THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA LIBRARY PRESENTED BY THE WILLIAM A. WHITAKER FOUNDATION er'**^^ .^^ EFFINGHAM WILSON. TAKEN MARCH 13tll, 1862, WHEN 79 YEARS OF AGE, IN MEMORY EFFINGHAM WILSON. ' Full of enduring energy and sway, He took his vital path along life's way ; Careless alike of envy or detraction. And Truth his guide in every thought and action. He ever kept Right's course, work out what might. But only for the end desired the fightJ Ready the weak to help, the poor to screen. As all unfretful strength has ever heen. In all life's battles, and in each distress, He feared but two things—' Sin, and Wickedness.' "- LONDON: PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION. 1868. L05D0K: irPINOHAM WILSON, PRIKTBB, 11, BOTAL BXCBAnOK. 3In ilWemors of EFFINGHAM WILSON, Who Died the 9th of June, 1868, IN HIS 85TH YEAR. Buried at Highgate Cemetery, 15th of June, 1868. ■I" ^iagrap^rcal S>l\dt\i OP THE LATE EFFINGHAM WILSON, EEPEINTED From «' THE CITY PRESS," of Saturday, July the i8th, i858. The Obituary in The Times, of June 11th, contains the following announcement : — " On the 9th instant, at the residence of his daughter, 38, Mildmay Park, Mr. Effingham Wilson, in the 85th year of his age." From a belief that many may like to know something of the life of one who, in his time, has held a prominent position, both as a pub- lisher and a politician, the following particulars have been hastily put together. 2 35iosrap|)tcal ^fectci) of Mr, Wilson was born about 1783, in the parish of Kii'by-Ravensworth, near Richmond, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. He was a member of an old Yorkshire family, and the fact of some of his relations having farmed under the Earl of Effingham, induced his parents to give him the distinctive Christian name that he subsequently made so well and widely known. His earliest years were most happily passed in the neigh- bourhood of the place of liis biii:h, and when still a boy he was removed to Knaresborough, in the same county, where he went to reside ^\dth his uncle, Dr. Hutchinson, for the purpose of being educated and trained to the medical profession, for which, at that time, he was destined. Dr. Hutcliinson was a celebrated man in his district, and possessed an excellent museum, at that time thought a great deal of in those parts. It was this sa;me Dr. Hutchinson who went out to Knaresborough jMoor, in the dead of the night, 93C MrII and cut down the body of Eugene Aram, which was giimly hanging there in chains, for the purpose of possessing himself of the skull, he being an . ardent phrenologist. This skull he secreted for years, and when it eventually came to light, and he admitted that he was the culprit, it was, owing to its peculiarities of formation, the subject of much discussion and controversy amongst phrenologists. Mr. Wilson knew Houseman's widow, the man Houseman who is supposed by many to have been the real murderer of Daniel Clark, and who turned king's evidence. Mr. Wilson, from these early associa- tions, took a deep interest in all concerning the life and fate of Eugene Aram, and possessed an ex- tensive collection of all the works and pamphlets that were, from time to time, issued and pub- lished upon that subject. The skull, which he much coveted, and which was at one time promised to him, still remains in the family, and B 2 4 35io5rap]^icaI ^fectcl) of is now in the possession of Miss Walker, of Malton, in Yorkshire. Mr. Wilson subsequently determined, from some unexplained cause, to abandon the profes- sion of medicine ; and it is believed that when he left Dr. Hutchinson, he for some time went to reside with a relation named Fall, at Rood Hall, in Yorkshire, on an estate called the Theakston Estate, since purchased by the Duke of Leeds. He left Mr. Fall, after a considerable sojourn, and resolved, when still a youth, to come to London, and seek his fortune in the great city. Mr. Wilson appears to have selected the pub- lishing business immediately after his arrival in London. He first went to Mr. Aspern's, in Cornhill, whose place was known by the sign of " The Bible, Crown, and Constitution." From Mr. Aspern's he went to Mr. Thomas Hurst, (the firm being Hurst and Kobinson,) the Long- t!)e late iEflfingl^am UHihoix, 5 mans joiiiiiig the house while Mr. Wilson was there, although Mr. Hurst afterwards separated from the now great and foremost house of LouOTnan and Co., ^vith which house Mr. Wilson remained for some years. He formed for Mr. Hurst, from this early time, a warm and en- during friendship, which lasted until the death of that gentleman, a few years since. Many long years after the early time to which we have referred, when Mr. Hurst's fortunes had unhap- pily changed, Mr. Wilson was chiefly instru- mental in securing him a haven in " The Charter House," at which place he died. After lea^dng Messrs. Longman's house, and commencing business, Mr. Wilson was for a few years in Paternoster Row, but removed on the 30th of June, 1812, to the south-east comer of the Royal Exchange, which place he never afterwards quitted, except durmg the rebuilding, after the fire of January 10th, 1838, returning, 6 t3iograp|)ical .