curse the place altogether. I am 
 
95 
 
 determined to make any sacrifice to be able to live in England 
 once more." "The £ 100 I draw for (your name is a tower of 
 strength to me), shall not fall upon your shoulders when due ; 
 no, not if there is a stiver to be raised upon all Parnassus. 
 Seriously, I was in hopes not to be obliged to draw upon you 
 for some months to come, and the Bill shall be renewed when 
 due." "I have found a lodging for the summer (19, Rue 
 Basse Passy, a Paris) dear enough you may suppose, from the 
 season being so far advanced — but I was glad enough after all 
 my distractions to get anything." Stewardship at Literary 
 Fund. 
 
 Seven Letters, one 4to., four 8vo., two 12mo., 3rd, 6th, 1 7th, 
 25th, 27th, 28th, and 30th June, 1822 
 " I wish you would send to Longmans' for Keppel Craven's 
 account of the Revolution of Naples." " I am sorry to see 
 that Bishop's music to Coleman's Opera is not highly spoken 
 of. It seems, however, to succeed." " I have hardly strength 
 to hold my pen with the excessive heat of the weather. The 
 thermometer has been most of these days above 90, and if it 
 goes on increasing as the summer advances, I don't know how 
 we shall bear it." " I am just now writing post in order to 
 get a Poem out which I have begun (or rather begun to finish) 
 lately, upon finding that Lord Byron had taken the same sub- 
 ject, and I want if possible to have mine published before his. 
 Do not say a word about this, as Longmans expect quite a dif- 
 ferent thing from me, and I do not mean to tell them how I 
 am employed till ready to go to press." " I have been revising 
 very anxiously the Sacred Songs, and I am sorry to tell you 
 that it is impossible for me to let them appear as they are. 
 There must be at least five or six new ones to make this Volume 
 at all what it ought to be." " I am very quiet here and work- 
 ing away I trust prosperously." " I have had a most doleful 
 letter from Count de Lagarde," &c. 
 
96 
 
 Four Letters, one 4to., three Svo. (one of four sides), 5th, 8th, 
 12th and 1 8th July, 1822 
 " You know the way used to be that if I struck out a sym- 
 phony to my own Songs, well and good ; but that if not, Ste- 
 venson supplied me." Mentions his article on the Fathers in 
 the Edinburgh Review. " I forget the Number, but it is one of 
 the year 1817, I think." "You seem doomed to disappoint- 
 ments of every kind. That Air (which I had not the slightest 
 idea was Bishop's) has been floating in my memory for many, 
 many years." " I am glad that you are able to print Bishop's 
 air." "When I was in London (this is entirely between our- 
 selves) Jeffrey offered if I would come to give me half of the 
 Edinburgh Review. This would be, I understand, between 
 seven and eight hundred a year to me, and would not take, I 
 should think, more than a month's labour out of every 
 quarter. If you should find, in a little time, your agreement 
 too burdensome, I have strong ideas of accepting Jeffrey's offer. 
 I have had also, within these three days, through Brougham, 
 a proposal which (though I cannot accept of it) flatters me 
 exceedingly. It is that I should replace the present powerful 
 Editor of the Times (who is ill) in writing the leading Article 
 for that paper. It was proposed to pay me at the rate of twelve 
 hundred a year, but being thought capable of wielding such a 
 potent political machine as the Times, was, I own, what pleased 
 and flattered me most in the transaction — the more perhaps 
 from my feeling conscious that I do not deserve it. I have 
 written to decline the offer, but pray do not breathe a syllable 
 about it to any one." 
 
 Seven Letters, 8vo., 1st, 2nd, 5th, 8th — 19th, and 29th August, 
 
 1822 
 
 " Thank you very cordially for your last friendly letter and 
 
 the kind assurances it contained, which in my present situation 
 
 are, I assure you, very comfortable to me." "That letter 
 
97 
 
 which you sent me by the post was the proposal from Brougham 
 I mentioned to you about the Times. It came quite safe." 
 " Soon after I received your notification of Bishop's arrival I 
 went in quest of him, and thinking Miss Stephens was a person 
 most likely to know where he was, I called there and left my 
 address for him. Accordingly he came out here yesterday, and 
 I find it is his intention to stay some time in the neighbourhood 
 of Paris, though he talks of going 'for a month's shooting with 
 Kalkbrenner' about a hundred miles off. This I suppose, how- 
 ever, is only ' a flourish of trumpets.' I will try and keep him 
 to his intention of doing the Nationals here," &c. "Bishop 
 dined with us on Saturday to meet the Forsters, and we passed 
 a very agreeable day of it." "I had a long letter from Lord 
 Lansdowne the other day, chiefly on the subject of Sloperton 
 Cottage, which there appears another chance of our having, if 
 we chuse. I cannot resist quoting a paragraph of it, to show 
 you how very kind he is. ' I can only say that if an address 
 from all the neighbours of Sloperton could recall you, you 
 would speedily receive one, of the most cordial and affectionate 
 hind, and in which the inhabitants of Bowood would certainly 
 not be behind hand? " 
 
 Seven Letters, two 4to., four 8vo. (one of two sides), one l2mo. 
 
 5th, 9th, 15th, 17th, 26th, and two undated, September, 
 
 1822 
 
 ls \ am very near the end of my Poem." — Bishop's eccentric 
 
 movements in Paris. His rapidity of composition exemplified. 
 
 Allusion to the " thoroughly Miss's Work, or (as we might 
 
 have called it) the Miss's Manual,"— (one song is perhaps a 
 
 little too free) : " ' My heart and lute is also done.' " " I have 
 
 just heard from Rees, who tells me there is hardly a doubt of 
 
 my being free to come over to England in a few weeks hence. 
 
 Whatever may be my steps with respect to taking of Sloperton 
 
 Cottage, I mean to pass the rest of next winter near London." 
 
 u I shall wait with some anxiety your answer to my last. Mv 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 situation is rather puzzling. I could have the house I am in now 
 for six months more at so low a price as twenty pounds, which, 
 contrasted with the expense of moving to England, staggers my 
 resolves considerably." "Pray inquire if my clock has ar- 
 rived," " As the time approaches for our change of quarters, I 
 confess the operation appears so formidable as almost to frighten 
 me. I could manage to totter on here well enough, but the 
 radical clearing out from this and establishing myself anew in 
 England will take such lots of money as I know not how I am 
 to achieve. One of my plans of finance must be the drawing 
 upon you," &c. " I am literally on my beam ends in the way 
 of supply, and nothing but an economical country life and hard 
 work will right me again. As my task during the winter 
 months will be prose (Sheridan's Life) I shall be better able to 
 work for you, than if it were (as has been the case lately) a 
 drain on the poetical stores of my brain." 
 
 Eight Letters, 8vo. (one of two and one of three sides), — 7th, 
 I Oth, 14th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 28th Ocotober, 1822 
 
 "Iara still suspending my final resolution till I hear from 
 the Longmans and from you more fully." " I have ventured 
 to tell the Longmans that I thought you would have no objec- 
 tion to join them in any arrangement they might make about 
 those Irish poems." " lam still without answers from you or 
 the Longmans with respect to the very urgent subject of my 
 supplies for going or indeed even for staying. Out of the last 
 hundred I was obliged to pay between fifty and sixty pounds 
 for a Medal of Grattan, [by Galle], which I was rash enough 
 to undertake here, and by which (though I shall not ultimately 
 lose), I am for the moment inconvenienced a good deal." " As 
 to continuing the Irish Melodies, you so perfectly deserve that 
 I should sacrifice a little of my own judgment and feelings on 
 the subject to your wishes, that if it is really an object with you 
 to go on with them, I shall most readily consent to it, and (I 
 
99 
 
 need not add) exert myself to make them as much as possible 
 worthy of their predecessors." 
 Four Letters, two 4to. (one of two sides) one 8vo., 14th, 17th 
 (two), and — November, 1822 
 "The Dinner to me has gone off most splendidly, and I am 
 now in all the bustle of departure." Sends three verses com- 
 mencing : 
 
 " Then be it so — if back to heaven." 
 And two verses : 
 
 " Come, pray with me, my Angel love." 
 Referring to a bill drawn on Mr. Power, Mr. Moore writes — 
 " By the time the Bill is due, I shall have, please God (and 
 the Angels), abundance to meet it. I mean to start in the 
 morning.' " You shall soon have Irish Melodies. I have 
 come off very well with all the Reviews except that in the Lon- 
 don Magazine, whose violence luckily defeats its purpose — I 
 think I know the reason of this attack." 
 Seven Letters, 4to., six undated, one "Thursday Night," 1822 
 " I have but just time (having been all day at a Meeting for 
 the unfortunate Irish, where I have been put upon the Com- 
 Tnittee) to inclose," &c. " I congratulate you on the decision 
 I have seen in the Papers." " I have not felt quite well for 
 some days past, and a letter which my friend Lord John has 
 just brought me from the Longmans, and which shews how 
 very languidly and hopelessly the Bermuda negociation is going 
 on, by no means adds to my state of spirits. However, if it be 
 my doom to be an exile for the rest of my life, I must only 
 make up my mind to it— the only thing I am impatient of, is 
 the suspense." 
 Six Letters, four 4 to., franked by the Marquis of Lansdowne, 
 John Benett, and E. G. Stanley, two 8vo. (one of two 
 sides), 4th, 9th, 15th, 17th, 22nd, and 29th January, 
 1823 
 " Those abominable tailors did not send me my Coat for last 
 
 h 2 
 
100 
 
 night's Fancy Ball, and I was put to great difficulties by the 
 want of it." " How famously my Angels are getting on ! In 
 about a week more they will have paid off my debt of <g£1000 
 to Longmans." " I am only apprehensive lest the efforts of 
 John Bull and such respectable leaders of the public taste 
 should succeed in raising a cry of impiety against it, which 
 (no matter whether deserved or not) is sure to do me mischief." 
 " I don't know whether Mrs. Power told you of a plan I had 
 for a Collection of vocal pieces, to be set by different com- 
 posers — a sort of Soiree in the East, where girls of different 
 nations sing the songs of their countries." " I shall, as you 
 wish it, immediately set about rummaging my old stock of Irish 
 Melodies for another Number, and need not say that I shall 
 endeavour (for my fame sake) to make it as good as the mate- 
 rials left will allow me." " I am called upon to revise for a 
 fifth edition of the Angels. This makes 6000 copies sold in 
 little more than a month, and pays off my debt of ^81000 to 
 the Longmans. But I am still left pennyless amidst it all." 
 " You see I am in want of music paper, and have been obliged 
 to tear a pretty book — so send me some of all sizes." 
 
 Mr. Moore to Mr. Power. Three Letters, two 4to., one 8vo., 
 
 12th, 18th, and Sunday, February 1823 
 
 " I have made a very pathetic duett of the Irish Country 
 
 Dance Cumwillian."* "I wish you could get Stevenson over. 
 
 If you have any channel by which we could come at particulars 
 
 of the life of Carolan, Jackson, &c. it would be a very nice ad- 
 
 * Printed in the Ninth Number of the Irish Melodies, Cummilum, to which 
 Mr. Moore has adapted his sparkling lyric, " Fairest put on a while." The 
 melody was the composition, about 1770, of Francis Ganey, a Piper retained 
 in the Gibbins' family, and was called by him " The humours of Gibbins- 
 town,"— the family seat, about three miles South of Charleville. It received 
 its name of Comhallaim, which is the Irish for a foster-brother, from the late 
 Doctor Gibbins (the father of the present Viscountess Combermere), speaking 
 in the Musical Society of Cork of this tune as composed by his nurse's son. 
 
101 
 
 dition to our next number to prefix some sort of Memoir of 
 those celebrated Irish Composers. Think of this, I shall write 
 to-day to Paris about it, as Sir J. Burke (who is now there) told 
 me, if I mistake not, that Carolan was piper or harper to one of 
 his ancestors." " Pray tell Mr. Croker, how much I thank 
 him for the Transactions of the Irish Society, and that I shall 
 be most grateful to him if he will keep me and the Melodies in 
 mind during his studies on the subject. I hope you are pleased 
 with the Review in the Quarterly. It will do the latter num- 
 bers good, in particular, and though I have never condescended 
 to quote testimonies from Reviews, yet there is one sentence in 
 this article which I think you ought to insert in your next Ad- 
 vertisement of the Letter Press Melodies. It is this * We are 
 of opinion that the fame of Mr. Moore will ultimately rest upon 
 his productions in this style of writing ; because however great 
 his merit in others, this is the style in which he has never been 
 exceeded, and it is highly probable he never will be.' See the 
 last Quarterly Review.'" 
 
 Four Letters, three 4to. (one of two sides), one 8vo., 1st, 7th, 
 9th, and 17th March, 1823 
 " I must trouble you to make enquiries at all the Bucking- 
 ham Streets in London for me — the French Bed that was 
 coming to us (a present), and which was put on board at Calais 
 on the 23rd of December has never (that I know of) been heard 
 of since. It was directed I find, to Mr. Moore, Depute (Mem- 
 ber of Parliament), 22, Buckingham Street, without adding 
 Strand." [Mr. Power's private residence.'] " There will also 
 be some things left at your house from Paris, by Sadi Omback 
 (a gentleman with a turban,)" &c. "The poem you have 
 marked in the Literary Gazette is an evident imitation of the 
 Melologue, but not very well calculated for Music."* "In 
 my last letter to you there were two important things I omitted 
 
 * Entitled ff the Enchantress," and signed Isabel. 1 March. 
 
102 
 
 — one was my sincere congratulations on the termination (and 
 more than all, such an honorable termination) of your law-suit 
 in Dublin — the other was, with respect to your wish of an- 
 nouncing a new Number of the Irish Melodies, which I cannot 
 of course have the least objection to." 
 
 Three Letters, one folio, one 4to., one 8vo. ; 2nd and 16th May, 
 30th June, 1823 
 " I have had a most stupid cold in head and chest since I 
 came down, which even this Summer weather does not seem 
 inclined to take away." " I am reading for my Greek work 
 which I shall get on with as fast as possible. The correction 
 of the Sacred Songs is a most unlucky interruption to it, as 
 there is nothing I take so much time about as the dull work of 
 correcting." " I do not know how my Fables are going on. 
 There were 3000 copies in the first Edition, and Longmans' 
 last week expected to be soon called upon for a Second. I 
 have never counted upon a great sale of this book, as the want of 
 personality makes it much less generally attractive than my 
 former squibs. But I have presumed upon it to the amount of 
 between three and four hundred pounds, and if it pays that I 
 shall be satisfied." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. (one of three and one of two sides), two 
 Svo. (ditto, and a song in 4 to. as an inclosure), 11th, 
 16th, 17th, and 22nd July, 1823 
 Details accident to his pony carriage and party who were 
 driving in it. {i You have now the whole history of this trans- 
 action, and this fate of my first attempt at an equipage is I 
 think a broad hint to me that I never was intended for one." 
 u As I rather think the year I am now entering upon will be the 
 last of my Lyric life, I shall try to put you in good humour 
 with me at parting, by making my farewell strains as many and 
 as good as I can." " I shall send you what I think a very 
 pretty song, and (on the other side) some words which I began 
 
103 
 
 and which (if Bishop will condescend to set them) I shall 
 finish." Sends three verses of 
 
 " When Love, who rul'd as Admiral o'er 
 His rosy Mother's isles of light," &c. 
 "I have changed my mind about going first to London, it 
 would take so much more of my time and money (neither of 
 which I can well spare), that I mean to start direct from this for 
 Birmingham/' " I need not tell you that what I send is not a 
 sacred song —it will speak for itself I think rather gaily." 
 Incloses four verses of " Child's Song," 
 
 " I have a garden of my own," &c. 
 " Let me know what you think by a line to 96, Abbey Street." 
 Two Letters, one 4to., one 8vo. (two sides), Cork, 2nd August, 
 Sloperton, 29th August, 1823 
 " I left Dublin with Lord and Lady Lansdowne, on Wednes- 
 day. We slept the first night at Kilkenny, the second at Lis- 
 more Castle (the Duke of Devonshire's), and last night arrived 
 here."* " I arrived here yesterday evening after the pleasantest 
 
 * Extract of a letter from Cork addressed to Mr. Power by John O'Dris- 
 col, Esq. "Moore has been here; after an absence of five years he has 
 revisited Ireland, and now for the first time beholds "the sweet South" of 
 that country with which his name has become popularly associated in Song. 
 He visited us in company with the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne, 
 with whom I had the pleasure of breakfasting. The party are on their way 
 to Kerry, where you are aware that his Lordship has large estates. They 
 visited the Porter Brewery of Messrs. Beamish and Crawford, and Moore was 
 much amused at the old Cork joke of the nursery maid's reply to the question, 
 whose child is that ? " Beamish and Crawford's, Sir." He spoke of our friend 
 little Crofton Croker, who he said was full of capital Cork jokes and fun, as 
 well as of feeling, poetry, and taste ; and I thought he listened with particular 
 interest to my account of his introduction to Mrs. Garrick. As usual a 
 specimen of the porter was offered to the visitors and tasted by them. At the 
 brewery such was the enthusiasm of the reception, that no sooner was the 
 Poet's back turned than the glass out of which he had sipped was seized upon 
 by Mr. John Augustine Shea, a poetic clerk in the establishment {afterwards 
 Editor of a Newspaper in the United States'] who quaffing a brimming draft 
 
104 
 
 and most interesting five weeks, I have perhaps ever enjoyed. 
 The kindness and even enthusiasm with which I was received 
 every where in Ireland would flatter a person even less alive to 
 such tributes than I am. In some things, however, I was un- 
 lucky, and one of them was in the very cross accident of Ste- 
 venson's leaving town the very day after I arrived there on a 
 long and distant visit to some of his Whiskey cronies." "I 
 have not, I am sorry to say, added to my stock of Irish Melo- 
 
 from the same goblet, prefaced no doubt by a corresponding sentimental 
 speech, dispatched the relic to a glass cutter in Hanover Street, to have the 
 name of MOORE engraved on it as a precious memento of the visit of Erin's 
 Minstrel to the Cork Porter Brewery. Moore went down the river (which he 
 as truly as poetically termed ' our noble sea avenue') to see his sister, Mrs. 
 Scully, at Cove, and the steam boat and quay were crowded to get a glimpse 
 at "the Irish Lion," as Lord Lansdowne called him. As you well know, 
 Moore dresses with peculiar neatness, and looked that morning I think, par- 
 ticularly well in his smart white hat, kid gloves, brown frock coat, yellow 
 cassimere waistcoat, grey duck trowsers, and blue silk handkerchief carelessly 
 secured in front by a silver pin ; he carried a boat cloak on one arm, and 
 walked with a brown silk umberella, for which, however, he had no require- 
 ment, as the morning was bright, balmy, and beautiful — " quite beautiful," 
 as he himself observed to me. Yet in the assembled crowd — for it literally 
 was so to witness the embarkation — there was a general feeling of disappoint- 
 ment, — "that's he" — "the little chap — talking to big Jacob Mark," [the 
 American Consul at Cork, who had married a Miss Godfrey]. " Well to be 
 sure if that's all of him, what lies they do be telling about Poets —sure I thought 
 I'd come out to see a great joint (giant) as big as O'Brien, at any rate — for 
 wasn't Roderick O'Connor roaring and bawling through all the streets last 
 night that the Great Poet had come amongst us from foreign parts." " Oh 
 then Roderick was drunk, sure enough." "Well, 'tis a darling little pet at 
 any rate." " Be dad, isn't he a dawny creature, and dosn't he just look like 
 one of the good people." " Well, any how, God speed them !" and these 
 various opinions resolved themselves only into a faint cheer, as Moore stepped 
 on board the boat. Doctor Tuckey has gone down the river with Moore, 
 deputed to secure him for a complimentary public dinner to be given to him 
 by the citizens of Cork, I have not heard the result — but suspect Moore will 
 not accept." 
 
105 
 
 dies, but have however laid in a few recollections and feelings 
 about Ireland which will not fail to shew themselves in what- 
 ever else I may do upon the subject."* 
 Four Letters, three 4to. (one of two sides), one 8vo., 3rd, 12th, 
 18th, and 24th September, 1823. 
 " I send you an Irish Melody, and one, I think, of the right 
 sort. On looking over my stock, I find I may proceed with the 
 9th Number, and as I know it is what you wish most, I shall 
 persevere with it till finished." " Send me a Copy of Hunt's 
 cheap edition ol the last ' Don Juan.' " Sends three verses of 
 " As Vanquish'd Erin wept beside." " I have marked the pas- 
 sage from which I think the two figures, both of Erin and of 
 the Demon, may be best combined" in an illustrative drawing. 
 " I send you an Irish Melody, a second verse to ' Quick, 
 we have but a Second,' and two verses of ' They know not 
 my heart,' which I have made out. I do not know why this 
 was set aside, as it is as good as most of them. I have had a 
 message from Stevenson through my sister to say that he will 
 bring over the Sacred Songs to me himself, as he is coming to 
 
 * This is indeed quite evident in the IXth Number of the Irish Melodies, 
 which was entered at Stationers Hall on the 1st November, 1824. " Of the 
 twelve Songs which it contains, nine have reference to local feeling's or tra- 
 ditions, or to circumstances which arose out of the Poet's tour. Thus, ' Sweet 
 Innisfallen,' and ' 'Twas one of those dreams,' obviously allude to Mr. 
 Moore's visit to Killarney ; and ' In yonder valley there dwelt alone,' is said 
 to have originated in an anecdote connected with O'Sullivan's Cascade. The 
 Song commencing ' By the Feal's wave benighted,' is founded on a romantic 
 anecdote in the history of the Geraldines. These four songs fairly belong to 
 the County of Kerry. Then, descriptive of a glance at a Map of Ireland, 
 preparatory to the tour we find, ' Fairest put on a while.' On meeting with a 
 party of old friends in Dublin, ' And doth not a meeting like this.' On Irish 
 politics, ' As vanquished Erin wept beside,' &c. and ' Quick we have but a 
 second,' is quite the song that might have been suggested by a pleasant 
 travelling party being hurried off from an agreeable meeting. The horn of 
 the mail-coach guard, or the voice of some equally urgent personage is abso- 
 lutely ringing in the ear." 
 
106 
 
 the Birmingham Music-Meeting. We shall see. There are 
 now seven Irish Melodies done, and a month more will complete 
 the Number." " I shall send Croker's book up to-morrow, as 
 I think I have some more Music to be bound." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4to. (frank "of John Benett), three 8vo. one 
 12mo. 2nd, 9th, 17th, 21st, and 24th October, 1823. 
 " I should be delighted to be iu town to see my friend Abbot, 
 but I am too hard at work to be any where else but where I 
 am. Tell him that I wish he could spare a few days to run 
 down to us." "I shall be glad if he will take over with him 
 to Dublin five of those Medals sent to you from Paris. They 
 are, tell him, for Harry Bushe, and he will learn the best way 
 of forwarding them to him from Dublin. Give him/my very 
 best regards. There are few more worthy persons." " Ste- 
 venson has not made his appearance, aud I begin to fear we 
 shall not see him here. Indeed, when I gave him the things 
 to do, I had but slight hopes of his paying much attention to 
 them. Lady Bective is anxious beyond anything," &c. ". I 
 have run over here (Pyt House) to our County Member's to 
 take a glimpse of Fonthill, which is in his neighbourhood, and 
 take advantage of his frank to tell you," &c. " You have here 
 a Melody, which (with ' The Banquet is over') makes, I believe, 
 the twelve. As some, however, of those I sent are but experi- 
 ments, I shall go on writing four or five more to secure as good 
 a set as I can." 
 
 Five Letters, two 4to., three 8vo. (two of two sides), 7th, 11th, 
 15th, 21st, and 28th November, 1823. 
 Refers to a Ballad introduced into "M. P." " Every six- 
 pence I get goes to keep down my bills here, and I shall not 
 have a quiet mind till they are all discharged." "Your present 
 from the Fish Market tempted me into asking our new neigh- 
 bour- (the rich Lord of Spy Park) to dine with us. He was 
 unluckily engaged, but said he would come some other dav this 
 
107 
 
 week, so that I am in for what they call a ' blow-out 5 to him 
 on Thursday, and must, therefore, commission you to send me 
 by to-morrow's coach to Devizes, a Fish as good as that which 
 you so kindly gave us for Sunday last, and which was excellent." 
 "Will you have the goodness to call at Bicknell's (or Moore's 
 rather), the hatter at the corner of New Bond Street, and tell 
 him to send me a good Water-proof hat for the Winter, as I 
 have none but a White one, which in the month of December 
 looks rather poverty-stricken. It would be cheaper to buy a 
 hat here, but the truth is I have not so much ready money to 
 spare. Tell him to send an oil skin cover with it to keep out 
 the rain." " I have no objection of course to Bishop doing 
 these last things you mention, but it must be, as Stevenson 
 used to do (that is to say if you publish them singly) merely 
 correcting my arrangements of them, (which I shall send you) 
 and without putting his name to them. This is the way I 
 must have all my single things done hereafter." " In those 
 works of Campbell's and Bishop's you have sent me, both Poet 
 and Musician labour most painfully." "You have also here an 
 Irish Melody to an air which I have written out from memory, 
 but I am sure not correctly. It is one of Bayley's, and very 
 prettily done by him, ' O leave me to my sorrow' — pray send 
 me an accurate copy of it. My verses, of which there will be 
 a good many verses, are founded on an Irish story." ["-Sy *he 
 Feats wave benighted. ,'] " I am going to give myself a day's 
 relaxation to-morrow with my friend Bowles to hear the Italian 
 Opera at Bath." 
 
 I\vo Letters, 8vo., 11th and 20th December, 1823. 
 
 " I send you three of the Sacred Songs which may be pro- 
 ceeded on immediately. I have entirely re-written the words of 
 one of them." " I send you three more of the Holy ones, which 
 I have been twisting into all sorts of shapes. I shall try and 
 find a good subject for Braham. The Sacred Songs ought to 
 be as much as possible arranged for single voices." 
 
108 
 
 Five Letters and proof of Advertisement of the Music to the 
 Songs in Lalla Rookh, one 4 to. four 8vo. (one of three 
 and three of two sides), one 12mo. all undated, 1823. 
 — "it contained a very splendid book published at Berlin, 
 respecting the Costumes worn at the Royal Fete, founded on 
 Lalla Rookh. I am grieved to the heart to perceive by your 
 last that this eternal and infernal law suit with your brother is, 
 after all, likely to begin again." " The cursed money, I fear, 
 will run short. I have been obliged to pay £40 within these 
 few days to one of the furnishers of our house, who was to have 
 waited till Christmas, but, being threatened with arrest himself, 
 I could not refuse him. I shall, however, make a bould push 
 to get to town. I hope you saw how kindly Sir J. Mackintosh 
 quoted the Fables at the Grand Dinner." "I shall look over 
 Callaghan's Melodies for the purpose you mention, but do not 
 recollect that there is any plagiarism, except of my general 
 style." " I have entirely re- written ' Lord, now thy golden 
 Sun/ and the second verse to * War against Babylon' is about 
 the tenth I have tried." " I have not yet decided whether I 
 shall have another verse to 'Lord of Heaven.'" "Many 
 thousand thanks for the .£300 — it was an enormous pull at 
 once." Boivood, Sunday. " I want twenty pounds by return 
 of Post (if possible) to pay a Carpenter's bill I have been rather 
 dunned for." "I shall now send you alternately a Spanish, 
 Sacred, and Irish Melody. I wish," &c. "I saw him [Sir 
 John Stevenson'] but that once, which was only for about ten 
 minutes, in Catalani's dressing room," &c. 
 
 Six Letters, three 4to. (frank of the Marquis of Lansdowne) 
 three 8vo. (one four and one two sides), 2nd, 11th, 
 — th, 17th, 20th, and 31st January, 1824 
 
 *-' I like some of Bishop's Greek work exceedingly. He has 
 e Sappho' s Song very much as I wished it to be done, par- 
 ticularly the Air part. The Glee, too, of ' The Sky is bright ' 
 
109 
 
 is very happily imagined, but I must have some talk with him 
 about the Symphony of it, which, to my ear, is not pleasing." 
 " We are rather in a fuss to-day, on account of an announced 
 visit from my friend Edward Moore, to dine and sleep. This 
 is not the weather for Town Dandies to come and see Cottages 
 in." " My time is sadly broken in upon, and the Lansdowne's, 
 though very delightful neighbours, are very idling ones." " I 
 wish you would look for the books of Doctor O'Leary, and 
 send them to me." " I am very much pleased indeed with the 
 way the Irish Melodies are arranged, some of the symphonies 
 are quite beautiful." " I shall, I think, ask about ten days' 
 holidays from you now, as I want to get this Irish Pamphlet out 
 early in February." " I send you the son^; of Bowles's." 
 " Take care of this Poem for me till we meet, and also of the 
 Music book, which contains the original arrangement ' Where 
 is your dwelling, ye sainted V This Music book is very pre- 
 cious to me." " I would not lose that book for a good deal." 
 " On the other side you have the first verse of the Mountain 
 Sprite." "I wish you to get for me, as soon as possible, the 
 Pamphlet of Hibemicus lately published." " I did not at all 
 expect to have the Irish Melodies come so thick on me, as I 
 thought we were to get the Sacred Songs out of the way first. 
 However, I suppose it is that infernal Stevenson who still delays 
 the latter. The lead will suffer for it, as I have material altera- 
 tions to make in those you sent me." " The title for Bowles's 
 Song is to be thus in the front, ' Go, beautiful and gentle Dove,' 
 a Song from an Oratorio called * the Ark,'" &c. "Thank 
 Croker for the books he has lent me, particularly O'Leary' s 
 Tracts. The last things of Hibernicus are of no use to me." 
 
 Four Letters, one 4to., three 8vo., 6th, 15th, 20th, and 22nd 
 
 Febuary, 1824 
 
 " I think I have succeeded very happily in my second verse to 
 
 ' Sing — Sing,' but do not consign it to the lead for a few days, 
 
 in order that I may have time to consider over it a little." 
 
110 
 
 " How dreadful it is to think of your being again plunged into 
 all the horrors of law, by this disagreeable brother of yours." 
 " My friend Bowles thinks the verse I sent you the other day, 
 to ' Sing — Sing,' the prettiest thing I ever wrote. You will see 
 in the next Westminster Review a very nattering and useful 
 Article about me and the National Melodies." " I am afraid 
 you sometimes think me not attentive enough to your interests ; 
 and it is true that my literary labours take also a great deal of 
 my attention. But what am I to do? My great delight would 
 be, if I could afford it, to confine myself wholly to Songs and 
 Music, but there are so many calls on me besides, that I am 
 obliged to labour a little at every thing. At this moment my 
 hand is so weary with transcribing, that I doubt whether you 
 will be able to make out this scrawl." 
 
 Five Letters, three 4 to. (one unsigned) two 8vo. (one of two 
 sides), 2nd, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 13th April, 1824 
 
 Derby. " I came over here for a day or two, chiefly to 
 attend the Lancastrian Dinner, where my health was drank 
 three times three, &c, and where I literally electrified them 
 with ' the Shamrock of Erin and Olive of Spain.' I have been 
 singing away here at the rate of two dozen Songs a night — 
 excellent audiences." Dedication of Volume of Sacred Songs 
 to the Rev. Thomas Parkinson, D.D., Archdeacon of Leicester, 
 Chancellor of Chester, and Rector of Kegworth. " I suppose 
 you saw the paragraph about the Captain in the Times. It 
 was most kindly and admirably done, and must serve the book 
 a good deal. I had a letter yesterday from Lady Holland, full 
 of praise of it. This is all I know about thejnatter as yet. 
 The Longmans wrote to me to correct for another Edition — 
 but I have not time, and besides, I doubt whether it will be 
 called for as soon as they think." 
 
 Five Letters, two 4to., three 8vo. (one of three and one of two 
 sides), 16th, — th, 19th, 24th, and 29th April, 1824 
 
Ill 
 
 u I have had letters full of praise of my book, from Lords 
 Lans downe, Holland, John Russell," &c. " I am delighted 
 to hear that Mrs. Power likes my book, and hail her approval 
 of it as a good omen of its circulation among female readers, 
 whom I certainly did not much expect to interest. The pro- 
 mise is very fair at present, for they are going to press with a 
 third Edition." "I have been obliged to invite some people 
 suddenly to dinner on Wednesday, and therefore must trouble 
 you to dispatch me a dish of fish by to-morrow's Coach. Sal- 
 mon I should prefer, but send whatever is best." " I have had 
 great difficulty in finding pretty Airs to fill up our Irish Num- 
 ber, and have tried several with words without pleasing myself." 
 " Many thanks for the lobster and prawns, which were very 
 much wanted for the second Course. They and the Salmon 
 were very good." " All that Bishop can claim in the transac- 
 tion will be ' revised ' or c corrected ' by H. Bishop. According 
 to the first Title you wrote to this Spanish Glee, I am excluded 
 altogether from any share in the Musical part, though the 
 choice of the Air, the alterations in it (ofton so great as to 
 make the Air almost my own), the suggestion of the Harmony 
 and accompaniments, and, in short, all that gives character and 
 originality to the Music proceeds from me. This would not 
 be, in my mind, fair, and I must do what I can to put all 
 claim to it out of the question. If you think Bishop's name, 
 placed prominently, is likely to increase the attraction of the 
 Song, that is quite another thing, and I shall most heartily 
 yield to it, because, after all, attraction is the great object, and 
 I would not let any little vanity on my part interfere with it." 
 
 Three Letters, Svo. (two with notes on the back), 1st, 3rd, 
 
 and 8th May, 1824 
 
 " You see Rock is in the Third Edition. I should think it 
 
 has already paid all my arrears to Longmans. What a lucky 
 
 hit every way !" " Now you have I think the second verses of 
 
 all the twelve Irish Airs for this Number." " How long the 
 
112 
 
 mechanical part takes ! This I never sufficiently consider." 
 " The parcel for Bowles arrived safe and he is highly delighted 
 with the way his Song is brought out." " I wish the Captain 
 to have his fling before I draw on the Paternoster Bank again. 
 They are getting a Fourth Edition ready. I have had a letter 
 of thanks from the Catholics of Drogheda." 
 
 Six Letters, one folio, two 4to., two 8vo., and one 12mo., 2nd, 
 5th, 8th, 15th, 20th, and 29th June, 1824 
 
 11 1 have left Croker's three music books," &c. Advertise- 
 ment to the Sacred Songs, respecting three melodies introduced 
 into the work from a publication by Mr. Gardiner. [See 
 page 1 17] — "and you had better say the same." " I did not 
 mean the substance of the accompaniment to be altered in the 
 first bars, but merely the placing of the notes in the chords, 
 which did not look to me as if their tails were turned in the 
 proper direction — a thing I know very little of myself, but 
 about which I see arrangers are very particular now-a-days." 
 " I shall not forget the Princess Augusta ; indeed I men- 
 tioned it to Lady Donegall before I left town." "You will 
 see that in 'Sweet Innisfallen,' I have restored a passage in 
 the seventh verse to what it was before." " You saw what 
 courteous epithets a Rev. gentleman at the Baptist Meeting 
 bestowed on Capt. Rock. This is quite right, and just the 
 effect I meant to produce." 
 
 Six Letters, one 4to., five 8vo., 2nd, 5th, 8th, 10th, 20th, and 
 26th July, 1824 
 
 Tears up a bill stamp by mistake — " which is 4s Id out of 
 the pockets of myself and heirs for ever." "There is a Mr. 
 Baldwin, who writes to me about a poem of his on Fox, and 
 says you sent it to me a fortnight ago. In what shape is it ? 
 MS. or printed ? Those authors do so pester me, that I really 
 ought to have a secretary expressly to answer and to attend to 
 them." Have you read ' Rock detected?' there are some odd 
 
113 
 
 things in it, and a few not bad — but it is no answer." " If the 
 sheets of the letterpress of our Ninth Number are not printed 
 off, I should like to make an alteration of a word. In the last 
 verse, ' And doth not a meeting,' instead of * Let sympathy 
 promise' I should wish * Let sympathy pledge us !' " "I have 
 forgot always to ask whether you sent a copy of the Sacred 
 Songs to the Reverend Dedicatee — if not, pray do." "I have 
 found the looking over these Songs a more tough task than I 
 expected, from the brutes attempting to put words under the 
 music. I never saw such hash as they made wherever they 
 could." " Send the inclosed immediately to Mr. Rogers." 
 " I have been looking over what is done of the Greek work, and 
 the only things worthy of being retained in it, are Bishop's glee, 
 'The Sky is bright.' — His Song, 'When o'er her loom the 
 Lesbian maid.' My own glee, * Here while the moonlight dim,' 
 and one selected thing — the rest must be thrown out." 
 
 Six Letters, 8vo., 1st, 9th, 13th, 20th, and 25th (two), 
 August, 1824 
 " Being obliged to devote generally one morning in every 
 week to answer all the begging letters, bothering letters, &c. 
 &c. from all sorts of paupers, and poets, and poetesses that 
 accumulate on me through the course of it, I inclose you a few 
 of them by this post to save the poor devils a little postage, and 
 you will have the goodness to see them safely put into the Two- 
 penny for me. Bowood is going to be full of all my town 
 friends, Rogers, Lord John, the Hollands, &c. &c. so that I 
 shall be routed up sadly by them. You shall, however, have 
 your share of me next week." a I send you a song of my own 
 on the Balaika subject, which I gave Bishop and which he did 
 not quite hit my fancy upon." "I wish you particularly to 
 inquire where Catalani is, and give her husband this letter or 
 forward it to him if he is out of town. It is to ask him to give 
 us a room in their Hotel at Salisbury for the Music Meeting. 
 * * * They did lodge at a wine merchant's (a Frenchman) 
 
 i 
 
114 
 
 in Pall Mall — at all events my friend Edward Moore in Cleve- 
 land Row would be able to tell you wbere they are." ll As we 
 are to have the christening of little Bustle (as we call him), on 
 Saturday, I shall trouble you to send down by Friday's coach 
 a couple of good lobsters which is all I think we shall want for 
 the luncheon." Longleat (Marquis of Bath's) " I have been 
 run away with from home to this most princely place by a party 
 from Bowood, which may occasion some delay in my communi- 
 cation with you." " I have been kept in such a whirl since I 
 last wrote, that, though I have contrived, in the midst of it all 
 to write a song of four verses, yet it is not in a state fit 
 to send it to you. Some people are coming to dine with me on 
 Friday, and I shall want some fish down by to-morrow's coach. 
 I leave it to yourself to chuse the best for me. "Where do you 
 think I am invited to go next week ? to Lord Bathurst's ! 
 rather not have turbot for Friday's dinner, as we have difficulty 
 in dressing it — but any other fish you find good, and enough 
 for eight people." 
 
 Two letters, 8vo., 6th and 13th September, 1824 
 
 te You will- perceive that ' Thou art not dead' alludes (under 
 the name of a celebrated antient Greek) to Lord Byron. I have 
 not been able to spare the time for Lord Bathurst's." tl When- 
 ever you see the Longmans, I wish you would ask them for a 
 ring left with them for me." "I send you two things for the 
 Greek work — one of them with music, which I rather think will 
 suit the young ladies — it had better, however, be set a note 
 lower." 
 