^feetc]^ of so soon as it was again ready, to the same spot which still beai^ his name. Although, with his wonted prudence, he had taken out and held several fire policies for years, yet, by some un- accountable oversight, the last premiums had not been duly paid ; and when the gi^eat fire came, he learnt too late, greatly to his own perplexity, that he was entii^ely uninsm-ed. About this period of his life, from some three years before the fire, from 1836 to 1838, Mr. Wilson experienced the truth of the old familiar saying, that "troubles seldom come alone." In 1834 he had estabKshed two agencies in America, to wliich it was his custom to consign large numbers, in many cases entire Editions, of the numerous works he was then publishing ; and it happened that, during the monetary panic from which America sufiered in 1836-7, both these agencies succumbed. Scarcely had he recovered from the efiects of his hea\y losses across the tj^c late lEflSngbam mH^on. 7 Atlantic, when the calamitous fire at the Ex- change occuiTed, and he discovered, as we have stated, that instead of being amply covered by insurances, his policies had lapsed, and were consequently void. On the occasion of the opening of the new Exchange, in 1844, he was most generously congratulated, on his re-establishment, by the public press. Mr. Wilson was for upwards of sixty years a busy worker in the City, making his corner position celebrated as the birthplace of many useful and insti^uctive commercial, and import- ant political and literary works. He had the longest career, and, we believe, the most in- dependent, public-spirited, and fearless career, of any publisher of his time. He was associated with much brave political work, that has been well, ti-uly, and laboriously done. He was a link between the past and present generations, and 8 5t3iograjpl)iral ^feftcj) of he had consequently seen extraordinaiy changes. He took at one time an active and dangerous part in politics, on the extreme Liberal side, and was the producer of works for which it was difficult to find a publisher, containing as they did daring onslaughts on the established ^a*ongs of the day. We extract the following remarks, in support of what we have said, from the Money Market Review : — " Effingham Wilson was a man of strong im- pulses, gTeat moral courage, and unswerving- determination, of all which his conflict with the leading journal many years ago was a me- morable examj^le. The journal in question punished him for years by sedulously ignoring both him and his publications ; but he never condescended to complain. At a later period, when the hatchet was buried between them, Mr. Wilson's publications were noticed with the tijt Sate ^ffi'ngfjam Sailson. 9 same impartiality as those of other publishers. A feature of the late Mr. Wilson's character was a generous inclination to help those who needed help, either in politics, in literature, or in busi- ness ; and there may be many now living who can testify to the value of the services he has rendered to them, " He was the publisher of some of the earlier works of Jeremy Bentham. He was the pub- lisher also of Wade's celebrated 'Black Book,' in which the pensions and jobberies of the Court and aristocracy of that day were ruthlessly ex- posed to the indignation of the country. The book, though costly, had an enormous sale, and created an immense sensation, and there is no doubt it contributed much to arouse that spirit which ultimately carried the Reform Bill of 1832. How are times changed since then ! John Wade, the author of that book, is now in the re- ceipt of a pension from the Crown, and the instru- 10 i^tograpl^ical 5?5Jtc]b of ment iii procuring that pension for him was the son of his okl publisher ! It may also be men- tioned that Mr. Wilson was the first publisher of Alfred Tennyson, and of the works of Thomas Campbell in a complete form." We will now proceed to give a list of some of the works that have issued from Mr. Wilson's press, although, in the necessarily hurried preparation of this sketch, many that ought to appear will doubtless be omitted. We will follow the list with such few observations, and anecdotes, as we have been able to gather together during the short time that has elapsed since Mr. Wilson passed away : — LIST OF WOUKS. Akerman's (Jno, Younge) Catalogue of Roman Coins. 2 vols. 1832. Anderson's (Wm.) London Commercial Dic- tionary. 1 vol. 1829. Practical Mercantile Corre- spondence. 1 vol. 1842. tjbe Saw lEfiSngf;am Milton. 1 1 Anichini's (P.) View of the Roman Catholic Dogmas. 1 vol. 1828. Austin's (Mra.) Characteristics of Goethe. 3 vols. 1830. Stoiy without an End. Illus- trated by Harvey. 1 vol. 1832. Barker's (M. H.) Tough Yarns : a Series of Naval Tales and Sketches. 1 vol. 1834. Land and Sea Tales. 2 vols. 1836. Bentham's (Jeremy) Plan of Parliamentary Reform. 1 vol. 1819. Elements of the Art of Packing, as applied to Special Juries. 1 vol. 1821. Introduction to the Princi- ples of Morals and Legislation. 2 vols. 1823. Booth's (David) Tables of Interest on a jSTew Plan. 4to. boards. 1818. Boswell's Life of Johnson. 4to. (Dove's.) 1830. Browning's (Robert) Paracelsus. 1 vol. 1836. Burgon's Life of Sir Thomas Gresham. 2 vols. 1839. 12 Btograpljfcal ^feetr]^ of Campbell's (Thos.) Poetical Works. 2 vols. Illusti-ated by Westall. 1828. Life of Mrs. Sidcloiis. 1 vol. 1834. Clarke's (Cowden) Riches of Chaucer. 2 vols. 1835. Combe's (George) Currency Question Considered. 8vo. 1856. Cr abbe's (Rev. George) Beauties, ^\dth a Bio- graphical Sketch. 1 vol. 1832. DiCKEXs's (Charles) Speech, delivered at Drury Lane. 8vo. 1855. Don Quixote. Edited by Thomas Roscoe. Illus- trated by George Ciniikshank. 2 vols. 1833. Doubled ay's (Thomas) Financial History of England. 1 vol. 1846. Fenn's Compendium of the English and Foreign Funds. 1 vol. 1837. Field Book (The). 1 vol. With numerous Illustrations. 1828. Fitzgeorge: alSTovel. (George lY.) 3vols. 1834. Gilbart's (William) A Practical Treatise on Banking. 1 vol. 1847. Gil Blas. Edited by Thomas Roscoe. Illus- trated by George Cruikshank. 2 vols. 1833. l|)c Sate ^fEngl^am Wii\$Qn. 13 GoscHEx's (The Right Hon. Geo. J.) Theory of the Foreign Exchanges. 1 vol. 1861. Gumersall's (F. B.) Tables of Interest. 1 vol. 1836. Hankey's (Thomson, M.P.) Principles of Bank- ing. 1 vol. 1865. Hartley's (Cecil) British Genius Exemplified. 1 vol. 1830. English Poetry Familiaidsed. 1 vol. 1832. Hazlitt's (William) Life of Napoleon. 4 vols. 1832. Horne's (R. H.) Exposition of the False Medium, &c. 1 vol. 1832. Howitt's (William) History of Priestcraft. 1 vol. 1836. Aristocracy of England : a Histor}^ of the People. 1vol. 1846. (Mary) Sketches of Natural History. 1 vol. 1834. Hugo's (Victor) Hunchback of Notre Dame. 3 vols. 1830. Jackson's (George) Bookkeeping. 1 vol. 1836. Junius Redivivus : the Political Unionist Cate- chism. 1 vol. 1833. U i^iogrnpJbiC'il ^^tttf) of Knowles's (James Sheridan) the Elocutionist : a Collection of Pieces in Prose and Verse. 1 vol. 1831. Mazzini's (Joseph) Attack on Napoleon III. 8vo. 1858. MiRABEAu's (G. R.) Letters during his Residence in England. (Never before published in any language.) 2 vols. 1817. With Portrait. Montalembert's (Count) Picture of England, painted by a Frenchman. 8vo. 1858. Murat's (Achille, son of the King of Naples) North America : a Moral and Political Sketch. 1 vol. 1832. Nicholson's (N. A.) Science of the Exchanges. 1 vol. 1861. Pechio's (Count) The Italian in England. 1 vol. 1832. PuCKLER MuSKAu's (Prince) Tour of a German Prince. 4 vols. 1832. Reformer (The) : a Novel. 3 vols. 1834. Rushton's (Edward) Poems and Life. 1 vol. 1830. Russell's (Earl) Speech, delivered at Guildhall. 8vo. 1859. t^e 2atc icflfingl^am 21Cilson« 15 Sarran's (B.) The Glorious Three days : Lafay- ette, Louis Philippe, and the Revolution of 1830 : the History of the Events and Men of July. 2 vols. 1831. Smith's (Dr. James Walter) Celebrated Series of Legal Handy Books. 1858-1862. Stevens's (Robert) An Essay on Averages. 1 vol. 1828. Stirling's (John) Coningsby : a Novel. 3 vols. 1833. Strickland's (Miss) Eloral Sketches, Fables, and Poems. 1 vol. 1836. Sunday in London. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. 1 vol. 1835. Tales of Other Days. Illustrated by George Cmikshank. 1 vol. 1832. Tate's (William) Cambist : a Manual of the Foreign Exchanges. 1 vol. 1830. Tennyson's (Alfred) First Yoliune of Poems. 1 vol. 1830. Thompson's (Colonel) Catechism of the Corn Laws. 8 vo. 1 8 /. Exercises, Political and Others. 6 vols. 1842. 16 25iograpl)ical ^fectcl) of Turnley's (Joseph) Popery in Power; or, the SjDuit of the Yatican. 1vol. 1850. Wade's (John) Extraordinary Black Book : an Exposition of the Incomes, Privileges, and Power of the Aristocracy, etc. 1vol. 1830. History of the Middle and Working Classes. 1 vol. 1835. Cabinet Lawyer : a Digest of the Laws of England. 1vol. 1837. British History Chronologically Arranged. 1 vol., pp. 1,154. 1842. Unreformed Abuses in Church and State. 1 vol. 1849. Wakefield's (Edward Gibbon) Facts Pelating to the Punishment of Death in the Metro- polis. 1 vol. 1832. Walton's Ready Reckoner. 1 vol. 1832. Whitehead's (Charles) The Solitary : a Poem. 1 vol. 1849. Winkle's Cathedral Churches of England and Wales. 