 Six Letters, three 4to. (one of two sides), three 8vo., 1st, 3rd 
 
 (two), 15th, 18th, and 26th October, 1824 
 
 " With respect to the lines to be engraved under the plates 
 
 [IX. Number Irish Melodies] I should like to have merely 
 
 * Sweet Innisfallen, fare thee well,' and under the other the four 
 
 lines. 
 
 1 When will this end, ye Powers of Good,' &c. 
 
115 
 
 let them be copied correctly from the letterpress. I was much 
 surprised to see the plate of the Daemon, as I thought you had 
 decided for the one flying up in the air." Fish for seven or 
 eight people and a good lobster — " put a bottle of anchovy 
 sauce in, as what we get at Devizes is very bad. This is the 
 last time, I hope, I shall have to trouble you in the piscatory 
 line till spring." " Did you see Shiel's flaming speech about me 
 at Cork, on my health being drunk four times four?" "We 
 have our friend Corry from Ireland with us, so you may sup- 
 pose I have not much 'time for the moment to myself." One 
 side of the 4to. letter relates entirely to Evenings in Greece. 
 " If Captain Medwin is as inaccurate about more important 
 things as he is about the circumstances of my first acquaintance 
 with Lord Byron he will have a good deal to answer in various 
 quarters. It is not my intention to notice any thing till I 
 bring out my own book." Erratum in the Song, "And doth 
 not a meeting," fourth verse, for ' the friends we hold dear,' read 
 the 'few we hold dear.' "You see how they are hacking 
 and vulgarizing the subject of Lord B. before I can come to it. 
 Medwin's book, as far as I have seen by the extracts, is full of 
 inaccuracies — every thing he tells about me is wrong. You 
 see he has even transported little Tom to Venice." 
 
 Seven Letters, two 4to., four 8vo., one 12mo., 2nd, 5th, 8th, 
 11th, 17th, 20th, and 29th November, 1824. 
 Parcel for Mr. C. Sheridan, 22, Duke Street, St. James's. 
 " The Ninth Number I think looks very well." " I rather think 
 there is such a Song of Lord B.'s as you mention," &c. " Eye 
 water that is in the parcel by Lord Lansdowne." After an ex- 
 planation respecting expenditure, Mr. Moore adds, "I never 
 before had such a mountain of difficulties to cut through — but 
 as I feel my reputation was never higher, I do not despair." 
 " I am happy to see by an extract in the Irish papers that the 
 Courier has (I suppose with some reservation) praised the New 
 Number of the Irish Melodies very warmly. You will te\\ 
 
116 
 
 Bishop when you see him that I am perfectly satisfied with the 
 way the symphonies and arrangements are done." " I got a 
 beautiful air from Lady Pembroke the other day, and thought 
 it would suit English words, but I can make nothing of it, 
 though it haunts me through all my walks — no metre will go 
 gracefully to it." " I was obliged to give up Lady Pembroke's 
 air as impossible." " I have been already favoured with the 
 precious paper you sent me, from the Dublin Mail Office, and 
 am rather afraid from the tone of it that my friend Sir John, 
 at least, has something to do with it. I am glad to see they 
 are so annoyed — I mean those Orange scamps." " I have got 
 the Music of the Duenna." " I inclose a Russian air (which I 
 got from Lady Pembroke) with words, and a Poem for Bishop 
 to set for the Greek Work." " I hear from Dublin that the 
 sale of the Ninth Number is 'very brisk' there, and I trust you 
 have taken care to secure fair play for yourself in the profits. 
 I see your brother has advertised it, with the addition of ' very 
 celebrated work.' " 
 
 Five Letters, four 4to. (one of two sides), one 8vo., 6th, 10th, 
 12th, 13th, and 28th December, 1824 
 " You may tell him [Bishop] that' I am quite charmed with 
 his setting of ' the two fountains.' The words are not bad (for 
 me), and he has caught the feeling of them most successfully. 
 I would only suggest to his better judgment to leave out the 
 imitative passage on the words ' running side by side,' which I 
 own I don't like ; it would be much better simply" " You see 
 there is a good article in the Edinburgh on the Captain." " If I 
 could once get this infernal Sheridan work off my hands, there 
 is no doubt of my getting on flourishingly, for I am determined 
 now to try every thing, Novel, Opera, &c. &c. till I get over 
 my difficulties." An extraordinary unsigned letter, 
 respecting the state of Moore's finances, and his specu- 
 lation upon his literary life, and means for living. — 
 s ' I was beginning to waver about going up, but your letter and 
 
117 
 
 one from Rees have decided me. So that you may expect me 
 {not to a beefsteak, for I rather think I shall dine on the road,) 
 but to oysters and a glass of brandy and water between nine and 
 ten." " It is quite awful to see how the money slips out of my 
 hands here in Christmas bills." 
 
 Five Letters, two irregular size, three 8vo. (one of two sides), 
 Tuesday, the others undated, (1824) 
 " Your Dedication is thought to be quite right. I would 
 advise, however, your asking some one whether ' To the King's 
 most excellent Majesty,' would not be more in form*" " I send 
 you some lines which Lord Byron gave me * * * and if you 
 get them set and think it worth while, you may claim them 
 as property.' '" I see Bishop has published his other ' National 
 Melodies/ How do you like this ? The very thing that Stevenson 
 and your brother (though cast off by us) thought necessary to 
 apologize for in the case of the Irish Melodies, Bishop (though 
 our ally) has done without any apology at all." " I have got 
 rid of the poney * * * (and though it cost me thirteen 
 guineas) I have been obliged to give six pounds with it in ex- 
 change for a poney whose price is only twelve. This is the 
 poor man's luck always." "I could not find either the air or 
 former words of ' Castle Blarney/ but I have written other words, 
 which I dare say are better than those I did before." " I shall 
 be much disappointed if Stevenson does not come to me, as I 
 looked with certainty to our finishing this number together." 
 " Castle Blarney will be a great beauty in the Number." " I 
 have written to your brother to say that I shall henceforth leave 
 the whole matter to be settled between you and him. My 
 friend the Rector here is going to call a meeting for a Petition 
 against the Roman Catholics, so you see what Orthodox society 
 I have got into." 
 
 Mr. Gardiner to Mr. Moore and Mr. Power, two Letters, one 
 4to., one 8vo., with Note in Mr. Moore's Autograph, 
 3rd June, 1824 
 
lib 
 
 Respecting two Airs taken from Mr. Gardiner's Sacred Me- 
 lodies introduced into the Second Volume of Moore's Sacred 
 Songs. (See page 112.) 
 
 Three Letters, 8vo. (one of two sides) 3rd, 16th, and 30th 
 January, 1825 
 Subscription to Athenaeum Club. " I did not like the last alter- 
 ation of 'Thou art not dead,' and inclose it now in the state I 
 wish it to be. By the time he [Sir Henry Bishop] has made 
 the slight change that is necessary (and pray say how sorry I 
 am to have given so much trouble about it), I shall have a 
 second verse for it different from that which it bears at present." 
 "You'll pay the two-pence on the inclosed letter —it is to one of 
 those begging devils, who little know what a pauper they 
 apply to. I am pestered with letters of all kinds and from all 
 quarters — America, Germany, France, and Birmingham. — The 
 last was from a young gentleman wishing to be employed as 
 my amanuensis, and asking what remuneration I could give 
 him !" (i I have been in the receipt of great honour and glory 
 at Bath during this last fortnight. The Speech I made at the 
 Literary Institution (under the noses of two Bishops) made a 
 great noise among the natives there, though the Bath News- 
 papers have (as usual) played the devil with my eloquence in 
 their reports. There were also allusions to me in the Prologue 
 at the Amateur Play which tried my modesty not a little." 
 
 Seven Letters, five 4to., two 8vo., 2nd, 4th, 8th, (two) 16th, 
 23rd and 24th February, 1825 
 " When I last wrote to you we were in great anxiety about 
 Phipps our neighbour, who had gone off to Havre to fight a 
 duel with another neighbour — symptoms of rural peace and 
 innocence. They returned after firing two shots each. One 
 of Phipps's balls having gone through his antagonist's hat, and 
 the last shot of the latter having produced a contusion on 
 Phipps's foot." " I can't find the second verse and be d — d 
 
119 
 
 to it, so must write another." The Spring*of Finance is run 
 quite dry with me, and ' as a Hart panteth after the water- 
 brook/ so do I after the water-mark of a Bank of England 
 Note. If you can spare me Twenty Pounds I will repay it in 
 March, when I must draw either upon Hook or Crook — that 
 established firm of all ways-and-means gentlemen." " I have 
 been wholly engaged these three or four days by a disagree- 
 able quarrel between two of our neighbours which you shall 
 hear more of in a day or two." Subscription to Athenaeum 
 Club — Accommodation Bills — " What the devil are we to do ? 
 I have no doubt things will get much worse." " I now get 
 The Times for nothing." 
 
 Two Letters, 8vo. 5 14th and 29th March, 1825 
 
 " I send you a ditty of my own, which I think rather ori- 
 ginal. I hope you observe what a composer I have become 
 lately. I mean to persevere in it." " The Irish business never 
 before looked half so promising." "It is very unlucky that 
 Bishop should have delayed the Greek work so long, as I am 
 going to press with Sheridan and shall be hunted by the Devils 
 for the next two months. I think you had better make sure 
 at all events, of the National Melodies." " This life of She- 
 ridan has been a heavy mill-stone round my neck, and even 
 now I doubt whether I shall be able to have it out before the 
 season dies away." 
 
 Five Letters, three 4to. (one franked by John Benett), two 8vo. 
 
 (one unsigned), 6th, 11th, 25th, 28th and 29th April, 
 
 1825 
 
 tl Such quantities have I got to do, that it will be six weeks 
 
 at least before I can stir from this." " Herewith you have 
 
 (though I say it myself) a very pretty glee and the writing of 
 
 this as well as ' Ship, ahoy,' (which is the most popular thing in 
 
 my own singing I have done for some time) has put a plan into 
 
 my head," &c. "I am in great apprehension about my poor 
 
120 
 
 father, and dread every letter from Dublin." [Mr. Moore's 
 father survived for some months after this. He died on the 
 17 th December following, in Great Britain Street, Dublin. 
 See page 124.] " I have been at work for the Press since ten 
 this morning and it is now dinner time, when I hope I may- 
 make up to myself by a hearty repast upon your excellent 
 mackerel, for which a thousand thanks." " My hand is too 
 tired to write any more." — " My great object is not to press 
 upon you more than is absolutely necessary, but by a sort of 
 kite-flying process between you and the Longmans to keep my- 
 self afloat till better prospects "open upon me. As there is 
 plenty of capital amongst us — on your side in credit and cha- 
 racter, on that of the Longmans in money, and on mine in 
 head it cannot be called mere paper work among us, and with- 
 out borrowing from friends (which is the last thing I shall ever 
 be driven to), or sinking myself deeper with you and the Long- 
 mans than I should wish, I have no other mode of getting on 
 for this year." ■' This Sheridan work is a most heavy task and 
 it would now take me the whole of the summer to finish it as 
 I ought — but, though I shall be very late, it must be dis- 
 patched, now I am about it." "The sooner I have some money 
 the better." 
 
 Five Letters, four 4to., one 8vo., 2nd, 9th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd 
 May, 1825 
 " I send you a very slight sketch of my Glee as I am not 
 able to write down what I mean. It is, I think, a very pretty 
 thought, but my musical powers are not equal to the handling 
 of it. Bishop would have made a fine thing of the words. I 
 hope however he will give a few touches of harmony and some 
 brilliant symphonies to express the flying away and returning 
 of Spirits, I shall acknowledge them specially in the preface to 
 the Glee, and take that opportunity of saying what I think of 
 his beau talent. Tell him this." " I had an idea of running 
 up for two days next week, in order to attend the Literary 
 
121 
 
 Fund dinner, but it would not be prudent in any way except 
 for the honour and glory at the dinner, and my friend Mackin- 
 tosh in the Chair." "The ten pounds arrived safe, and was a 
 very welcome out-rigger to the £20." " I am just setting off 
 for Devonshire to Dr. Bain, to make some enquiries about She- 
 ridan. As the Longmans insist upon paying my expenses, I 
 have the less remorse in taking the trip." " I did not get home 
 from Doctor Bain till Friday night and found myself so over- 
 whelmed with proofs that I have not been able to copy out the 
 Glee." " I want you also to send me down by Tuesday's Coach 
 some salmon (if not too dear) and a lobster — enough for six 
 people. I am obliged to give a dinner to our new Parson on 
 "Wednesday. If the salmon should be unapproachable send 
 one good dish of some other fish." — Sends second verse to 
 " Slumber, oh Slumber." 
 
 Two Letters, 4to., 11th and 20th July, 1825 
 
 " As I take for granted you are back again, I write a line to 
 welcome you, and to hope that you have had more fun than 
 your pill-garlick friend (still hard at work) has had in the 
 interval." " I was glad to find you had returned safely from 
 your trip into foreign parts," &c. " What weather it is ! it 
 quite disables me from business. I have had an awful proof 
 within these few days of the uncertainty of life. On Monday 
 I was one of the pall-bearers at the Funeral of a gentleman of 
 this neighbourhood, and yesterday one of my brother pall- 
 bearers (a man of large fortune in this county) dropped sud- 
 denly dead in his own grounds, from the heat. Sudden death, 
 indeed, formed part of our conversation in the mourning coach 
 on Monday, and I rather think this poor man expressed (as I 
 know I did myself) a preference for that mode of dying. God 
 bless you, my dear friend, and preserve both you and me long 
 to our families and customers." # 
 
 * In Moore's Diary, as edited by Lord John Russell, there is an odd 
 blank, or a confusion of dates, between June and August, 1825, Vol. IV. 
 
122 
 
 Three Letters, 4to. (one franked " Lansdowne"), 2nd and 5th 
 August, and 29th September, 1825 
 
 " I want you to call at my last lodgings, 58, Jermyn-street, 
 and know from them if I can have the same rooms on Saturday 
 next. You must say, however, that in this dead time of the 
 year, I must have them much cheaper, and if not shall go back 
 to Duke-street. Do not tell any one I am coming to town, for 
 though there are but few there, there are always enough to 
 pester me, and I shall be so busy that I must make it a point not 
 to stir out to see a soul before 3 or 4 in the day. A chop with 
 you at the latter hour will be often acceptable." With reference 
 to lodgings — " but I must now trouble you to secure those in 
 Duke-street, any part of the house, except the garrets and par- 
 lours. If I cannot be accommodated there, pray go to 19, 
 Bury-street, and ask whether I can have the back rooms that 
 Mr. Corry had — at a cheaper rate, of course, on account of the 
 time of year." 
 
 Five Letters, three 4to. (one of two sides), two 8vo. 7th, 9th, 
 11th, 13th, and 15th October, 1825 
 
 " I have been a good deal idled since I came home by living 
 chieily at Bowood, I hope, however, soon to send you two or 
 three things which I have on the stocks. You see by the Times 
 and Courier of yesterday that they have already begun pillaging 
 my work — what a gauntlet I shall have to run ! Lord John 
 Russell has offered me a seat in his carriage to Paris, and Lord 
 Lansdowne offers me lodging in his apartments while there, so 
 that I really believe (in order to get out of the way of the 
 critics) I shall accept this offer for two or three weeks. You 
 shall have, however, enough for Bishop to employ himself upon 
 
 p. 298." Moore, according to his published Biography, records, on the 26th 
 June, that a few days before he had attended the funeral of Henry Joy's 
 father, as pall-bearer, at Chippenham. The date of July 20, 1825, in this 
 letter, and it is a remarkable one, is in Mr. Moore's autograph. 
 
123 
 
 during the time." " I hope you will find the game we send 
 good." Moore's great anxiety respecting the Life of Lord 
 Edward Fitzgerald — the handsome conduct of the Longmans, 
 " three hundred pounds more to my credit, in addition to the 
 original sum stipulated," &c. " I forgot to answer your ques- 
 tion about the Sheridan Song — I would say," &c. " I have 
 made up my mind to go somewhere, but whether to Paris or 
 Scotland have not yet decided. I rather incline to the latter." 
 " Bessy had a taste of the fish yesterday. I was away at Bath 
 attending the Mayor's dinner to meet Lord Camden, &c. &c. 
 but to-day we are to feast together upon it. There have two 
 or three things happened rather to shake my purpose of going 
 to Paris, one of which is Lord John's change of mind on the 
 subject, and the other," &c. " As, however, I feel I shall not 
 be able to disengage my mind from Sheridan (being kept in a 
 perpetual state of excitement and fidget by the letters I receive 
 on the subject every morning) without some change of "scene, 
 and as the Lansdownes expect me to join them at Paris, I have 
 pretty nearly decided on taking the journey alone," &c. 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to., one 8vo., 3rd, — , and 20th November, 
 1825 
 
 Ediyiburgh.—" I arrived here yesterday evening, after a most 
 delightful visit of four days to Sir Walter. I really never was 
 before so much interested or pleased. His cordiality to me 
 was beyond what I could expect, and his cordiality kept me in 
 a constant state of agreeable excitement the whole time. No- 
 thing can exceed the kindness I meet with everywhere. I am 
 to-day going to pass a couple of days with Jeffrey. They talk 
 of a Public dinner to me, but I cannot stay long enough to 
 accept it; You may easily suppose I have not much time for 
 letter writting, but I knew you would be anxious to hear of my 
 arrival in Edinburgh," &c. " I am afraid the medley I inclose 
 will puzzle Bishop," &c. " I arrived safe at home on Thurs- 
 
124 
 
 day night, having been detained two or three days longer than 
 I intended at Edinburgh by an attack of cholera morbus, which 
 is very prevalent there. Not feeling very strong after this ill- 
 ness I was glad to get home as directly as possible without 
 paying my promised visits to my friends in Derbyshire. I 
 would not have lost my trip to Scotland for any consideration. 
 In addition to the interest which all I saw there excited in me, 
 the cordiality and distinction with which I was received by 
 every one has left an impression on my mind not easily to be 
 effaced. I am sorry to say, however, that besides the remains 
 of my illness, I have brought home a bad cold with me, which 
 so stupifies me that I can hardly see the paper while I write. 
 Strong temptations were held out to me to settle in Edinburgh, 
 but the climate would by no means suit." " I shall now turn 
 to the completion of our Greek work and set of Glees as speedily 
 as possible." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4 to., one 8vo. (three sides and franked " Lans- 
 downe"), 6th and 12th December, 1825 
 " In order to give you an idea what our Greek work is to be, 
 I send you (hastily copied out) the Poetry that is to follow the 
 opening glee," &c. "It will, I flatter myself, be rather an 
 elegant work, and, as a thing to be read and sung at the Piano 
 Forte, is likely to succeed." " I was just preparing to send 
 you off the inclosed and some more of the intermediate verses 
 for the Greek work, when I received a letter from Dublin 
 saying that my father is dangerously ill. This alas is what I 
 have long expected [see page 120], and it brings not only much 
 affliction but much embarrassment with it. I must set off for 
 Dublin to-morrow, and try what I can do to comfort my poor 
 mother, who I fear is but little prepared for the shock." " The 
 words written on the other side [for first Evening in Greece, 
 with numerous corrections, some lines in pencil."]'' I wish 
 Bishop to set for Voices and a Chorus." " I have sad scenes 
 before me in Dublin, and shall require, I feel, all my fortitude 
 
125 
 
 to bear up against them. God bless you." u Again, God 
 
 bless you and spare all those you love to you. Do not show 
 
 this letter to Bishop, but have what I say about business copied 
 
 out." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. (one unsigned), two 8vo., undated, (1825) 
 
 " My old friend, Lord Strangford, has just caught hold of 
 
 me, and may delay a little my visit to you." " I think the 
 
 success of my book has inspired you — you have written so 
 
 eloquent a letter. Many thanks for it ! I assure you among 
 
 the numerous tributes I have received on the occasion there is 
 
 none I value more highly." [Title of Song from life of Sheridan 
 
 in Mr. Power's autograph attached.~] " I send you the letter 
 
 I wrote, or at least begun to you on Sunday, which will be at 
 
 least a preparation for our conference on the subject of it. 
 