3 vols. 1836. Profusely illustrated. Many of the works published by Mr. Wilson have gone through numerous editions, and some tj^e Sate lEfiffngl^am SOil^on, 17 have existed for years, and have become accepted standard Commercial Works. Mr. Wilson has also published at different times a considerable number of Educational Works, amongst them the works of M. Merlet, and M. Le Page, and some by the well-known Mr. Pinnock. One of the earliest cheap periodicals, in 1830-31, entitled, " The Parterre," was his, and had for some time considerable success. Mr. Wilson also started, in the very earliest days of the railway system, "The Pail way Journal," but this paper was, at the period of its first production, before its time. He sold it to Mr. Herapath, who attached his name to the paper, and it became afterwards a great pro- perty. He published for many years, and his house still publishes, a larger number of pamphlets than any other firm in the trade, and his was the house that has acted for a long time past for most of the great City magnates. Within the last few years he has published for the Pight 18 33iograpl)ical ^fectc!) of Hon. G. J. Gosclien, for Mr. R. Wigram Craw- ford, M.P., and for Mr. Thomson Hankey, M.P. He published, for the Administrative Reform Association, the Speech of Mr. Charles Dickens, delivered at Drury Lane Theatre ; and, for the Liberal Registration Association, a Speech of Earl Russell, delivered at Guildhall, on the occasion of a contested election. It has been his invariable custom to print upon the title- page of his books a grasshopper, that being the crest of Sir Thomas Gresham, and the sign of the grasshopper having always been placed upon the tower of the Royal Exchange, immediately above his place of business. At a time when a Testimonial was presented to Mr. Wilson, the following account of the services he had rendered to the Reform cause of 1832 was put forward by his friends :— - t^e UhU ^fHnsJ^am ZBihon. 19 1806.— Published ''A Plain Letter to H.R.H. The Prince of "Wales, on his Plain Duties to his Wife, his Child, and his Country." Was in consequence served with an Ex-Officio Information by the then Attorney-General, (Sir Vicary Gibbs,) which caused the whole trade to discontinue the sale of it except himself. 1807.— "A Second Plain Letter to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, wherein his Plain Duties to his Wife, his Child, and his Country, are more plainly shewn than in the first." 1812.— Published "Materials for Thinking," by William Burdon, Esq. A threat of prosecution caused many booksellers to abandon the sale of this work. 1815. — Published " Church of Englandism and its Cate- chism Examined by Jeremy Bentham." This work caused a considerable sensation in the Church. 1817.—** The Constitutional Primer," by John Williams. 1819. — "Radical Reform, Restoration of Usurped Rights," by George Ensor. 1819. — " Radical Reform Bill," by Jeremy Bentham. 1821. — " The Art of Packing as applied to Special Juries in Cases of Libel Law," by Jeremy Bentham. This work lay in the hands of the printers for ten years, wanting a publisher, neither the enlightened authors' former publishers, nor any one in the c 2 20 iSiogvayTjical ^fectrl) of trade, being bold enougli to risk its publication, till it was undertaken by Effingham Wilson. 1830-2.— Published the " Black Book," usually known as the "Reformers' Bible/' — a work which, during the agitation of the Eeform Bill, both the London and country newspapers quoted and extracted from to an unprecedented extent, greatly to the advance- ment of the cause. It is moreover acknowledged, " that the force of its reasoning and integrity of principle " advanced the cause of Beform more than any other publication. *' It contains a mass of information of an extra- ordinarily curious and personal kind, which must have ccst great industry to collect, and the pub- lication of which, even in these times, exljibits more than ordinary courage. The publisher has put himself deep in the obligation of all honest Re- formers by this well timed publication." — Morning Chronicle. The sale of this work was impeded by the pro- secution of se/eral country vendoi-s, but no prose- cution was attempted against Mr. "Wilson in London. In the House of Lords, the Bishop of London stated, in reference to the '' Black Book," ''That an infamous book had lately been published setting tjbf late IHffingljam ZUihon, 21 forth grossly exaggerated statements respecting the revenues of the Church." The late Lord King replied, " ITiat the principal crime of the work in question was that its statements were too true ! " 1831.— Published the Tracts of the London Political Union, of the Council of which Mr. Wilson was himself a member, and received a unanimous vote of thanks " for boldly undertaking and zealously promulgating the productions" of that patriotic assembly, which no one else could be found to undertake. 1834-5-6.— Published ''The Parliamentary Test and Vote Books." 1835.— Published ''The Times Extraordinary." This completely stirred up the venom of that journal, which took occasion to designate him as the " Radi- cal Bookseller of the Royal Exchange," and recommended the partizans of its newly-adopted creed to punish such men by the adoption of " Exclusive dealing " with persons of their own political faith. This had the effect of producing the following article from a political opponent. ' ' The Carlton Chronicle" said, — "A question idly asked by a contributor as to why a certain volume should have been published by Mr. Eflfingham Wilson, induces 22 aStograpj^ical ^fectcj^ of us to take the opportunity of entering our solemn protest against confounding politics with honest traffic. A publisher has as much right to his political opinion as the prince : if the prince, how- ever radical, enjoys his allowance from the nation with the universal consent, why should not the Radical publisher be allowed the fuU benefit of his enterprise, industry, and liberality ? For ourselves, we have one word to say touching Eflfingham Wil- son. We know that in a case of Whig-Radical oppression, he came forward to give his testimony to the weaker party — for the poor man against the wealthy many, and he did it after a manner so frank and manly, that we hold him high in our respect as an honest Englishman." — Carlton Chronicle, 18th Feb., 1837. 1834-5-6-7.— Published " A Popular History of Priest- craft in all Ages and Nations," by William Howitt. " The public are deeply indebted to the publisher of this work for the moral courage displayed by him in giving publicity to its valuable contents in spite of the obloquy and prejudice which will most assuredly be excited against him." — Leeds Mercury. 1835-6.— "Statistics of the Church of England," by the Author of the ''Black Book," Mr. Wilson published from time to time nume- t\)e late iE6&'ng^am SOilson. 23 rous other productions in furtherance of the exten- sion of " the Greatest Happiaess of the Greatest Number." The elective franchise (i. e., the livery of the Clothworkers' Company) was withheld from him for 25 years (until the Eeform Bill conferred it upon him) on account of his publishing books " inimical to the State," as he was repeatedly told by the dominant Tory faction of that day, who then ruled the affairs of the Company. Gave evidence before Sir Francis Palgrave, the Commissioner for inquiry into the Corporation Abuses, in reference to the conduct of the Court of the Clothworkers' Company, and proved their gross partiality with respect to him in withholding his livery on account of his political principles. The result was a considerable extension of the franchise. Became the relater in the cause of the "Lute Charity," left in trust to the Clothworkers, by which means nearly £700 per annum was appro- priated to the poor, which had for almost two cen- turies been applied to the uses {i. e., abuses) of the Company. 24 53iograpIjifal ^tdcj) of In Dr. Black, editor of the great Liberal Organ, The Morning Chronicle, Mr. Wilson had a firm friend on the press, who stood faithfully by him on all occasions. They were on the very best of terms, and at the time of the memorable Reform contest they met constantly, often at the Chronicle office, after the fiery debates in the House of Commons, to discuss the effect of each mental fight in the legislative arena, upon the prospects of The Bill, the fate of which they both regarded with so intense and absorbing an interest. Mr. Wilson was at one time a frequent atten- dant in the lobby of the House of Commons, when any question of national importance was before the House, being well known to many, of the Members. He took a great interest in poor Queen Caroline, and formed one of the deputa- tion who waited upon her with the late Mr. Alder- man Matthew Wood. He was a Volunteer at the time wlien Napoleon Buonaparte threatened England with invasion, and was justly proud of having been so. He had a great veneration for the memory of Jeremy Bentham, and took his children, and his friends, to the house of Dr. Southwood Smith, to see the body of Jeremy Bentham, which was kept there embalmed, and dressed in the clothes in which he died. The great General, the Marquess de Lafayette, on the occasion of Mr. Wilson publishing a trans- lation of one of his works, sent him a cordial autograph letter, and a bust of himself. The novel in the list of works published by Mr. Wilson, entitled " Arthur Coningsby," was written by John Sterling, who was associated, if we are not mistaken, with . The Times news- paper, and of whom Thomas Carlisle has written a biogi'aphy. Mr. Wilson purchased of Thomas Campbell the copyright of his life of " Mrs. Siddons." Camp- 26 33iograp]^ical ^Itidj of bell was the literary executor of the great tragic actress, and she left to him her Diary. This Diary Mr. Wilson endeavoured to persuade the poet to print, but in vain. The publisher con- tended, that the j^ublic or histrionic life of Mrs. Siddons was well known, and thoroughly apj)re- ciated, and that it was these very peeps behind the scenes, given in the pages of a private diary, in which the public would naturally take the deepest interest. Campbell, nevertheless, we think wrongly, was immovable upon this point, and decided to destroy it, or at any rate the greater portion of it. When Mr. Tennyson forwarded to Mr. Wilson the manuscript of his first poems, from Cam- bridge, it was accompanied by the manuscript of some poems by Mr. Arthur H. Hallam, the intention at that time being that the poems of the two college friends should appear in the same volume. Mr. Hallam's MS., however, owing we ti)e aate lEffingljam mihon. 