 Pray, look at Southey's letter in the evening's Courier — it is 
 
 quite infamous" "I slept like a top after my two beakers." 
 
 Seven Letters and Notes {some curious), 8vo., and irregular 
 
 sizes, " Holland House, Sunday," "Tuesday Evening," 
 
 " St. James's Place, Wednesday Morning," and undated 
 
 one, on scrap at the back "What time # # — 11 to go 
 
 dinner? F. Burdett." (1825) ? 
 
 " I don't know whether I left my engagement with you to 
 
 day loosely or not. I hope the former ; my impression is that 
 
 I said I would let you know whether I could come, and I trust 
 
 this is the case, as I should be extremely sorry to have made 
 
 any mistake on the subject. The truth is, this establishment 
 
 [Holland House'] breaks up to day, (the whole family setting 
 
 off for the next eight months to Paris), and they made it such a 
 
 point that I should pass the last day with them, that I could 
 
 not refuse. I shall call upon you to morrow." " Here I am, 
 
 and shall be glad to see you. If Murray should be with me 
 
 when you come, I know you will not mind waiting # # " 
 
 I mean, if I can manage it to dine — because I think it is safest 
 
 — at least for a day or two ; but I may, perhaps, contrive to 
 
126 
 
 come and sup with you." " My usual luck in never losing a 
 paper," &c. 
 
 Five Letters, two 4to. (one franked " Lansdowne"), three 8vo. 
 (one of two sides), 9th, 16th, 22nd, 30th, and 31st January, 
 1826 
 Dublin. u Just as I was ready to start last week, and had 
 reconciled my poor mother to parting with me, the wind set in 
 so strong from the Eastward, that, for four days no boat of any 
 kind could venture out, and the harbour of Dunleary is covered 
 with wrecks. The wind, however, though still contrary, is to- 
 day more moderate, and to-morrow evening I mean to sail for 
 England. You shall hear from me soon after my arrival at the 
 Cottage, where new cares await me, but where I shall still, at 
 least, have quiet and leisure, and be able, I trust, to work and 
 redeem myself." " I send you the introduction to ' Weeping 
 for thee' [First Evening in Greece], and think you will say I 
 have seldom written better. The next, which I shall set about 
 immediately, will be, ' When the Balaika/ " &c. ' ' How you 
 must congratulate yourself these times, on not having given in 
 to the Bill line like others. Poor Sir W. Scott is, as far as him- 
 self is concerned (for he had alienated his landed property to 
 his son on his marriage) almost ruined. He had nearly £70,000 
 out in paper, to meet which he has nothing but the help of 
 friends, and he must now, like myself, work hard and live sav- 
 ingly. This is too bad and I grieve for him from my heart. 
 With respect to myself, if I but once knew how to get through 
 this year, I should have no fears about the next. But I cannot 
 work as I ought while my means of present subsistence are so 
 uncertain." 
 
 One Letter, 4to. (four sides), 20th January, 1826 
 
 " Sends upwards of eighty lines for First Evening in Greece. 
 The alterations in which as subsequently printed are very nu- 
 merous and curious. " You will see by this that I have come 
 to the Pyrrhic Dance, I shall not be sorry if Bishop has not yet 
 
127 
 
 done it, as I should like him to read over the verses that intro- 
 duce it." " The poetry you see is extending heyond my esti- 
 mate. I suppose you heard that the King ordered his librarian 
 Sumner to review me in the Quarterly. How I have escaped 
 this cannonade in the last number I cannot think ; but perhaps 
 they are keeping it for The Representative."* 
 Three Letters, two 8vo,, one 12mo., 8th, 11th, and 26th February, 
 1826 
 " Didn't I write to you before I went to Dublin about a man 
 who pledged a music book with me and wanted a sovereign ? 
 what did you do about it 1" "I think I have at last hit upon 
 a glee, which, with a little cooking, will do to keep company 
 with the Watchman and the Ships." " What a splendid pre- 
 sent came down in the box ! All Scott's Works from himself 
 and from poor Constable." " That man has written to me 
 again for some money — the fellow who sent the Music-book. 
 What did you give him ? " 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. (one franked by John Benett), two 8vo. ? 
 14th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th March, 1826 
 tl You cannot imagine anything to come luckier than your sal- 
 mon — for we had that very morning been led into asking Colonel 
 Trevanion (a great friend of Burdett's who is on a visit to the 
 Phipps's), and had literally nothing but a turkey to give our 
 party, when your fish most seasonably arrived." " I have been 
 for a long time past solicited from all quarters to ask your per- 
 mission for the printing of the Air, ' Mary, I believed thee true,' 
 in a Collection of Parodies that Lady Clarke is publishing." 
 " Bishop's note is such an appeal, as I know (with you who are 
 so indulgent to us workmen, when lazy) will not fail to procure 
 
 * The Representative was a morning newspaper undertaken by Murray, 
 with a small capital for such a speculation. The Editor was understood to 
 have been the Rt. Hon. Benjamin D'Israeli. After a few months of feverish 
 existence it expired. 
 
128 
 
 him a respite, but it is, I must say, very hard upon you." " I 
 take this opportunity of sending the Music Book which that 
 hegging gentleman sent me, which you may return to him if he 
 should happen to be troublesome." "You shall have my 
 answer about Carolan in my next." "There is a man has 
 written to me from Ireland, who says you are publishing some 
 airs of his — he is, I think a Professor of the Irish language. I 
 have mislaid his letter, and want to answer it — pray let me 
 know his name and address." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to., two 8vo., 1st, 10th, 17th, 23rd of April, 
 1826 
 u I have had a letter from Mrs. Arkwright about her Songs, 
 which she is willing at last to publish — but I am sorry for your 
 sake to say that it is on very different terms from those on 
 which I expected formerly to get them for you. She now 
 wishes to make a present to some friend of hers who is in want 
 of money (not me), and is accordingly desirous to get as much 
 as she can for the collection." " I shall be glad to do anything 
 with Carolan for our last Number of Irish Melodies that you 
 please — but it is a disagreeable looking thing, and nothing but 
 its curiosity and authenticity could gain a place for it in any 
 civilised publication. It may, however, be worth your buying. 
 It was but yesterday that I could hold up my head with any 
 thing like a feeling of health — but I am now a good deal better. 
 The life I lead here is too monotonous and studious for me, by 
 far." u I am now quite well again, and am going for a day or 
 two to Bath." "They talk of Stevenson's coming to the Bath 
 Anacreontic on Wednesday, where I asked him once before. 
 I hope it is true." " I have had a letter from Mrs. Arkwright, 
 who will not say what price she puts on the Songs." "Tell 
 him [Bishop] too when you see him, that I never before had 
 any idea of the beauty, the great beauty of his Music to my 
 Songs out of the Angels, till I heard them sung while at Bath 
 by his friend Miss Winsor, who is one of the most touching 
 
129 
 
 and intellectual singers I ever heard. Don't forget this. I 
 gave Sir John's health at the dinner, and they have in the papers 
 as usual misrepresented what I said— making me say that it was 
 ' his music that produced the popularity of the Irish Melodies!!' 
 There never was anything like the warmth with which I was 
 toasted and applauded." 
 
 Five Letters, three 4to., two 8vo., 1st May, 8th June, 6th, 28th, 
 and 30th July, 1826 
 " I shall hope that by this time Bishop is crowned with 
 laurels, and ready to relax himself from his grander toils with 
 our bagatelles." " Our two Calne members dine with me on 
 Saturday, and I must have some fish ; don't send more than 
 will do for a dinner of six." " I owly write one line to say that 
 I have just returned from a ramble of a week. I passed some 
 days at Lord Arundel's, and two or three more with my friend 
 Doctor Bain in Dorsetshire." 
 
 Four letters, two 4to. and two 8vo., 1st, 14th, 21st, 28th, 
 and 30th August, 1826 
 Song of two verses introduced in first Evening in Greece, 
 " As by the shore at break of day." 
 
 " I have just made a very hearty supper of your good oysters, 
 and drank your health, (by way of a treat) in some bottled 
 porter." " I wish you to buy me ' South wood's Divine 
 Government.' " "I send you what I think a little gem in its 
 way for the Greek work. The air is from a collection of original 
 Greek dances, which a gentleman (a stranger to me), sent me 
 this last week, saying that as I was the Lyric Monarch I had 
 a right to all such waifs and strays, and that they must be 
 worthless indeed, if I could not ennoble them in my National 
 Melodies. By the bye, I don't know whether I told you that 
 I have had a pressing application from the person who pur- 
 chased all Garrick's papers the other day, to arrange them for 
 publication, and to name my own terms. I have declined." 
 
130 
 
 el Benett has lent us his house [in Albemarle Street.] I 
 should not mind staying into the next week, (for purposes of 
 business) but that I have been pledged for months to attend 
 the Gloucester Music Meeting with Bowles, who is the Steward 
 and Manager of it, and who has ordered some of my things to 
 be performed expressly for me." "I will take up the MSS. 
 and Reviews with me on Monday — the Monthly is not only 
 very kind but very well done." 
 
 Seven Letters, five 4to. (one franked " Lansdowne," another 
 
 " Auckland") two 8vo., 2nd, 4th, 14th, 20th, 25th, 
 
 28th, and 29th September, 1826 
 
 " What I had to write about (and forgot in my last) was to 
 
 beg that you would call on Monday in Albemarle Street, and tell 
 
 the dirty old woman there, &e." " I am employed on the Greek 
 
 work, though (from something that has given me a good deal 
 
 of uneasiness and anxiety) I doubt whether I shall succeed in 
 
 having it ready before the beginning of next week." Gloucester, 
 
 " I am here in the midst of fine music and fine people, and 
 
 have only time to inclose you £5 — with a thousand thanks — 
 
 Lord Lansdowne brought me and we are lodged together." 
 
 "I wish he [Bishop] would imagine airs for both sets of words, 
 
 on the notion which they convey, and I would write new verses 
 
 to them." " I was very much pleased at Gloucester, besides 
 
 being a good deal flattered. At the Steward's Dinner, where 
 
 we had shoals of Tories (Duke of Beaufort, Lord Calthorpe. 
 
 &c, &c.) my health was the only one given with three times 
 
 three." " I wish if you can find out Taylor, you would tell him 
 
 that Lord Lansdowne will subscribe to his book as well as 
 
 myself. Try and find him." " I have been kept in a state of 
 
 idleness ever since I left town, but am now about to turn in for 
 
 business doggedly, and the Greek work shall be my first object." 
 
 " You will not forget the ' Divine Government' in your next. I 
 
 am asking some of the neighbours for next Saturday to dinner, 
 
 and shall have to trouble you with a commission for fish on the 
 
131 
 
 occasion. " " As I thought it possible you might not consider 
 my last letter a sufficient warrant for the dispatch of the fish, 
 I send this to say that I shall be much obligedhj your sending 
 me a dish for seven or eight persons by to-morrow's coach, (let 
 your man put it down to my account) . Turbot you know we 
 cannot well manage, but any thing else, good and cheap, if 
 possible." With reference to post-paying this letter, Mr. Moore 
 adds, tl as it would be barbarous to make you pay for this fish- 
 letter, I shall act M.P. on the occasion." " I take the advan- 
 tage of a parcel to the Longmans to send you the MSS. with 
 which that cursed Irishman bothered me, and which are all (as 
 I have nearly told4iim) confounded trash." 
 
 Seven Letters, two 4to., five 8vo. (one of two sides), 9th and 
 19th October, 2nd, 10th, 15th, 2 4th, and 27th November, 
 1826 
 " I shall be obliged to be in town for a few days about the 
 end of next week. Murray (between ourselves) is, I fear playing 
 me false on the subject of Lord Byron's life, and I have written 
 to Rogers to meet me in town as soon as he can, to bring the 
 shuffling fellow, if possible, to some definitive and written 
 engagement." " I am going to pop in a note to Miss Drew, 
 which I hope will escape postage/' [The letter is charged 
 double.'] " In consequence of your letter and one which I have 
 just received from Mr. Rogers, I mean to start for town to- 
 morrow morning. Mr. Rogers wishes me to sleep at his house, 
 but as I had much rather be independent, pray get me a bed 
 either at Mrs. Soane's or at that Hotel near you, where Mrs. 
 Rranigan was for some time, I forget the name of it." Sends 
 three Glees. " I found all at home well, but was not suffered 
 to return immediately to quiet, being obliged to join the party 
 at Bo wood, where I staid both Monday and Tuesday. There 
 is, however, to be a pause of company there for a month to 
 come." " I have corrected the MS. of the Poetical part, but 
 
 k 2 
 
132 
 
 am not sorry you have had it printed, as I can always judge 
 better of what wants alteration in the letterpress." 
 
 " Many thanks for the fish 
 And your birth-day wish !*' 
 " That infernal Pyrrhic dance will still give trouble. It is not 
 at all what I wish." " The Song I enclose I have had for this 
 week past. It is written by a young girl of high fashion and 
 of a family celebrated for talent. [Hon. Mrs. Norton ?~\ The 
 words have great beauty in them ; but the music I have not as 
 yet given a fair trial to. She wants to publish a set of them, 
 under this fictitious name (?), and she wishes (as every one 
 wishes now) to get money. I have been entreated to apply to 
 you, and I shall leave the rest to yourself. Only let me have 
 an answer such as suits the sex and fashion of the fair appli- 
 cant." " I have, after some consideration sketched out my 
 idea of the Pyrrhic dance in a way I think Bishop cannot mis- 
 take. I wish I could feel as sanguine about this work as he 
 does. We have done our best to make it elegant and creditable, 
 but that it will be popular with a public that's going wild about 
 • Cherry Ripe' is more than I can answer for." 
 
 Seven Letters, four 4to. (one of two sides, and one franked 
 £ J. Macdonald '), two 8vo. and one 12mo., 3rd, 4th, 9th, 
 17th, 22nd, 25th, and 31st December, 1826 
 " I do not foresee that there will be any such corrections as 
 to require second Revises — a very rare thing in my printing 
 operations (I mean the not having many Revises)." " The 
 Pyrrhic dauce will do —he has taken nearly note for note the 
 melody and arrangement I suggested." " The Longmans have 
 just proposed to me a plan by which (if it succeeds as they ex- 
 pect) I may make, they say, from five hundred to a thousand 
 pounds a year with little trouble. This is worth consideration." 
 " The Longmans have, in consequence of my representations 
 
133 
 
 against the probable success of their plan, resolved, I believe, 
 upon giving it up ; at all events they see the justice of my 
 reasons for being unwilling to have anything to do with it. 
 There is a similar plan which in your hands would be much 
 more likely to succeed, and, indeed (if it has not already struck 
 any music publisher) would be, I think, sure to succeed, and 
 I should have no objection to give you my name and assistance 
 in it. Say nothing of all this. It is not improbable that I 
 shall soon be obliged to go to town, for Murray is come all 
 right again, and promises soon to settle our business definitively. 
 You perceive that he now announces the Life of Lord Byron 
 with my name. If I go up, we can talk of the speculation." 
 " I am persecuted for an answer about the young Lady's Songs. 
 Do say something as to your inclinations or ^inclinations on 
 the subject. You can hardly I think afford to give anything 
 worth her accepting." 
 
 Six Letters, one 4to., five 8vo. (two of two sides, and one franked 
 "Carnarvon"), 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th, 17th and 28th 
 January, 1827 
 Bowood. " This house idles me sadly, though nothing to be 
 sure, is better worth idling for." " The packet you sent me by 
 the last parcel was a collection of Spanish Airs with a flattering 
 letter from a Gentleman of Cambridge." " There is a famous 
 Article in praise of my Life of Sheridan in the forthcoming 
 Edinburgh Review." " Before this time twelve months my 
 Byron's Life will have put me I think out of debt and I shall 
 then I hope be able to manage my annual income with more 
 regularity and less loss." " I think it is not fair to keep you 
 in suspense so long about the plan I meant to recommend to 
 you, and which was suggested by the proposal of the Long- 
 mans to me to become the Editor of an Annual Volume of 
 Prose and Poetry like those that are at present so popular. 
 Now, though (as I told them) the numbers of this sort of pub- 
 lication that are in the market, with the addition of the many 
 
134 
 
 more that their success will attract, would make a volume of 
 the same kind (even with the attraction of my name which 
 they seemed to count upon very much), rather a doubtful spe- 
 culation, yet it occurs to me that an Annual work of a Musical 
 kind, (a mixture of Music and Poetry) would have a very great 
 chance (with good embellishments, &c. and my name as Editor) 
 of distinguishing itself among the crowd, and becoming very 
 popular ; particularly if between this and next year the thought 
 should occur to no other Music Publisher. Think of this." 
 With reference to Mr. Moore's Glee of " Hip, Hip, Hurrah," 
 then unpublished, which was sung at the Anacreontic dinner 
 at Bath, the Poet writes, " The Glee did wonders on Friday, I 
 really never heard of any thing so successful. There was a 
 distinct peal of applause after every verse, and we were obliged 
 to sing it again in the course of the night. Lord Lansdowne 
 and I went together (having slept at Fearly Castle the night 
 before) and I had Lord Liverpool opposite to me at dinner, 
 who was amazingly civil, and asked me to drink wine with him, 
 &c. &c. He expressed such anxiety, too, for a copy of the 
 Glee for Lady Liverpool, that I thought I might (with all 
 sorts of injunctions as to not letting it out of their hands) 
 allow the Prime Minister to have one of the printed copies you 
 sent me, and the other for fear of accidents, I put into the fire — 
 so that you must let me have another proof to correct." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to., one 8vo., one 12mo., 5th, 9th, 10th, 16th 
 February, 1827 
 
 " I wish when you have an opportunity you would row our 
 
 Newsman, for he continually makes mistakes in the papers he 
 
 sends, giving us the Times, British Traveller, &c. just as it 
 
 suits his fancy." " That thundering rogue of a Newsman sent 
 
 the Times again yesterday. Tell him it is the Chronicle and 
 
 only the Chronicle he is to send us." li I wish you to call, 
 
 some time within the next two or three days at Benett's, and 
 
 tell the old woman there that she may expect me on Weclnes- 
 
135 
 
 day evening next, and must have everything as clean as a new 
 pin (mind you impress this on the dirty old witch) and the bed 
 well aired for me. As Benett (who has just lost his wife) will 
 not come up for some time, she may as well (tell her) give me 
 his bed-room which is airier and which I should like better ; 
 if any thing should bring him up, I can change into the other 
 room." 
 