27 presume to the advice of critical friends, was eventually withdrawn. It was this same Mr. Hallam in whose honour the Poet Laureate afterwards raised that marvellous mental monu- ment to human friendship, his " In Memoriam." It will be seen by the two preceding anecdotes that Mr. Wilson published for two Poets- Laureate, Campbell and Tennyson. Mr. Robert Browning was in the Bank of England, in 1836, at the time Mr. Wilson pubKshed his " Para- celsus " for him. It was Mr. Browning's first poetical production. Mr. Wilson visited his friend Hone, in Newgate, the night before his celebrated trials began, in 1817, in order to aid him in the preparation of his defence. However much he may have thought Hone's conduct ques- tionable, and however widely he may have difiered from him, both as a matter of taste and feeling, he considered the criminal prosecution to 28 23tograpTj{cal ^feftcD of which Hone was subjected wholly unjustifiable, and, if successful, a pernicious precedent ; and under such circumstances, he concluded that it would, in the hour of peril, be an act of moral cowardice to desert his friend. He was fully borne out in his oj)inion of the prosecution by the unanimous acquittal of Hone by three special juries, and this in spite of Lord Ellenborough, who, more in the spirit of an advocate than a judge, pleaded hard for a conviction. The public endorsed these verdicts by a subscription of £3,000. Mr. "Wilson was a personal friend of Dr. Bii^kbeck's, and took a warm and active interest in the establishment of Mechanics' Institutions, and the spread of Popular Education. He contended, in the matter of sound instruction, to use his own phraseology, that every child should " have that given to it which nobody can take away from it." As an apt illustration of how appreciatively alive tlje aate lEfiingTjnm ZmiHcn. 29 he was to the continuity of progress and im- provement, scientific as well as political, it may be worth while to mention, that he was the first man in his own district to cause his place of business to be lighted with gas, and that greatly to the terror of his timid neighbours, and in spite of their prophetic remonstrances. Mr. Wilson used to ride in the steam carriage that at one time ran on the common highway ; and he went the first experimental trip, with the directors, on the Greenmch Kailway ; and, as a contrast in one life, he had kno^Ti the time when it took him four days to go to Margate in a hoy, and a week to go to Edinburgh on a coach. In 1827, years before the *' Anti-Corn Law Leasnie " was organized, in 1838, Mr. Wilson published General PeiTonet Thompson's famous " Catechism of the Corn Laws." Many thou- sands of this work were sold and circulated, 30 23iogtap])ical ^fectc]^ of year after year with persistent industry, until it could be found, with its familiar ark-illustra- tion, in every nook and corner of England. It may be said to have prepared the ground, and sown the seed, for the coming political harvest. In point of argument, this work has been pro- nounced wonderfully convincing and exhaustive, although the subject received, of course, vast and continuous subsequent illustration. After the long Anti-Com Law campaign was over and the victory was won, Mr. Cobden, with rare and graceful political generosity, speaking of General Thompson, said, " He was our master, we have all been but pupils in his school." General Thompson has been styled "the earliest and ablest asserter of the principles of Free Tirade." A friend of Mr. Wilson's, a Mr. Maurice, built the Brunswick Theatre, in Wellclose Square, in 1828, which house, a few days after it was opened to the public, fell down during a \f)t 2ate liffingfjam mihon, 31 rehearsal, crushing the proprietor, and eleven others, in its ruins. Mr. Wilson, after a long search, found the body of Mr. Maurice in the pit, in a painfully mutilated condition ; a friend of Mr. Maurice's, who had been with hiin in the proscenium box diu-ing the accident, and who, when the roof began to fall, had strongly urged him to stay where he was, remaining uninjured. Mr. Wilson had the mournful duty of breaking to the family of his friend the sad intelligence of his terrible death. Mr. Wilson used to tell, with great unction, the story of how a narrow- minded pareon thereabout, who, by way of " im- proving the occasion," had taken upon himself to denounce the theatre as a Godless house, and had presumed to detect the hand of Provi- dence in its destruction, had the steeple of his own church toppled dovvTi by lightning during the ensuing summer, — an impartiality of dis- pensation that must have been obfuscatingly 32 23iograi)i){cal ^kttdj of startling to so self-satisfied an interpreter of Infinite Wisdom. One can well imagine sucli a man, glasses on nose, gazing with blank amazement, twenty times at least, at tlie empty space where his steejDle once had been, before he could gradually bring his stunned intelligence into a condition to believe it possible. The following are very characteristic anecdotes, and examples of the sort of personal encounters to which Mr. Wilson's publications at one time rendered him liable : — Col. Stephenson, " Aide-de-Camp " to the Duke of York, one day called at the Koyal Exchange and inquired for EflSngham Wilson. Stepping forward, Mr. Wilson said, " That is my name." The Colonel then asked if he was the publisher of "a scandalous pamphlet reflect- ing on H.R.H. the Duke of York." Mr. Wilson replied, " No, I never issue scanda- lous publications. I have lately published a tijt Sate lEffi'ngj^am iWiiUon. 33 pamphlet, in which H.R. Highness' conduct is truthfully described." Then said the Colonel, " I have come from the Duke with the inten- tion of horse- whipping you," at the same time producing, from under his coat, a formidable whip. Mr. Wilson, nothing daunted by the appearance of his military visitor, or the sight of the weapon, but standing bolt upright, requested the Colonel to fulfil his commission, but, he added, " the moment you lay hands on me, you ^vill find it necessary to make your appearance before the Lord Mayor." The Colonel, acting upon the principle that " discretion is the better pai-t of valour," decided not to execute his com- mission, but departed, threatening all sorts of vengeance, of which, however, nothing more was ever heard. Those who knew Efiingham Wilson as we knew him, will feel pretty certain that had the Colonel but raised his arm to strike, something would have oc- 34 i3iograp]^ical ^fectc]^ of curred prior to his appearance at the Mansion House. In 1835, Lord Mayor Winchester called upon Mr. Wilson, to complain of some exposure of conniption issued at that time, and made use of expressions that so irritated the Liberal publisher, that he forcibly ejected his Lordship from his premises. "Figaro in London," the "Punch" of its day (and edited, if we are not in error, by the same Mr. Gilbert Abbot A'Beckett who afterwards became one of the leading contribu- tors to oui' own "Punch"), contained, on the 31st May, 1835, a Cartoon representing Mr. Wilson in the act of kicking " the King of the City," accompanied by the following, to say the least of them, very outspoken comments, more than hinting at the Corporate jobbery and wrong -doing that had notoriously taken place about that penod, as a reference to the journals of the day will amply prove : — t^e Sate ^fHngf)am miHon. 35 "The City FiiARE Up. — To be voted a liar, by a majority of 26, is an honour unexampled in the annals of Civic Magistracy. The manly independence, and honour- able consistency, of that patriotic publisher Mr. Effingham Wilson, who is seen kicking out the ass, is in strong con- trast with the shuffling and sneaking tergiversation of Lord Winchester. Sir Peter Laurie himself (et tu Brute) cried out, 'Mind your pockets,' as the Mayor disap- peared, and not one word would the dirty-fingered con- tractors, the plundeiing stationers, the swindling bill- brokers, who compose the City aristocracy, venture to say in defence of their worthy representative the great Lord Winchester." This "great Lord Winchester" was the alder- man who, shortly after the termination of his mayoralty, committed self-destniction. In Public Life Mr, Wilson earnestly desired, to use his favouiite expression, manfully to do his all to " leave the world better than he found it ;" his oft-repeated idea of the end of all good government was, to use the words of Bentham, " the greatest happiness of the greatest number ;" 36 33io5rap]btcaI ^Mtl) of he cherislied tenaciously our hardly -conquered "right of private judgment," which priceless emancipation of the spirit sprang from our glori- ous Reformation; he spoke ever of the gi-eat " Foui-th Estate," a Free Press, thus : " It is like the air we breathe : if we have it not, we die ; " he frequently made pecuniary sacrifices for causes that he loved, and many a time were his private interests rendered subservient to the public good; he was a staunch Protestant, and a hater of priestly rule and domination, but an advocate for religious as well as civil liberty; and he believed it to be the bounden duty of every good citizen to regard steadfastly Black- stone's patriotic injunction, " The protection of the liberty of Britain is a duty we owe to our- selves, who enjoy it ; to our ancestry, who transmitted it down ; and to our posterity, who will claim it at our hands as the best bii'thright and noblest inheritance of mankind." tf)£ late liffin^fjam Wilson. 