 Seven Letters, three 4to., three 8vo., one 12mo., 6th, 9th, 12th, 
 14th, 17th, 23rd and 27th March, 1827 
 " When you are sending my hats, there need only come 
 two of them, as I always keep an old one in town smartly 
 lined for the evening." " What do you think of the division in 
 the Commons? It made my heart sick." " Barnes, I see has 
 not taken the hint about the puff. I must pluck up courage 
 enough to ask again. My neighbour, Colonel Napier, who has 
 gone to town, has undertaken to make Jones do his best in 
 some design, to which I can write." " You see the Times gave 
 us a little puff at last ; very good and flattering as far as the 
 Poetry is concerned, but I wish that they had not said that the 
 Music was ' chiefly' by Bishop — because in the first place it is 
 not true, and in the next, because I fear, between ourselves, 
 such an announcement will do us no good, Bishop having rather 
 lost ground. I have always told you that this work would not 
 do much, and I fear you will find me but too true a prophet. 
 But we shall pull up in the Annual !" " The following is the 
 Dedication which I send as requiring more time to get done 
 than the Preface. 
 
 To Mrs. Jeffrey. 
 in remembrance of the pleasant hours passed at Craig-Crook, 
 ivith her and my valued friend, her husband, I have great 
 pleasure in inscribing the following work. Thomas Moore. 
 I have begged of Eees to tell you whether this is the way to 
 spell Craig-Crook." " I had had this Preface or rather a Pre- 
 face not at all like it ready to send you yesterday under a cover 
 
136 
 
 to Lord Lansdowne— but just as I was folding it up I took it 
 into my head to alter it altogether, and I hope you will like it 
 in its present form." " You may guess how I'm bothered with 
 interruptions. Here has been a Mr. Teeling this morning all 
 the way from Ireland for the purpose of reading to me part of 
 a History of the Rebellion of '98, and I have been obliged to 
 ask him to dinner for the purpose — otherwise you would not 
 have had your Preface, nor the Printers to-morrow their proof, 
 if he had engrossed, as he fully intended to do, my morning 
 with his damned Rebellion." 
 
 Seven Letters, three 4to., four 8vo., 6th, 8th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 
 23rd and 27th April, 1827 
 " I wanted to get rid of ' Old Nick' in the • When Love,' 
 (as it would not quite suit female lips) and I think I have suc- 
 ceeded pretty well." "The Article in the Magazine is very 
 flattering, and (not much less welcome) the salmon was excel- 
 lent." " What comical work is going on in politics ! Some 
 thing good may come out of it." " I never again will have a 
 Dedication engraved." " I have been all the morning with 
 Lord L — . Nothing yet settled. This between ourselves." 
 " 1000 thanks for the mackerel and for your good joke with 
 them." " If the thing is done, it is of no consequence, but it 
 is worth nine pence to have a thing right, and I only wish we 
 could always have things right at so cheap a rate. I have been 
 with my neighbour all the morning— nothing settled yet, but 
 within an ace of it." " I hope you were amused with the 
 account of my annuity from the Times, ^g2000 a year. It 
 shows what some people think me worth, God help them !" 
 " The following is the verse for 'The Garland I send thee," 
 and it is to come third instead of second. 
 
 ' The rest were all cull'd from the banks of that glade 
 Where watching the sunset, so often we stray' d ; 
 And mourned, as the time flew, that Love hath no power 
 To {throw, struck out) bind in his {sweet, struck out) 
 chain {over, struck out) even one happy hour.' 
 
137 
 
 " To give you some idea of the trials I make of these 
 things without hitting what I wish, I'll write one or two of 
 my experiments at this verse for you." 
 
 * The rest were all cull'd on the banks of that stream 
 (Where so oft we wandered — struck out) 
 We gazed on so often in hope's happy dream, 
 And thought that its current would cease to flow by 
 Ere love should be altered, or that dream would die. 
 
 The rest were all cull'd in that shady alcove 
 Whose spring leaves first heard,' &c. &c. 
 I havn't time for the rest. 
 T. M." 
 
 Eight Letters, one 4 to., five 8vo. (three of two sides) two, 12mo., 
 4th (two), 11th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 26th, and 28th May, 
 1827. 
 Sends a verse of twelve lines : 
 
 " In yon leafy bower, 
 
 Through which the Moon peeps, 
 At this witching hour 
 A fairy boy sleeps." 
 " This is all pretty well, but the idea altogether was not so 
 good as the other. You see there is now no doubt that Lord 
 Lansdowne is coming in. God send he may be able to do some- 
 thing for me ! I am almost tired of working." "You have not 
 said what you did with the verses I sent you from the Epicurean. 
 I now transcribe you the only thing like a regular Song that it 
 contains, 
 
 " Oh, Abyssinian tree," &c. 
 
 " I am going to inflict upon you a tailoring commission for 
 me. My former poor snip is a bankrupt (as I have learned by 
 a demand upon me from his assignees for payment), and I must 
 accordingly proceed to break another. My only evening coat 
 not being in a state to stand a dinner by day-light, I must have 
 
138 
 
 one ready for me when I come up, and what I want you to do 
 is, to send the inclosed to Nugee in Pall Mall, and to take the 
 trouble of calling there to know from him whether he can, 
 without taking my measure, make a coat sufficiently well upon 
 this pattern for me. He is Washington Irving' s tailor, and the 
 only one I know any thing of, beyond my own," &c. " You 
 observe the impudent publication announced of ' Rhymes of the 
 Times?' Galignani had already done the same, with my name 
 to it, making an omission — gatherums of all that everybody has 
 written in the Times for this year past ! — ' I do not understand 
 enough about Sopranos or Tenors to know whether there is 
 much importance in the change of names, and only wish he had 
 left them simply, First, Second, and Third Voice." " I have 
 just had a letter from a Parish Clergyman, so far off as Natchez, 
 Mississi])pi, sending me a book of Hymns, and telling me the 
 pride he felt at seeing two of his Hymns inserted, as mine, in 
 an American Edition of my Sacred Songs." " I hope you 
 didn't think the trash last week in the Times mine. I haven't 
 had time to send any thing to it for a long while." " The Coat 
 is to be blue, with yellow buttons, and to be exactly after the 
 pattern of the other — for, though no great things in the way of 
 fit, he would only make it worse by at all departing from it." 
 ' ' The Salmon and its trimmings (the ^20) arrived quite safe — 
 a thousand thanks." 
 
 Six Letters, three 4 to. (one of two sides) tv/o 8vo. one 12mo., 
 4th June, 3rd, 16th, 20th, 24th, and 30th July, 1827. 
 Domestic afflictions (which are explained) have retarded Mr. 
 Moore's annual visit to town. " Pray send the inclosed to Mrs. 
 D. Just off to Harrow." " I promised to meet Mrs. Shelley 
 to sing for her at 34, Strand, to-morrow at 3 o'clock." " Our 
 young neighbour, Lord Kerry, dines with us to-morrow, and if 
 I had had earlier notice of it, I should have thrown a line out 
 at you for some fish — but as it is, flesh must suffice." Sends 
 three verses of a Song ' The Painter to his Mistress.' 
 
139 
 
 " How shall I paint thee, mistress mine ! 
 
 How catch the lights that fly 
 So changing o'er that cheek of thine, 
 
 Or fix that spiritual eye ?" &c. 
 " I also send T. Cooke's Song, which will be one of your many 
 do-nothings." 
 Four Letters, one 4to., three 8vo. (one of two sides), 2nd, 10th, 
 22nd, and 30th August, 1827. 
 " I have been employing myself in looking over all my un- 
 published Manuscripts, with a view to the Miscellany, and I 
 know it will give you pleasure to hear that there is a con- 
 siderable portion of materials which, with a little furbishing up, 
 will go far towards making out our first volume. This is to me 
 an unexpected discovery, and I lose no time in informing you 
 of it. You shall soon have the First Canto of an Eastern Tale, 
 in order to extract a subject for a design from it. I find too, 
 by my memorandums, that Rees has got in his hands some 
 verse translations of mine from the Fathers which were originally 
 inserted in the Notes to my Loves of the Angels, and which I 
 shall get from him for our work." " I also send you two things 
 I have done this week for the Miscellany — the first is a specimen 
 of a Series of Translations from the modester parts of the 
 ancient amatory Poets, which I have long projected, and towards 
 which I have a few things by me from Catullus. The other is 
 a lively thing from the French. I think the sketch you sent 
 me very clever indeed — but I am afraid the details of such a 
 subject would be dangerous to venture upon for such a work as 
 we must make ours. It might be done, perhaps, in prose." 
 " This lamentable death, though it grieves me deeply, did not 
 take me by surprise, I have looked upon him as a gone man 
 these two months past."* "You have herewith the verses of 
 the Eastern Story, from which I think a design might be taken.'' 
 " There are likewise two more translations from the Latin, which 
 
 « The Rt. Hon. George Canning died 8th August, 1827, at Chiswick. 
 
140 
 
 you will put by carefully." "They wanted us to stay for the 
 wedding, (his [ Benetfs~\ daughter is going to be married to Lord 
 Charles Churchill) but I could not spare the time." " I shall 
 keep the drawing to shew it to my neighbour Napier." " I 
 was going to say that the drawing which I send you back is so 
 pretty, that on second thoughts, I will write words to it. What 
 do you think ?" " As soon as I ascertain Lord Lansdowne's 
 movements (for he is expected down, and I believe I may add 
 out) it is my intention to take a trip into Nottinghamshire to 
 see Newstead and visit, by the way, our Derbyshire friends, I 
 shall then be able, I trust, to get Mrs. Arkwright's permission 
 to publish some of her Songs in our Miscellany." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4to., four 8vo., 4th, lvth, 16th, 19th, and 23rd 
 September, 1827 
 " I am just setting off for Bowood, to pass a day or two with 
 the Home Secretary, which, as far as I can yet learn, he con- 
 tinues still to be." " You shall have a long Prose piece from 
 me in the course of this week." " I did not know that my 
 Prose sketch was so long — there is about as much more, which 
 you shall have by the next opportunity. I passed three days 
 at Bowood last week, which prevented my sending it before, 
 and I am going there again to-morrow." " I trust I shall be 
 able to get through this next year, without doing any thing 
 more for the Times. This, between ourselves. I want to devote 
 myself entirely to our Miscellany and my Life of Byron. We 
 are about to cut down our establishment to one woman servant, 
 which will make a difference, I think, adequate to * * * 
 in our expenses — not so much from the actual saving of what a 
 servant costs, as from the impossibility of company keeping 
 which it will bring with it." " I want now by next parcel 
 Lady Morgan's Life of Salvator Rosa." "You shall have the 
 remainder of the Paris Sketch, and something else, in a day or 
 two." " I shall bring up with me all that I have for you, and 
 you will get ready any thing you want me to dispatch during 
 my stay." 
 
141 
 
 Pour Letters, 8vo., 3rd, 5th, 24th, and 29th October, 1827 
 
 Northampton. Directions respecting Papers left on the 
 mantle-piece in his bed-room. " Lwish I could have brought 
 on that ill-treated bed with me. I shall hardly get so com- 
 fortable a one till I return to it again." " I am obliged to send 
 my new Coat up. It cuts me so under the shoulders that I 
 cannot wear it. Pray go to Nugee's, and tell them that they 
 must alter it carefully and immediately, and send it down 
 directed to me at Rt. Hon. Lord Rancliffe's, Bunny Park, 
 Nottingham. Tell them that the tightness under the arms 
 makes it wrinkle both before and behind, and that I depend on 
 their altering it properly." Bowood. "I arrived at home 
 safe and sound the day before yesterday, and found all pretty 
 well. My journey was very agreeable, but (except in one 
 instance) not very profitable in the way of business. That one 
 instance, you will be glad to hear, was Mrs. Arkwright, who 
 has placed "all her Songs entirely at my disposal ! Indeed, 
 nothing could be more prompt and unreserved than her com- 
 pliance with my request — so that we are well provided in that 
 department. I should like to have returned home to quiet 
 after my pleasure, but this place is now full of my friends, and 
 they have laid hands on me the instant of my arrival." "I 
 hope you saw the account of my reception at the Ball at Chel- 
 tenham." " I take for granted you know Mrs. Shelley's ad- 
 dress." 
 Four Letters, one 4to., three 8vo. (one of two sides), 6th, 12th, 
 19th, and 26th November, 1827 
 " I am likely now to be left a little more to myself, and shall 
 send you things oftener. Rogers has given me something for 
 the Miscellany, and my neighbour Paul Methuen has written 
 (wonderful to say) a very pretty and poetical thing for it. I 
 have much to say with regard to our plan, which, I think, must 
 be altered — Annuals have now become so common." "Did 
 you see there was an East India Ship, called the Lalla Rookh, 
 
142 
 
 arrived ? The owners of it, I find, meditated giving me and 
 Bessy a party on board, had we not left town so soon." " I 
 send you also the continuation of the Sketches in Pere La 
 Chaise, of which you already had the commencement. You 
 shall have the conclusion by another opportunity, though it 
 is hardly worth while sending it, as I have resolved to w r rite 
 a verse Tale on the first Anecdote, which is a most 
 admirable subject for such a purpose, and which, 1 think, I 
 shall make something very touching of." " The conclusion of 
 the Sketch of Pere La Chaise (which, I consider, one of the 
 best specimens of my prose style) &c." Betrays evident an- 
 noyance at the popular success of the Song of " Cherry ripe." 
 " Here is a duett that has cost me some trouble, both from the 
 number of verses, and their metre. But the air is very pretty 
 as well as odd, and, I think, will be liked. Pray send a copy 
 of the Evenings in Greece to Mrs. Shelley, No. 51, George 
 Street, Portman Square, with the inclosed note." 
 
 Six Letters, 8vo. (two of two sides, one a very curious letter), 
 5th, 12th, 15th, 20th, 21st, and 28th December, 1827 
 
 " I mean to write a set of Six Legends —this and the duett I 
 sent last (the Leaf and the Fountain), forming two of them. 
 The name may perhaps have some attraction in it. I grieve to 
 hear of your heavy Law bills, and hope, before long, that you 
 will be at rest from such expenses." " I have been thinking 
 a good deal lately of coming to live in town, but, as yet, only 
 thinking of it. It would be as well, however, if you had an eye 
 about for a small house for me. Somewhere on the verge of 
 the Regent's Park (the verge nearest town), and not solitary. 
 I want to hit upon some good plan for a Periodical between 
 me and you, that would turn in the Coppers." " I have suc- 
 ceeded in establishing a Post at Bromham,* a most desirable 
 
 * A picturesque village in sight of Sloperton Cottage, between which and it 
 there is a small verdant valley. In the parish church, referred to so playfully 
 
143 
 
 thing, as you know. I have always had to send five miles for 
 my letters, and have been rarely able to answer the same day 
 The only thing is, that you will have to pay \0d for my letters? 
 and a penny on the newspapers I send you. Do you mind this 
 latter tax?" "You have here the remainder of the former 
 Legend, and a Third, which I think pretty. There will be two 
 more verses of this, but they are not }^et concocted. I have so 
 many letters to answer to-day, that I can say no more." tl I 
 sent you a little packet through Croker yesterday. "We have 
 a sad prospect before us for the Christmas," &c. " Rees tells 
 me they have printed off a fifth Edition of the Epicurean." 
 " All this illness before us makes it, I fear, impossible for us 
 to have your daughter as we expected during the Christmas. 
 But 'what is deferred is not lost. 1 I expect," &c. "You 
 have here another Legend, and like the former/' &c. 
 
 One Letter, 12mo. 1827 
 
 " I wish you would, when you have time, call at Hookham's 
 in Bond Street, and bid him give you a Catalogue of his Circu- 
 lating Library for me, telling him that I think of subscribing 
 to it for a few months." 
 
 Six Letters, four 4to., two 8vo., 1st, 4th, 8th, 15th, 23rd, and 
 27th January, 1828 
 " I have had Heath and Reynolds down here expressly to 
 renew the offer of the £Z 00 per ami. They say the Keepsake 
 is beating all its competitors." " Hope you have been amused 
 by Hunt's cockney stuff about me and Lord Byron. 5 ' " I send 
 you another Legend, and having written fourteen letters to-day, 
 have not strength for a word more. To-morrow I start for 
 
 by Moore in a dinner invitation to Lord Lansdowne (Sept. 1818), the remains 
 of the Poet, with those of some of his children, now repose. 
 " But as for me, who've long been taught 
 To eat and drink like other people ; 
 And can put up with mutton bought 
 
 Where Brombam rears its ancient steeple," &c. 
 
144 
 
 Mrs. Robert Arkwright's, and expect to come away from her 
 like a bee, loaded with honey, you shall hear from me on my 
 way." Nottingham. — " I have been in a constant state of 
 locomotion, ever since I came into this neighbourhood, and 
 have met everywhere the greatest kindness as well as readiness 
 to communicate all the people here knew about Lord Byron. I 
 have indeed collected some very valuable materials, and hope 
 to find still more. To-morrow morning I start for Mrs. Robert 
 Arkwright's, and expect from my visit all sorts of treasures, 
 both Byronian and musical, as Hodgson (Lord B.'s great friend 
 and correspondent) is to meet me there. My money is run 
 short," &c. " Mrs. Arkwright gives me everything," &c. 
 
 Seven Letters, three 4to., four 8vo. (one of two sides), 9th 
 February, 4th, 10th, 20th, 22nd, 28th, and 30th March, 
 1828 
 " Send ten shillings for me to Gale Jones, No. 5, Wilsted- 
 street, Somers' Town." " Murray, the deuce is in him, has 
 not yet sent me down Miss Fitzclarence's music book which 
 I left with the things to follow me." " My sister has lost her 
 girl — her only child. How she will bear it I cannot imagine. 
 I know no more dreadful trial." " I have by to-day's post two 
 or three applications from some more of those cursed Annuals, 
 and the day before I left town a man thrust into my pocket 
 (though I took care to throw it out again) a draft for 1 00 
 guineas for the same number of lines in verse or prose. The 
 people will soon be annually mad." " The little parcel for 
 Haydon the Painter you will forward at your convenience." 
 " In my hurry yesterday I left out Bessy's little one-pound rag 
 (which I would not let Cobbet get a glimpse of for the world), 
 and, lest you should suppose it lost, send it now through 
 Benett. I hope you liked both the Pig and the Poem we sent 
 yesterday. What is become of the promise of Mrs. Duff's second 
 appearance? I fear the Managers have (as I thought they 
 
145 
 
 would) shelf ed her."* " What I write now for is to answer your 
 question about Mrs. Arkwright's Song, which I omitted to do in 
 my two last. The stupid Pirates have said that the words are 
 by her, and the music by a Lady of distinction, whereas the 
 music is hers and the words by Tom Campbell. You have 
 perfect authority from me to whom she has given her Songs to 
 do anything (short of going to law) to the fellow who has pub- 
 lished it. By the bye, a great difficulty in our future use of 
 her Songs, will be the words she has in general selected, and 
 which are other people's property." " I send you the pro- 
 mised Legend," &c. " Miss Feilding is employed about some 
 sketches for the Legends, and wishes they should be litho- 
 graphed — what say you ?" " You had better keep my French 
 papers for the parcels you send, as Croker 1 suspect will be 
 kept pretty busy soon." 
 
 Seven Letters, three 4 to., four 8vo. (one of three sides), 4th, 
 6th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, and 30th April, 1828 
 Glee of " The Watchman." " Your answer to Mrs. A. was 
 just what it ought to be. I am only sorry that the Songs are 
 not to be for our joint advantage on the cheap terms at which 
 I flattered myself we already had them. You will now be 
 obliged to give more for them than their sale (beautiful as they 
 are with her own singing) will ever repay you. I must say 
 that she would have done more fairly by me (having expressly 
 made me a present of the whole collection) as well as more ad- 
 vantageously by her own fame, if she had left the disposal of 
 them entirely, as she said she would, to me," &c. " Like all 
 ether people, rich as well as poor, she wants to make the most 
 
 * Mrs. Duff— -Mrs. Moore's eldest sister — appeared as Isabella at Drury 
 Lane on the 3rd of March, 1828, and soon after went with her husband to 
 New York. " Her fright was so excessive on Monday evening, that we 
 cannot pretend to form a decided opinion of her abilities from so imperfect a 
 specimen ; and will therefore postpone our remarks to some more favourable 
 opportunity." — Literary Gazette. 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 she can," &c. " I have been a good d^al amused by a letter 
 vou sent me, which comes from a Bookseller in Paternoster-row, 
 offering to negociate with me for the work which I am said to 
 have committed to the flames (vide, the Xie-terary Gazette of 
 last week), and saying that he will bear me harmless through 
 any legal consequences that may ensue !" " I have not been 
 able to do anything towards either selecting or composing the 
 remaining Airs for the Legends. Miss Fitzclarence's Collec- 
 tion turns out to be mere every-day rubbish." " You may 
 send through Croker as usual." " In looking over my boots 
 and shoes to-day I miss an old pair of French boots with the 
 galoshes I used to wear with them, which are a great loss to 
 me," &c. "Miss Feilding, I find, will not let Newton or any 
 one see the designs till I come to town." " I shall not be up 
 till the end of May (unless the proceedings of Byron's Monu- 
 ment should call me up sooner) and should like to know whe- 
 ther that time will do for my financial operations, which must, 
 I fear, be on somewhat a larger scale than usual, to carry me 
 through this year at all comfortably." " Murray paid last 
 week the ^£3000 to the Longmans with interest upon a week or 
 two over the time he agreed to have paid it in." 
 Six Letters, 8vo. (one of three sides), 29th April (received 2nd 
 May), 3rd, 4th, 9th, 13th, and 14th May, 182S 
 " I inclose you a letter (for your own private eve) which I 
 have just got from Miss Feilding, and hope that there will 
 be no difficulty," &c. iS You shall, however, have some time 
 or other a set of all light and humorous Songs, and I shall, I 
 think, take the Annals of the Fairies as my ground work ! 
 ' Songs of the Fairies ' would not be a bad title." " I have 
 to-day had a note from Newton who will do everything for us 
 we wish." " She [Mrs. Duff'] must have them by the ninth." 
 I am anxious to know what further happened between you and 
 Mrs. Arkwright " Refers to " The Legend of Psyche," " Tis 
 the Vine," and " Love, Youth, and Age," as "unfinished." 
 
14/ 
 
 " It is possible I may want help from you to bring me up, as 
 my pounds are 'ebbing fast away' — but I'll try and keep 
 enough for that purpose." " Lady Donegal has left 38, Berke- 
 ley-square, but you will hear there where she is gone to." 
 " You may send my French newspapers, if there are any, 
 through Croker, as they do to read in going up." " A £5 
 note would not come amiss, but this you had better send direct 
 by post." 
 
 Two Letters, one 4to., one Svo., 17th and 21th June, 1828 
 
 ** I forgot, the day I was with you at the Stationers, to order 
 some writing paper, which I am in great want of — pray send 
 me some (a ream will not be too much), and I should like half 
 a pound of sealing wax. The paper to be like this." " Think- 
 ing that you may want ' The Rose of the Desert' I send it up by 
 parcel, and shall inclose the Legends as I finish them, through 
 the Right Honourable (! !) Croker. You will have the goodness 
 to frank the letter to Genoa for me, and put the other in the 2d 
 or send it, if you can, as there is an original letter of Byron's 
 inclosed." 
 
 Six Letters, four 4to., two 8vo., 27th June, 4th, 7th, 15th, 20th 
 and 25th July, 1828 
 With reference to the Morning Chronicle Newspaper. — " It 
 has become much better now that we are leaving it." " I wish, 
 if you could think of it, you would bring me two little Fire- 
 boxes (price 6d each), from Jones's, 201, Strand." " I send 
 you all the words of all the twelve \Leyendary Ballads], and 
 flatter myself that they are something better than ' Airs of Haut 
 Ton.' I never saw such a publication as that. Bessy and I 
 laughed together over it for an hour last night, she exclaiming 
 all the time, 'poor Tom Bailey !' " "In the total dearth of airs 
 to which I am now reduced, I think of putting in execution a 
 plan that has often occurred to me of borrowing subjects from 
 instrumental composers, and manufacturing them in my own 
 way into songs. For this purpose, though I should have," &c, 
 
 l 2 
 
148 
 
 ** I inclose you a scrap of a letter I have had from Mrs. Ark- 
 wright's friend and neighbour, Hodgson. The passage that 
 precedes the scrap is as follows, after mentioning your offer of 
 25 guineas, he says, ' of course it was not worth her while to 
 accept such a pittance even if it had been proper to do so. 
 Finding that another publisher had offered 25 guineas for one 
 song (supposed to be Mrs. A.'s but not hers, nor equal to any 
 of her best effusions, I mean < the Captive.')' &c. &c. You will 
 be the best judge what you ought to do." " I want you for 
 Napier to direct the inclosed blank letter to the Editor of the 
 Globe Neivspaper, and have it put in the box at the office as 
 soon as possible." " Your answer was quite right, and I only 
 trust she will not be exorbitant." " My money is nearly defunct 
 (of its usual complaint, a galloping consumption), and as I 
 must have about sixty pounds to carry me over the next two 
 months, if it would not be convenient to you to lend me that 
 sum for the time, &c." "I have sent in my formal resignation 
 to the Times. They are getting so wrong on the Irish Ques- 
 tion that I could not consistently continue even my slight con- 
 nexion with them any longer." 
 
 Six Letters, four 4 to., two 8vo., 1st, 2nd, 13th, 18th, 28th, and 
 31st August, 1828 
 " I have been writing such shoals of letters that I have but a 
 minute to dispatch a word to you, to say that the s£30 arrived 
 safe, both portions, and that we are full of thanks to you," 
 &c. " I want you (if you can possibly spare time before you 
 come down) to make enquiry for us relative to the ground in 
 the field opposite to us, which I told you we had our eye on as a 
 good site for a cottage, I had nearly given up all thoughts of it, 
 but something (between ourselves) that Lord Lansdowne said 
 yesterday evening, when I mentioned the plan to him has re- 
 kindled my zeal on the subject." "I don't know whether I 
 before told you that, in refusing the proposal of the Longmans' 
 with respect td*the History of Ireland, I mentioned to them 
 
149 
 
 that as the price which was mentioned (a6500), I could get as 
 much from any of the scurvy annuals for a short Tale, curiously 
 enough a week or two afterwards I received actually an offer of 
 56500 for 100 pages prose or verse, 56250 to be paid down im- 
 mediately, which, though a most tempting proposal and most 
 creditable to the spirit of the proposers, I shall be able to 
 decline." Miss Feilding's designs, — " Mrs. Arkwright's trans- 
 action with you has certainly more of the Spinning Jenny in it 
 than I expected from her ; but the object for which she wants 
 the money is, I know, a good and kind one." " Lady Lans- 
 downe expressed great regret at your not coming that day. 
 The Feildings were there, and the fair artist was very much dis- 
 appointed." " To-morrow I am off to the Salisbury Music 
 Meeting, which I fear will be but a dull concern." " I have 
 been idling this week past at the Salisbury Music Meeting and 
 at Lord Carnarvon's, where I went with Lord Lansdowne on 
 his way to the Continent." 
 
 One Letter, 4 to. September 2nd, 1828 
 
 " Here is the third verse, with the air, as well as I can 
 recollect it, if you are not prepossessed in favour of the title I 
 first put, I should rather have it called ' Beauty and Song,' as 
 I see Bay ley has something about the Nightingale and Rose in 
 his Butterfly, and I should like as little as possible to be mixed 
 up with his Butterflies. I don't know whether I mentioned to 
 you that Lady William Lennox told me she sings ■ the Bashful 
 Lover' and the Romaika every where in Society, and Lord 
 William (who is become thoroughly professional) added, ' I think 
 we shall make the best hit of the Bashful Lover next year that 
 has ever been made for a long time.' Theodore Hook, she says, 
 makes her sing ' the Bashful Lover' over and over for ever for 
 him. You know (such is the difference of tastes) that I was 
 always a little ashamed of this Song, and indeed, had I not 
 seen that you were a little pleased with it, I should have left it 
 out of the Collection. [ am now glad I did it not. We have 
 
150 
 
 ordered some books, which Bessy wished you to give Murray 
 for his boy, and if the Longmans have not sent them, pray dis- 
 patch a Messenger for them, and let Bessy have them down 
 immediately." 
 
 Four Letters, one 4 to. (three sides), three 8vo., 3rd, 11th, 19th, 
 
 and 23rd September, 1828 
 
 " "We are off I trust in the morning for Southampton." 
 
 " Our lodgings at Southampton are at a Music Shop ! Mr. 
 
 William Smart's, 58, High Street." Sends two verses, with 
 
 Musical notation of 
 
 iC Love o'er all unseen presiding." 
 
 u I returned from Southampton last night." " I have found 
 my table covered with all sorts of claims on my time and pen." 
 " I have been occupied almost ever since I came home in 
 answering the heaps of infernal letters I found on my return." 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to. (one of two sides), one 8vo. (of three 
 sides), 1st, 5th, and 18th October, 1828 
 " I am deep in arrears to you every way. I ought long 
 since to have returned you your ^660," &c. " If these appear- 
 ances of War become serious I shall have occasion to come up 
 to town to arrange something, with Croker's assistance, about 
 my Bermuda office, and then we shall have a talk upon our 
 Miscellany, &c. &c." " You will I fear think me extinct and 
 so I have been almost, at times, from anxiety and remorse of 
 idleness." " All these things coming upon me in my solitude 
 have disabled me from working, and I am behind hand in every 
 thing, except spending money, which goes at Southampton like 
 wild-fire." "I have this year an income before me (not count- 
 ing you, which will be all the other way) of sixteen hundred 
 pounds, so please God there is no fear." " I suppose you 
 heard from Clark the trick the Keepsake gentlemen have 
 played upon me. Having offered me six hundred pounds for 
 my name, on being refused they took it for nothing. I ought 
 
151 
 
 not to have been so lenient with them as I have been.. The 
 Longmans' have, I hope, sent you my Squibs/' 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to., one 8vo. (four sides), 3rd, 9th, and 
 14th November, 1828 
 Miss Feilding's desigus — expected soon back, "she is now at 
 her uncle, Lord Ilchester's." Various commissions. "The 
 note is for Moore, the sculptor — I forgot his direction." " I 
 do not see why Bishop should claim the arrangement of Sphor's 
 air, as he had the good taste to leave it exactly as it was, (with 
 the exception of a few notes of symphony), saying it could not 
 be better, which was very true." " There must be a complete 
 change in all our proceedings, though what, I have not made 
 up my mind to. Something new must be hit upon, or we 
 shall grow 'flat, stale, and unprofitable' — three devilish bad 
 things." " I forgot to thank you for the nice fish, which is even 
 a better thing salted than fresh." " I have been asked to go to 
 Lord Jersey's on my way up, but I shall reserve my visit, I 
 think, till my return." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4to. four 8vo. (two of two sides), Oth, 13th, 
 19th, 24th, and 30th December, 1828 
 
 " You can have no difficulty, I should think, in telling which 
 is the old hat of the two. It is new lined -must be of a much 
 browner colour than the other, and is a particularly heavy and 
 hard hat, but will be very useful here to save my best one." 
 " The grand fish arrived safe, and the Grand Turk would not 
 be received so welcomely. A. merry Christmas to you and 
 yours." "I send you a beautiful air (and I think not ill sup- 
 plied with words), which will do for our Greek work." " The 
 idea I have now adopted for the beginning of our Second 
 Evening is a Masquerade — which will afford (when I can execute 
 it properly), a most beautiful ground work for all sorts of 
 lyrical subjects — but the truth is, I am now so hard driven to 
 get out my Byron within the season," &c. " I have the more 
 
152 
 
 reluctance in asking you for so long a pause from work, as I 
 shall be obliged to make use of your name for three months on, 
 to bring me within reach of the supplies I shall then be entitled 
 to from Murray, and to have you so much in advance to me, 
 without any set ofT in work, is a very uncomfortable feeling to 
 me, whatever your good nature may make it to you." 
 
 Five Letters, one # 4to., four 8vo. One dated " Wednesday," 
 the others undated (1828) 
 " One will do very well" (to meet Bishop), " I meant to have 
 come to you to-day, but the Duke of Sussex, whom I called 
 upon, took it into his royal head to read me a long pamphlet, 
 which kept me all day, I shall be with you, however, before 
 one to-morrow." " Many thanks for the fine fish ! I think 
 you need not fear Win. Spencer — but, if you like, I could 
 write to him — though I feel sure you may print the verses." 
 "I have had rather bad accounts of my poor mother's health — 
 but she is, by to-day's news better," "pray get me two or three 
 pair of gloves at Gibbon's, Coventry Street, opposite Haymarket, 
 such as my last." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4 to. (one two sides, the other three sides), 
 
 one 8vo., one 12mo. ; 2nd, 11th, and two 19th January, 
 
 1829 
 
 " Many thanks, my dear Sir, for your very friendly assent to 
 
 my wishes. Be assured that I shall make up for lost time 
 
 when I again buckle to, &c." " I think the present order of 
 
 the Legends will do very well, only putting perhaps e the Voice' 
 
 instead of the ' Stranger/ the former being a more elegant and 
 
 taking air (at least in my opinion) than the other." Annual 
 
 dance at Bowood. Six verses of eight lines each entitled, "the 
 
 true Gem." 
 
 " Said Love to Friendship ' Let us away 
 To yonder island shore — 
 Tis fairy ground — it's soil, they say 
 With gems is sparkling o'er," &c. 
 Domestic afflictions. 
 
153 
 
 Six Letters, three 4to., three 8vo., (two of two sides — a portion 
 of the other torn off), 4th, 13th, 15th— 24th, and 26th 
 February, 1829 
 
 Wishes for a set of proofs of the music of the Legendary- 
 Ballads, rt that I might be able to sing it to my neighbours at 
 Laycock Abbey." Dedication to the Miss FEildings. " You 
 are a lucky man in the health of your children." " You must 
 find out where Mr. Joy lives — he is a bookseller or publisher, 
 but too fashionable to put his place of abode." " It is a hard 
 trial," {a most painful letter). " We felt the kindness of your 
 letter most thoroughly, and it is not impossible but we may 
 accept your very friendly offer, for which both you and Mrs. 
 Power have our heartiest thanks. Indeed if anything could 
 console one for such a calamity, the sympathy and actual friend- 
 ship we experience on all sides ought to do so." "Do not 
 mention to people my coming, as there are but few I wish to 
 see." " In fac*t it would be folly to deceive ourselves with hope. 
 We must only go through with it and bear it as we can." 
 
 Six Letters, three 4to., three 8vo., 4th (two), 8th, 12th, 25th, 
 and 29th March, 1829 
 
 "Many thanks for the fish," &c. Introduction to the 
 Legendary Ballads. Death of Anastasia Mary, # only daughter 
 of Thomas Moore, Esq. " I write but to thank you for your 
 kind feeling note, and to beg," &c. el We shall drink your 
 health to-day as well as eat your good fish." " The name is to 
 be spelt as I have done it here with the E before the I. Lady 
 Elizabeth would never have forgiven such a disparagement of 
 the ancient name as the I being foremost." " I must again 
 put you to your old trade of house hunting for me. Dr. Starkey 
 and my landlord have come to an arrangement which still 
 admits of my cottage being rebuilt and made comfortable for us, 
 and with a much larger interest in it. We shall therefore turn 
 
 * Aged nearly sixteen. 
 
154 
 
 out for building purposes in a short time, and take some small 
 house or retired lodgings in or near town during the interval I 
 am employed in publishing (about three or four months). 
 After that we mean to pay our long promised visit to my 
 mother, and I shall devote a few weeks to the poetical tour we 
 have sometimes talked of, for a tenth and last Number of our 
 Melodies." "The Lansdownes have very kindly offered us 
 their villa at Richmond after Whitsuntide, and it is not unlikely 
 we may go to it." 
 
 Four Letters, three 4to., one 8vo., 6th, 12th, 16th, and 17th 
 April, 1829 
 " I send you a sketch of a melancholy song I have done 
 within this day or two, and which when retouched and im- 
 proved, will be one of the prettiest things I have for a long 
 time produced." "My expenses have been lately enormous, 
 and there are still more heavy ones before me, but, with a little 
 help, I shall pull through." Bowood, (l I have come here to 
 work alone for a week or two previous to my coming to town," 
 &c. " I had gone pretty far in a more extended Introduction 
 announcing that this would be the last Collection I should pre- 
 sent the Public with (excepting only a tenth Number of Irish 
 Melodies, and a second Evening in Greece), but, on second 
 thoughts, I believe it is as well not to tie myself down so 
 hastily." " I walked into Devizes yesterday (seven miles)." &c. 
 
 Three Letters, one 4to., two 8vo., 1st May, 20th June, 24th 
 July, 1829 
 
 " I am ashamed of having given so much trouble about this 
 short advertisement," &c. Richmond Hill, " I wish, too, if 
 you have time to-day that you would make arrangements with 
 your Solicitor Clark for seeing as soon as he conveniently can 
 our old friend of the three acres, on the subject of the purchase, 
 — the less time we lose now about it the better, as the building 
 ought to be commenced as soon as possible." 
 
155 
 
 Two Letters, one 4to., one 8vo., 8th August, 17th September, 
 1829 
 [Mr. Moore's residence at Richmond and Mr. Power's absence 
 from London will account for this break in the usual corres- 
 pondence.^ "I hope you are by this time returned safe home," 
 &c. " Here is an alteration in the end of the third verse of that 
 song I gave you, together with the fourth verse." See [Second 
 Evening in Greece, the song commencing " Who comes so grace- 
 fully.'"] Brooks's, Thursday, "There is again a chance of 
 old Slop." 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to., one 8vo. — and 29th November, 9th 
 December, 1829 
 " I thought to have taken the inclosed to you myself, but 
 having been the whole day sitting to Sir Thomas Lawrence 
 could not manage it." Directions about " Abernethy bisctiits 
 and maccaroni at two shillings a pound from Morell's in Picca- 
 dilly." " I got down very agreeably, and find these apartments 
 made most wonderfully comfortable for my reception — such a 
 metamorphosis (since I saw them filled with washing tubs and 
 flitches of bacon) could not be conceived." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4 to., two 8vo. (one of two sides), 2nd, 14th> 
 19th, and 27th January, 1830 
 lt You perceive we have lost our dear friend Lady Donegall,* 
 one of the truest and most unchanging during a space, of seven 
 and twenty years that it has ever been my lot to know. I now 
 begin to feel great alarm about my mother in this most trying 
 weather." Carpet slippers. " From an article in the Times 
 to-day I take for granted my book will soon be in the hands of 
 everybody. I feel somewhat in a twitter about it ; though 
 rather less than on other occasions, from having such a Hercu- 
 
 * Barbara, Marchioness (dowager) of Donegall,died, No. 17, Curzon Street, 
 on the 28th December, 1829. She was the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Luke 
 Godfrey, uncle to Sir William Godfrey, Bart., and was the third wife of 
 Arthur the fifth Earl and first Marquis of Dontjgall, who died Jan. 5, 1799. 
 
156 
 
 lean pair of shoulders as Byron's to shift part of the responsi- 
 bility to." Hood's Comic Annual. " I have every morning 
 shoals of congratulations and eulogies on the subject of my book, 
 which seems to be doing'wonders." " Next week I shall be in 
 town." 
 
 Three Letters, one 4to., one 8vo. (two sides), one 12mo., 13th 
 and 16th March, 20th April, 1830 
 " I was in hopes I should be able to be up in time for the 
 Shamrock day, as I should like to see how my brother Paddies 
 look after being emancipated, but every day here is so precious 
 to me," &c. " I am coming to London's hateful den again." 
 " I have been so pressed and put out of my way for these months 
 past that I • take no note of time,' nor of any thing else," &c. 
 Mentions "Weber's wild witch like style" of music. 
 
 Four Letters, three 4 to., one 8vo., 27th July, 10th, 14th and 
 25th August, 1830 
 tl I have been in daily expectation of receiving the things I 
 left for you to dispatch after me." "We have been now for 
 some days in our new cottage, and find it most dry and com- 
 fortable. There cannot be a nicer house for its size." " We 
 think of sailing the latter end of next week. You will see that 
 the Dublin papers have been rather premature in announcing 
 their ' distinguished countryman's arrival.' " 96, Abbey Street, 
 " We were most lucky in our weather, and I am now glad beyond 
 what I can say that I brought both boys with me — it has made 
 my mother so happy. Already every body remarks how im- 
 proved she is in looks." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. (one two sides), two 8vo. (one two sides) 
 
 4th, 5th, 1/th, and 25th October, 1830 
 
 " Yesterday evening we arrived all safe and well at Sloperton, 
 
 our heads almost turned with kead mille fealthods, and my 
 
 pockets turned inside out with our expenditure. You never 
 
 saw any thing like the enthusiasm of my reception every where 
 
157 
 
 in Ireland. They have now set their hearts upon bringing me 
 into Parliament for some county, and had there been a vacancy 
 at this moment I could hardly have escaped the honour. Ste- 
 venson I did not see. He was confined with illness during the 
 first weeks of our stay, and though I called two or three times 
 I could never see him. He then set off for Lord Headfort's, where 
 we were asked to meet him, but in the whirl and multiplicity 
 of our engagements we were unable to compass it. By all ac- 
 counts the poor fellow is completely past his work. I am told 
 he says of his legs (looking down mournfully at them) ' Oh, by 
 G — d they are very good legs — -but they won't walk.' You 
 must manage to lend me twenty or thirty pounds (the latter if 
 possible) for a few weeks, till I can put matters in train for 
 raising the supplies. I am (to use the slang phrase) completely 
 ' cleaned out,' but shall now turn in for a long spell of labour, 
 and have little doubt of being soon quits with you and all other 
 kind creditors. The building and this journey coming together 
 have been a fatal blow to my finances." " The reason of my 
 not writing to you more than once from Dublin was very simple. 
 It was the same as that given by Joe Maddocks to the Princess 
 of Wales, when she said to him, f For why you not speak, Mr. 
 Maddocks V — ' Because Ma'am,' answered Joe, ' I have nothing 
 to say.' Not having been able to see Stevenson, I had nothing par- 
 ticular to communicate to you, and being in such a whirl both of 
 mind and body as caused me to neglect but too much one of the 
 most important objects of my visit to Dublin, I thought I knew 
 you well enough to feel quite sure that you would excuse any 
 omission of mere letter writing, &c." " I send you some more of 
 the Summer Fete, which will still spread out to two or three 
 hundred lines more. All good for your letterpress book. I 
 inclose also Lady Headfort's letter, which you will return to 
 me some time or other. You had already seen the mention of 
 poor Stevenson's paralytic attack in the newspapers." " I have 
 been passing three days with the Duchess of Kent and our little 
 
158 
 
 future Queen at Earl Stoke Park, and we had a great deal of 
 music. The Duchess sung some of my Melodies with me better 
 than I ever heard them performed. I promised to send her 
 some of the Songs of mine she most liked, and I should he glad 
 if you would get them bound together (not too expensively) for 
 me to present to her. They are as follows. ' Meeting of Ships — 
 Indian Boat— The Evening Grun — Say what shall be our Sport, 
 (can you detach this from the Nationals?) — Keep your Tears 
 for me— The Watchman — I. love but thee (beginning ' If after 
 all')— Reason and Folly and Beauty. She has promised me 
 copies of some very pretty German things she sung." 
 
 Seven Letters, four 4to. (one of two sides) three 8vo., 1st, 4th, 
 5th, 10th, 17th, 19th, and 29th November, 1830 
 " I think it the most respectful way (as well as most mo- 
 dest) to send only the songs she asked for." Sir John Ste- 
 venson. "I have been sadly interrupted of late — but it seems 
 my destiny." " I wish you could get for me and send by the 
 first opportunity the Daily Diary or Remembrancer (I don't 
 know which it is called (at Bailey's I think, No. 9, Fleet 
 Street.) I want the large size at 65." I have written a Comic 
 Duett for two Almacks Dandies (Male and Female) which as 
 soon as I have finished- the verses that introduce it, you shall 
 have." " I wish you would send me by next parcel the last 
 number of the Belle Assemblee and any French Magazine that 
 may be about fashions, as I want to dress my two Dandy people 
 properly." " I was in hope of a letter from you this morning 
 to say whether dear Tom was (as well as his Majesty) prevented 
 by the Ministers from coming out. What a farce (a tragical 
 one) the great Duke has made of it." " I send you the cor- 
 rected music and 100 lines more of the Summer Fete." — u You 
 will be a little startled, I fear, to see the instruments of War 
 I am sending to you, but it is for a purpose which I have long 
 intended, though the state of our neighbourhood just now has 
 put it more immediately in my head. I want you to get 
 
159 
 
 new locks to these pistols for me, and whatever else may be 
 necessary to make them sound and trust-worthy. They were 
 given me some years since by a genuine Sir Lucius G'Trigger 
 of my acquaintance, and my neighbour Napier says they are 
 excellent pistols, but at present dangerous (not to one's ene- 
 mies but one's friends) from the state of the locks." "I do 
 not fear the hundreds of poor devils that are congregating on 
 all sides, and whose aim is entirely (as it ought to be) against 
 the parsons and landlords. They are not likely to molest me 
 — but the stray stragglers from these great bodies and the 
 number of ruffians that will take advantage of this state of 
 things to rob and plunder are the evils that are most to be 
 dreaded through the long nights of winter, and if we stay here 
 (which it is just possible we may not) I should not like to be 
 undefended." e< Since I wrote the within one of the locks has 
 broken off with a touch." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to., two Svo., 3rd, 10th, 11th, and 23rd De- 
 cember, 1830 
 " I have done some more of the Fete, bringing in two more 
 of our stray Songs, so that there remain but three or four more 
 (if so much) to finish it." " We find the mould candles here so 
 bad that we wish to try some of your London ones ; and would 
 be glad to have a box down by waggon. By buying them for 
 me you can, I suppose, leave them to be paid by me. Best 
 regards to all your large little circle. The candles are to be 
 long fours." 
 
 Two Letters, one Svo., one 12mo., undated (1830) 
 
 " Three or four days ago I wrote to Sandon (19, Bury Street) 
 to know whether his second floor would be vacant this next 
 week and he has not answered me. You could perhaps * stir 
 him up with a long pole' on the subject to-morrow, as I am 
 rather in a difficulty about a lodging, and would not go to his 
 but from my hatred of strange places and faces." 
 
160 
 
 whelmed with devilish letters. — One of the inclosed is to the 
 Artists Proprietors of the National Gallery, who have applied 
 to me (on account of that < taste which flows almost exclusively 
 from my pen') to write the dedication to their work to the 
 King. I have just despatched off another answer to an appli- 
 cation from York for me to write the inscription on a 
 monument they are erecting there to the seven young 
 people who were drowned ! There is no end to these applica- 
 tions." 
 
 Five Letters, two 4to., three 8vo., 2nd, 13th, ISth, 25th and 
 31st January, 1831. 
 " A merry new year to you and yours" — " To write a gen- 
 teel comic Song is no easy matter. I have tried at different 
 subjects till I am tired, and now have produced one that has 
 too much ivit (at least what was meant for wit) for a Song. 
 However as tune or no tune I mean to keep it in — I send it to 
 you." <f I am bleeding at every pore, in the money way. 
 Building and furniture, &c. is now running away with more 
 than s6300, in addition to the a£200 I paid in the summer. 
 However once over it, and with jEIO a year rent, I shall ma- 
 nage perhaps to get into smooth water again." " Some you 
 cannot touch. But the Canadian Boat Song I certainly altered, 
 and so I did c The last Rose of Summer.' My Romaika they 
 have stolen under the title of Sappho and given the name Ro- 
 maike to another Waltz in the same set. The Titles I should 
 think are fair game for you to fly at." Mentions his "high- 
 built nest" at Bowood. " I have been employed these two days 
 in routing up Irish Melodies, and think we shall be able to 
 make a very good show in the 10th Number." "You shall 
 hear from me soon about Wade's MS." 
 
 Four Letters, two 4to. two Svo., 8th, 10th, 17th and 28th 
 February, 1831 
 "I shall have great cutting and slashing on the Slips" (of 
 
1GI 
 
 the Summer Fete). " I have just heard such intelligence from 
 Dublin as makes it necessary for me to start immediately. You 
 shall hear from me on my road, or from Dublin. I fear I shall 
 hardly find my poor mother alive." " I know you will be glad 
 to hear that my dearest mother has rallied in the most extraor- 
 dinary way, and that I am able to leave her with the hope that 
 she is in a fair way of recovery.* It has astonished every one, 
 and a great deal of it is certainly owing to the vigour and com- 
 posure of her mind which exceeds any thing I could have ex- 
 pected even from her in such circumstances. I have seen poor 
 Stevenson, who is a sad wreck, but still full of laugh and fun 
 (at least while I was with him) and as much a Dandy as ever 
 — quite a Lord Ogleby." " Myself and my cold (which still 
 sticks to me) arrived here safe on Friday night, finding all 
 pretty well at home." 
 
 Four Letters, three 4to. one 8vo., 6th, 10th, 11th and 18th 
 March, 1831 
 ""What interesting doings you have up in town just now!" 
 " Pray look in the last (or last but one Evening Post) for a 
 letter of Arthur O'Connor's and put the proper Number to the 
 address of the inclosed which you must frank off to-morrow 
 for me. It is to ask a question of him." Enquiry about a 
 watch. " As soon as my Lord Edward is off my hands, I 
 mean before I commence any thing else to take a long spell at 
 Music." 
 
 Three Letters, two 4to. one 12mo. (two sides), 5th, 9th and 
 17th April, 1831 
 <e I trust you will be able to hasten the publication [of the 
 Summer Fete~] as I should like to have two such things as my 
 
 * Mrs. Moore survived fifteen months after this. She died at Dublin on 
 the 10th May, 1832. The Gentleman's Magazine records that " Her intel- 
 lect was of the highest order, and it is stated to have been a fixed rule with 
 Mr. Moore to write twice a week to her." 
 
162 
 
 Life of Lord Edward and this gay poem coming out as near as 
 possible together. I want you to manage a little matter for 
 me in which we are both interested. A gentleman lent me a 
 set of Bohemian Airs, from which I have selected about a 
 dozen, which are just of the very sort to catch the popular ear, 
 and yesterday I sent the book back to him, forgetting to erase 
 the pencil marks which I had made before the airs to be 
 selected. This, ever since I have recollected it, worries me, as it 
 will be a guide for him and others to the few airs I have appro- 
 priated out of the 400 in the book, and somebody else might 
 be tempted to make use of them. I have therefore written the 
 inclosed to him to say that the book was sent off without my 
 knowledge, and that there is an air or two more I want to tran- 
 scribe if he will allow me to have them again. You must send 
 this to his house immediately, and if he should not send the 
 book to you, as I bid him, by Monday evening, you had better 
 perhaps write a note on Tuesday morning to say that you have 
 a parcel making up for me, and understanding that he has some 
 music to send me, take the liberty of apprising him." 
 
 Four Letters, three 4 to., two 8vo., 9th, 13th, 21st and 22nd 
 May, 1831 
 " I send you a most beautiful Air (which the Duchess of 
 Kent by the bye gave me) and which I have succeeded, I 
 think, in matching with words most luckily." 
 
 Four Letters, one 4to., three 8vo., 1st, 3rd, 6th and 7th July, 
 1831 
 " In addition to the other bother I bequeathed you in com- 
 ing away, T wish," &c. " I found all here very well." 
 "Thanks, my dear Sir, for the fine salmon, which I am within 
 half an hour at this moment of attacking," 
 Five Letters, 8vo., 13th, 17th, 19th, 20th and 30th July, 1831 
 ' ' Not to lose time I send you back the two proofs and 
 Horn's Song, which is, I think, very good indeed, and with 
 
163 
 
 much more feeling than any thing of his I have ever seen. 
 We are just about to prepare for our Archery Fete to-day and 
 looking very anxiously at the sky. Your supply of fish for 
 the occasion is most magnificent." '• I expect my Life of 
 Lord Edward will be out next week." " The proofs that are 
 in the Box you will throw by somewhere till I return to town 
 to destroy them." 
 
 Five Letters and a Song, four 4to.,two 8vo., 2nd, 7th, (two), 2 1st, 
 22nd, and 28th August, 1831 
 •'* I had just sat down to copy out two new things for you, when 
 Napier brought a Scotch friend of his to visit me, and I must 
 defer my task till to-morrow." " I hope your copy of Lord 
 Edward was among the first sent as I ordered." " I send you 
 the 4th verse of the last Anthology Song and words to be set 
 for our Second Evening in Greece. This forms one of the 
 groups or pictures I told you of — an Arab girl and her lover 
 conversing by signs in presence of her parents. He kissing a 
 lotus flower (which is the emblem of beauty among the Arabs) 
 and she holding up to him a small Mirror, such as the Arab 
 women wear fastened to their thumbs. You shall have the 
 verses descriptive of the same in the course of this week." Song 
 and Duett of The Lotus and the Mirror (unpublished) two 
 Verses, 
 
 " Love hath a language of his own, 
 A voice, that goes 
 From heart to heart, whose mystic tone 
 Love only knows," &c. 
 The Longmans have sold nearly the whole 1500 of my Lord 
 Edward, which will be, they say, about £500 to the credit side 
 of my account, another 1500 is what it ought to sell, but *-■■ ■ 
 I fear it won't." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4 to., four 8vo. (three of two sides), 5th, 1 4th, 
 17th, 20th, and 26th September, 1831 
 11 Have you yet looked out Napier's verses for me ? you will 
 
 m 2 
 
164 
 
 know them by the odd upright hand writing, and let the ori- 
 ginal stay where it is, till I decide what I (or we) shall do with 
 them." " I have heard a good deal about my brother lyrist, 
 but he is not, I think, in the King's Bench." * * * " in 
 short the whole * Butterfly bower' is blown in the air. Poor 
 devil!" " I have been engaged in a task which, of all others, 
 I dislike — namely, writing an Article for the Edinburgh Review, 
 having long promised the Editor I would give him one, and 
 wishing also to oblige the Longmans." "The Air was given 
 to me by Young, the actor." " Young lives in Pall Mall, I think." 
 " Pray pay the inclosed to Paris ; it is in answer to a communi- 
 cation from no less a personage than the King of France about 
 my book." "I am almost ashamed to tell you how pleased 
 I was with the things of my own you sent me. I had forgot 
 all of them but their names, and they come therefore fresh upon 
 me. I have seldom, if ever, written anything so truly lyrical 
 as two or three of them are. I was also glad for another reason, 
 as two of them will come in most charmingly for our second 
 (and last) Evening, so that we have now at least five or six 
 pretty things towards it." " What you sent me is not Napier's, 
 nor was it, I think, among the things I gave you with Napier's; 
 for those were for the Miscellany, and this (which I inclose) was 
 merely given for you to have set by somebody. Napier's verses 
 were, if I recollect right, with a little packet of verses, prose, 
 &c. chiefly of my own, which I intended for the Miscellany. 
 Translations from Catullus, Sketches of Pere La Chaise, 
 &c. There was also some verses of Luttrel's which are now 
 of no use, as on understanding that I had given up the idea 
 of a Miscellany, lie made a present of them to his Son, who 
 got twenty guineas for them from the Keepsake. Pray look 
 again for his verses. It shows how much better supplied I am 
 with words than with airs that (as I find by the MSS. you have 
 sent me) I have actually written two sets of words to each of 
 two airs — bigamy in Song completely. I must now find part- 
 
165 
 
 ners for the discarded wives, which are both (though I say it 
 that should'nt say it) pretty" " I understated the duplicate 
 words I had written ; there were no less than three airs to 
 which I had put two sets of words each." "What do you 
 think of Murray ? Besides the 8vo. Edition of my life of Byron, 
 which he has printed, he is going now to publish a small one 
 like the Waverley Novels to come out Monthly, with vignettes, 
 &c. My portrait, from Lawrence, to be among the engravings 
 — what enormous expenditure !" 
 
 Four Letters, one 4to., three 8vo., 2nd, 11th, 21st, and 24th 
 October, 1831 
 " You have here my attempt at setting ' Guess, Guess,' 
 [printed in Collected Edition of Moore's works, until then 
 unpublished^] for our Greek work. I have not been able to 
 satisfy myself, but I think when Bishop and I meet, we shall 
 contrive to make something pretty out of it." "The Napiers 
 have been passing their last two farewell days with us, which 
 has interrupted me. I was very sorry not to have his verses to 
 give him, and cannot think why you have not sent them to me. 
 I have some little idea of coming up to town to take leave of 
 poor Sir W. Seott, who has expressed a wish to see me before 
 he goes. I am told he is a good deal better." " I had some- 
 thing to send you yesterday, but as you will see myself on 
 Wednesday or Thursday, I may as well be the bearer of it. 
 My chief object in coming up is to see Sir W. Scott before his 
 departure, and Murray has also some matters to consult me 
 upon relative to the illustrations of his New Edition of the Life, 
 &c. &c. so I go to his house for the few days I stay. I was dis- 
 appointed in not receiving my Edinburgh Review which I suppose 
 was sent to you. If so, open it and read Shiel's Article upon 
 Lord Edward, and also (as I know you are fond of the Church) 
 an Article entitled 'State of Protestantism in Germany,' which 
 is the one I told you I was employed about ; — but this you will 
 keep to yourself. I am sorry I gave you such trouble about 
 
166 
 
 these verses of Napier's, but I felt quite sure they were among 
 the Miscellany Papers. I suppose I have them myself some- 
 where. I will see you if possible on Wednesday evening." 
 " I got down very comfortably," &c. "I want you to go as 
 soon as you can conveniently, to a book-shop in Piccadilly, not 
 far from Bond Street, and on that side of the way, which con- 
 tains books labelled with their prices in the window, and there 
 to buy me a copy of Bland's Anthology which I saw in the 
 window, but was in too great a hurry at the time to stop to 
 purchase it. It is marked 12 shillings, but yow will, I dare say, 
 get it for less." "You shall have, by to-morrow's post, the 
 Dedication and Introduction to the Summer Fete. I don't 
 know what to do with that thing you have so often sent me, 
 * Good bye, my youth' — having tried over and over to make 
 something tolerable of it, without success. I shall see, how- 
 ever, whether upon the same thought, and taking what sailors 
 call ■ a fresh departure,' I may not do something better." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4 to., four 8vo., 2nd, 7th, 9th, 19th, and 28th 
 November, 1831 
 " I send you a very pretty Air of Miss Houlton's, to which 
 I was very glad to. be able to write nice words." The Cholera 
 panic. " I dare say Doctor Russell himself would, in the event 
 of the disease actually reaching London, dismiss the whole 
 school, as that part of the town would be of all others least 
 eligible in such circumstances. But I should not like you to 
 wait for this, but on the first intelligence of the approach of 
 Cholera to do as I have said above, shewing this letter to Doc- 
 tor Russell as your authority for what you do. The News- 
 papers to-morrow morning may perhaps decide me as to the 
 steps to take, but in the mean time (that is, between this and 
 your hearing from me again) I leave all to your own discre- 
 tion." " Many thanks for the good fish, which feasted Miss 
 Starkey, Hughes and ourselves yesterday. I want you to go 
 with the letter to Rogers yourself, and to ask whether he is in 
 
167 
 
 town — if not, enquire his address (that is, if he is not expected 
 back soon), and, directing the letter accordingly, put it in the 
 post." "I see the alarm from Cholera has subsided ; but we 
 shall have it yet." "They had some hundred policemen sta- 
 tioned in the Charter House the other day. What a state 
 England is brought to!" Directions to bind a copy of the 
 Irish Melodies " for a wedding present, and the sooner it is 
 done the better." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4to., three 8vo., one 12mo., 8th (two) and 
 28th December. Two undated (one of two sides), 1831 
 Note (undelivered) to the Rev. Doctor Russell, of the Char- 
 ter House. " I have had just time to read over Mr. Wade's 
 MS. and dispatch it back to you. I find it is merely a 
 History of Ancient Music, and, though appearing to be done 
 with considerable talent, by no means comprises the part 
 of the subject which would make it a work of much general 
 interest. This is all I have to say, but you may shew him 
 
 . this note, with my compliments and best thanks for the flatter- 
 ing manner in which he has spoken of myself. The piracies 
 another time. It is too bad of the fellows to rob me of my 
 Romaika." " The books need not be bound, nor need they 
 come down to me, as it will be sufficient to write in them. 
 ' From the Author,' and the persons that occur to me at pre- 
 sent, are C. C. F. Greville, Esq. 11, Suffolk Street, Haymarket, 
 (I think it is 11, but you will know at the Council Office), 
 Lady Frances L. Gower, Bridgewater House, Cleveland Row, 
 and Henry Luttrel, Esq. Brookes' Club House. You had 
 better, I think, send one also to E. L. Bulvver, Esq. M.P., 
 1 from the Author.' He is, you know, Colburn's Editor, and 
 lives in Hereford Street, May Fair. As to Barnes and Jerdan, 
 if you send copies to them, you may put ' from the Author ' or 
 not, just as you think adviseable." " If I puzzled Bishop, he 
 has, in return, puzzled me still more. The fact is, though his 
 accompaniments are beautiful, he has, by the alterations he has 
 
168 
 
 made, changed the whole character of the Air," &c. " I can- 
 not find where my verses, ' Die where you will/ have been pub- 
 lished, but, I rather think, it must have been in the last editions 
 of the Two-penny Post Bag, or, perhaps, of the Fudge Family 
 — at the end." 
 
 Four Letters, one 4 to. (two sides) three 8vo. (one of two sides), 
 lOthj 17th, 21st, and 31st January, 1832 
 "Our dissipations here continue, but, thank God ! the meet- 
 ing of Parliament will rid me soon of all this idling. I have 
 had lately most splendid offers from Colburn (through his new 
 Editor), to furnish Squibs to his Magazine — but have declined. 
 ' Terms (says Bulwer in his letter) which only so opulent a 
 publisher as Mr. Colburn could afford to offer.' I could not? 
 however, let this boast pass without saying, that liberal as was 
 Mr. Colburn's offer, I must do the Magnificos of the Times 
 the justice to say that it fell short of them. It was for such 
 things as I sent the Times he had asked." " Murray writes 
 me word that his new Edition is doing very well. Have you 
 observed the usual shuffling in his advertisements of it ? At 
 first suppressing my name altogether, and now putting it the 
 most prominent, as if the whole was edited by me. There 
 never was such an odd fellow." Sends "the MS. of that 
 tiresome namesake of mine, to whom you may give a pound 
 for me, if you think he is really so wretched as he says." 
 "The address of my namesake is 48, Chandos Square, St. 
 Martin's Lane. The poor devil, as a last hope, has since 
 written to beg a copy of the Summer Fete, meaning, of course, 
 to pawn it. Let hiin have the Sovereign instead." 
 
 Two Letters, 8vo., 19th and 26th February, 1832 
 
 " I am very nearly well of my Influenza, and hope you and 
 yours keep free of all aches and alarms, in these alarming times." 
 " I have nothing for you in the way of work to-day," &c. 
 
 Six Letters, four 4to. (one unsigned), two 8vo. (one of two 
 sides), 8th, ilth, 14th, 18th, 21st, 23rd March, 1832 
 
169 
 
 " I send you more of the Evening ; the four last lines not 
 yet finished. My closing scene will be a puzzler, as I wish to 
 make it both a lively and probable termination of the whole 
 work by bringing the absent Warriors home, while the young 
 ladies are at supper. As to pictures this poem abounds with 
 them ; but where is the artist ?" " I don't know where Crofton 
 Croker lives, and this letter being upon a subject in which a 
 neighbour of mine is interested I wish it forwarded by Twopenny 
 Post immediately." " My own movements will also a good deal 
 depend on the answer, as it will decide, I think, whether I shall 
 go before Patrick's day, or after." "Did I tell you of another 
 Magazine Editor being at me with all sorts of good offers ? The 
 new opponent of Blackwood in Edinburgh. He got the usual 
 answer. They appear to be making great efforts for this new 
 start." " Doctor Russell's answer has decided me not to come 
 up till the end of next week, which will suit me much better 
 (all except the losing St. Paddy's day)." "I have had no 
 formal requisition yet from Limerick, but I rather think they 
 mean to tempt me. What they propose is a subscription among 
 the women of Ireland for the purpose, which would certainly be a 
 very pretty way of doing the thing." " There was a Grand 
 Fancy Entertainment given at a private house in Bath lately, 
 consisting of scenes out of Lalla Rookh and the Evenings in 
 Greece ; the Music of the latter got up by professors. They 
 ought to have asked the author to it." 
 
 Three Letters, 4to., 11th, 13th, and 26th April, 1832 
 
 " I have not been able to finish copying out the lines I showed 
 you in town sufficiently soon to go in this cover; but they and 
 more shall go next time." " I should like to have at the same 
 time a copy of the Summer Fete, for which I fear, by your 
 account, I am your best customer." "A man called upon me 
 yesterday, who told me he had enquired for me at your house 
 on Tuesday. Harding, the bookseller of Cornhill. He came 
 expressly by the Mail to offer me 1000 guineas for a Poem — 
 
170 
 
 the third of the size of Lalla Rookh — to have illustrated in the 
 manner of Rogers's. I asked him was he aware that Rogers's 
 book had cost him 567000 ? He said, yes— ' But then the 
 badness of the times/ said I. All this, he answered, that he had 
 taken into consideration, but the rage for illustrated works was 
 so great, that he had no doubt of success, if I would write the 
 Poem. I did not like to give the poor man a decided ■ No/ 
 So he returned by the Mail last night as he came. I mention 
 this to you, because you were talking of having the Evenings in 
 Greece illustrated, and it is at least a bookseller's opinion in 
 favour of the success of such a plan." " I send you a portion 
 of the Second Evening corrected for the Press," &c. 
 
 Two Letters, one 8vo., one 12mo., 4th and 16th May, 1832 
 
 "I send you some more of the Evening." "Bishop is, I 
 must say, very provoking. I send his account book back." 
 " We are both much obliged by your kind note, but it is not 
 the intention of either of us to come to town for some time. I 
 was myself about to start for Ireland when the melancholy news 
 [of his mother's death] reached me." 
 
 Four Letters, one 4to., two 8vo., one irregular, i lth June, 1st, 
 8th, and 14th July, 1832 
 " I sent by mistake, yesterday, both of Bishop's settings of 
 the Dying Warrior to his Sword, and want one of them (it 
 does'nt matter which) back again to write words to, any time 
 will do." " I was in Devizes from Thursday till yesterday 
 evening, and did not receive your packet till my return." " I 
 should be glad when you have occasion to write again that you 
 would say through what channel the Collection of Irish Airs 
 sent to me from America (which came in the last parcel) reached 
 your hands." 
 
 Three Letters, one Svo., two 12mo. (one of two sides), 6th, 8th, 
 and 26th August, 1832 
 " I am sorry to have been obliged to make bo much alteration 
 
171 
 
 in the words of ' Welcome, sweet bird,' but it has, from the first 
 
 given me a great deal of trouble, being a most awkward air to 
 
 put words to." 
 
 [On the back is ivritten and struck through.'] 
 
 "Sloperton, August 6, 1832. 
 " My Dear Sir, 
 
 " I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. 
 O'Connell at Bristol the other day, when we had a good 
 deal of conversation on the subject to which you allude, 
 and were it lucky my to have enjoyed the advan- 
 tage. — " 
 
 "I send you two Songs. 'The Russian Lover,' and 'Hush, sweet 
 Lute,' and the reason of my troubling you with them on a Sun- 
 day is to request that you will oblige Mr. Phipps by performing 
 the inclosed commission for him. I forget the name of the 
 fishmonger in your neighbourhood (whether it is Garbage or 
 Groutage), but you will know the person I mean, and be so 
 good as to mention that I recommended him." 
 Three Letters, one 4to. (franked " Lansdowne"), two 8vo., 4th, 
 7th, and 8th September, 1832 
 " I return the Proofs and Revises, with (I am sorry to say) 
 a few more corrections in the latter. I send you also a new 
 Song, ' The days are gone,' which with two of the four others 
 inclosed (you can take your choice) completes the number that 
 were wanting to make up my due quantity. By my next parcel 
 I shall send a third verse for ' The days are gone,' and your 
 account book, as also the copy of the Pere La Chaise Anecdotes, 
 which I am very sorry your daughter had the trouble of 
 writing, as it was not that I wanted, but two or three transla- 
 tions from Catullus, which were with it, and which I should 
 be glad to have by the next parcel." " I send the third verse 
 of ' The days are gone' — a very appropriate title for the last 
 Song it is possible I may ever write for you. It is not without 
 pain that I use these expressions, and I will hope for both our 
 sakes that the result may be otherwise —but all will depend upon 
 
172 
 
 the shape in which the enclosed Account Book is returned to 
 me." " Have the goodness to say, in your next, the exact day 
 on which my last bill upon you becomes due." " I send you 
 a Melody. Will you have the goodness to ask at Ridgway's, 
 Piccadilly, for a speech of Sir H. Parnell's this last Session, 
 and send it to me when you have a parcel." "Many thanks 
 for the nice oysters." " I had got this frank \i\ot posted] from 
 Lord Lansdowne, but find he misdated it." 
 
 Five Letters, one 4to., two 8vo., two 12ino., 5th and 16th 
 October, 5th, 17th, and 30th November, 1832. 
 " I forgot to say that the Guittar is wanted almost imme- 
 diately, and you will therefore lose no time in sending it." " I 
 have only time in dispatching the inclosed to express my sincere 
 regret at your continued illness, and my hope that you will 
 soon have better news to send me." " I rejoice to hear that 
 you are so much better." " I have not time for more, but 
 hope to hear that you are quite recovered." 
 Four Letters, three 4to., one 8vo., 3rd, 15th, 26th, and 28th 
 December, 1832 
 " Pray forgive all this haste and trouble." " There is no- 
 thing more necessary to be done, in the way of preface or 
 advertisement for the Second Evening." " Mrs. Moore is 
 much obliged for the copy of the Second Evening, and I am 
 thankful to you for sending one to my sister." " We have to 
 thank you for a very fine present of Fish, which has not only 
 feasted ourselves but many of our neighbours." 
 Unpublished MS. by Mr. Moore, in his autography Eight 
 closely written pages, 4to, on three sheets of paper, with 
 indorsement of date in pencil by Mr. Power, referring 
 to September and November, 1827, and headed by Mr. 
 Moore, " Sketches of Paris. Sketch the First — Pere la 
 Chaise." 
 Four Letters, 8vo., 1 1 th, 1 3th, and 2 1 st March, and 3rd April, 1 833 
 " It gave me much pleasure to receive your note, and I regret 
 having been obliged to defer our meeting so long— but as the 
 
173 
 
 printer is at my heels, I am obliged to work all the first hours 
 of the morning. On Wednesday, however, as soon after half- 
 past ten as may suit you, I shall be very glad to see you." 
 " I shall thank you to send as soon as you receive this, a copy 
 of the two Evenings in Greece, directed to Miss Barbara 
 Godfrey, 35, Berkely Square. She leaves town in the morning, 
 and therefore I wish her to have the book to-night. I shall 
 expect to see you to-morrow evening." " The dinner the other 
 day was more of company than I expected, and accordingly I 
 had not an opportunity of mentioning our business to Mr. 
 Rees ; but as soon as my occupations will allow of my going 
 out in the morning, I shall call upon him on the subject." 
 " Mr. Rogers, to whom I have spoken, has consented to assist 
 us in our object." " I was sorry not to be able to see you 
 yesterday, being still very much occupied all the mornings — 
 but if you can call here on Friday morning between ten and 
 eleven I shall be glad to see you." 
 
 Two Letters, 8vo. (one of two sides), 4th December, 1834, and 
 21st November, 1835 
 " I have to apologize for not sooner applying myself to the 
 subject to which you drew my attention — but being busily em- 
 ployed in sending off the first Copy of my Irish History to the 
 press, as also fancying, that the task you sent me was something 
 requiring more time than I find it actually does, I was induced 
 to defer it till this moment. It strikes me (after turning the 
 matter over in my mind a good deal) that the present Preface 
 with the few alterations you will find made in it, is as good and 
 apropos as any new one I could prefix. I have found, however, 
 a most extraordinary erratum in the Letter Press of the Tenth 
 Number, which cannot be allowed to go forth without correc- 
 tion ; and if it was really in the proofs sent to me, nothing but 
 the unlikelihood of such a mistake occurring could have pre- 
 vented me from perceiving it. In order to turn aside the too 
 strong application of the words of the Song, * To-morrow, Com- 
 rad,' &c. to the present state of Ireland, I had taken care to 
 
174 
 
 prefix to it ' Time, the Ninth Century,' and the Printer here, in 
 order to saddle me with what I took so much pains to avoid, 
 has made it the nineteenth Century! As a joke it wouldn't be 
 bad, but from a Printer's devil it is rather too much. I meant 
 to have said something more — but do not like to lose this post. 
 Pray see that this passage is corrected." " Dec. 5. The parcel 
 was, after all, too late yesterday, and I open my note to insert a 
 few additional words. I think it but fair, after our long con- 
 nexion together, to apprize you that I occasionally still occupy 
 myself with music, and mean in the course of next Season to 
 publish some single Songs (either single or in a set), and like- 
 wise to finish a set of Sacred Songs which I have been from 
 time to time employed upon. I shall only add that I have not 
 yet entered into negociations. I inclose a letter which I re- 
 ceived some time since from the Rev. Mr. Fitzgerald, on the 
 subject of his intended work. I had better see a proof of the 
 corrected Preface, and if you will have your inclosure left with 
 the waiter at Brooks's it will come franked to me." " I have 
 just recollected, in sending off these proofs, that I have another 
 still uncorrected (' Not from Thee ') to send you. It shall go 
 in the first parcel I am forwarding to the Longmans." " I 
 should be obliged by your letting me have a set of proofs of 
 these Songs for my own use when you are sending again — as I 
 think you had better — at least revises of those in which I have 
 made much correction." 
 
 Four Letters, 8vo., 16th February, 10th, i 6th, and 2 1st March, 1836 
 " I send back the proofs, and shall be obliged by your look- 
 ing particularly to the restoration of the original accompaniment 
 to a bar or two in the Song, * Go and forget it all.' I don't 
 know how or by whom the accompaniment (which is Cheru^ 
 bini's own) was altered or mangled, but it makes havoc of the 
 whole Song." " I have not yet been able to satisfy myself in an 
 Air to ' The days are gone,' but you shall have it before long." 
 
 Mr. Power died on the 26th August, 1836. 
 
175 
 
 NOTICE OF MR. POWER. 
 
 [From the London Literary Gazette, vol. xx. No. 1024, p. 573.J 
 
 " We have to record with feelings of sincere regret, the death 
 of this eminent music-publisher, and most excellent man. He 
 died on the evening of Friday the 26th ultimo at his house, 
 22, Buckingham Street, Strand, after a very short illness, and at 
 the age of seventy, according to the newspaper announcement. 
 
 "As ' the noblest work of God' an honest man, and as an up- 
 right tradesman, Mr. Power enjoyed the respect of every one to 
 whom in the way of business he was known ; as well as the private 
 friendship of many distinguished individuals, and the personal 
 esteem of all who were capable of appreciating the moral dignity 
 of his character. But it is as connected with national music and 
 literature, that the name of James Power will long be remembered. 
 He was the early and unostentatious patron, and subsequently, 
 the steady friend of Moore, when adverse circumstances clouded 
 the poet's fortune. 
 
 " Mr. Power was born at Galway, in Ireland ; his parents were 
 highly respectable, but they had the good sense, instead of allow- 
 ing their son to grow up a fox-hunting gentleman, to apprentice 
 him to a pewterer in his native town. By the same regularity of 
 habit, and attention to business, which distinguished him in after 
 life, James Power soon became so skilful an artificer, that he 
 undertook to repair the bugles of a light infantry regiment, then 
 quartered at Galway. This undertaking, although at the time 
 he was perfectly ignorant of the construction of the instrument, 
 was accomplished by him so skilfully, that the bugles and trum- 
 pets of different regiments in Ireland, were sent to him for repair. 
 Finding the reputation of his workmanship was daily increasing, 
 Mr. Power removed to Dublin, and established himself in West- 
 moreland Street as a military instrument manufacturer. This step 
 involved the necessity of dealing a little in music, and he took a 
 younger brother (Mr. William Power) into partnership, for the 
 purpose of attending to his increasing business. 
 
 " The demand in Dublin for lyrical compositions, induced Mr. 
 Power to enter into the speculation of offering Mr. Moore, some 
 of whose productions had already been published by him, the sum 
 of fifty pounds for a set of twelve songs, adapted to Irish melodies, 
 to be arranged by Sir John Stevenson. We have been told ths J 
 the success of the first number of the ' Irish Melodies ' was 
 
176 
 
 such as to induce the Messrs. Power to enter into an agreement 
 with Mr. Moore, for an annuity of five hundred pounds for seven 
 years, on condition of receiving from him a certain, and not very 
 large number of songs. And this agreement was, we believe, 
 twice subsequently renewed by Mr. James Power, who, shortly 
 before the appearance of the second number of the ' Irish Melodies ' 
 (October 1807), removed from Dublin to London, and commenced 
 business as a music-publisher on his own account, at his present 
 warehouse, No. 34, Strand. 
 
 " The publications of Mr. Power embrace a collection of the 
 compositions cf the most popular lyric writers of the last thirty 
 years, which were always produced from his press in a style of 
 neatness of embellishment, superior to all contemporary works. 
 Many oi them have received a passing tribute of approbation at 
 our hands, as a reference to the pages of the Literary Gazette 
 will prove. But the principal work with which the name of 
 James Power will remain proudly associated, is the collection 
 of ' Irish Melodies ' by Moore, arranged by Stevenson and 
 Bishop ; a publication which extends to ten numbers, with a sup- 
 plemental one, which appeared at intervals between 1807 and 1834, 
 a space of twenty-seven years, with undiminished popularity. The 
 publisher, although as unostentatious a man as ever breathed, and 
 lost strongly opposed to the tricks of puffery, appears himself to 
 have felt a degree of honest pride out of his connection with this 
 beautiful national work, from his having latterly adopted the pun- 
 ning imprint of ' The Power of Melody ' around an Irish harp. 
 
 " Mr. Power has left a widow and a large family, by whom no 
 doubt his lucrative business will be carried on, as he possessed the 
 copyright of many valuable musical and literary works." 
 
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