37 In Private Life lie was full of amenity, kind- liness, and cheerfulness. He enjoyed excellent health throughout his long life, and used often to remark that he had lived sixty years in Lon- don without a headache. He was fond of athletic exercises, and was a first-rate horseman and swimmer. He was devotedly loved by his family, and had many cordial friends, and ad- mirers, amongst all parties in the State. He was touchingly remarkable for one trait, — his beautiful tenderness to little children. His attachment to his native county was singularly strong, and in his later years there was no theme of which he so much loved to talk as of the dear old Yorkshire days. He was t^T.ce married. He married very young, and had a very large family, as many as fifteen children. Some of his daughters lived to nearly the age of sixty, and yet died some years before Mr. Wilson himself. Besides those children of his own who survive 38 15iograplbtcal ^fectc]^ of him, lie lias left some five-and-twenty giund- cliildren. On the 9th of Jime, 1868, at about nine o'clock in the morning, this good and kindly old man passed quietly and painlessly away, not one of those sorrowing relatives who surrounded his bed kno^\Tiig exactly the moment at which he breathed his last. Like a true and trusty soldier, he fought the long battle of life with high, and with enduring courage. All honour to his manful memory ! How rarely appropriate are Longfellow's life- ful and hopeful lines, to his energetic, unflagging, contented, and grateful spirit : — " Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate ; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labour and to wait." The foregoing is a statement of facts, little mingled with that deeper feeling of bereavement, tj^e late lEBKnglbam miHon. 39 inseparable from the death of those for whom giief is most lasting, and strongest. Those who are nearest and dearest to him must long feel that his place is empty. He ever struggled, gaiided by the broadest principles, after that which he believed to be the pursuit of truth. All that could promote the good of Society, Freedom, Knowledge, Science, and Hiunanity, were dear to him. Ai^ound such a nature affection must necessarily have grappled, and long and lovingly will recollection cling to his remembrance. He was full of energetic consistency, and he shrank instinctively from compromise. The spirit and power of such a man must in some degree remain, though the life itself may have passed away. His was a pure, dii'ect, and healthful nature, ever controlled by wholesome and ennobling influences, and some of those whom he has left behind will, doubtless, feel their Kves henceforth impoverished, by that 40 i^iograplbical ^feetcj^. which must be to them indeed an irreparable loss. Mr. Wilson was buried at Highgate Cemetery, on Monday, the 15th of June, 1868. June 25th, 1868. r NOTICES, 1868, NOTICES, 1868. The following Notices have appeared in the public Journals, and Magazines, of London ; and they have, one or other of them, been copied into the provincial j^apers, far and wide, through- out England, Scotland, and Ireland. NOTICES FROM THE PUBLIC JOUEIALS AO MAGAZINES. 1868. lo:- From " THE DAILY WBWS," Wednesday, June 10th, 1868. " Mr. Effingham Wilson, the well-known City publisher, died this morning (9 th June) at the age of 85." From "THE STANDARD," Friday, June 12th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " The well-known and respected publisher, Mr. Effing- ham Wilson, whose name has for more than 50 years been associated with mercantile and com- 44 23iograpl)ical 5feftc!j of mercial literature, died on Tuesday morning last, at the mature age of 85. No publisher, it may be stated, has done more real service in en- lightening the commimity by the issue of stan- dard works on commerce and banking than the late lamented gentleman." From "THE BULLIONIST," Saturday, June 13th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " The well-known and respected publisher, Mr. Effing- ham Wilson, whose name has for more than 50 years been associated with mercantile and com- mercial literature, died on Tuesday morning last, at the matm^e age of 85. No publisher, it may be stated, has done more real service in enlightening the community by the issue of standard works on commerce and banking than the late lamented gentleman. He was well appreciated in all circles for his excellent quali- ties, and leaves behind him an enduring name." — Coinedfrom The Standard, loiili an additional sentence. tfft Sate Icfiingj^am MiHon, 45 From " THE CITY PRESS," Saturday, June 13th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " We have to record the death of one of the oldest and most respected members of the publishing trade, in the person of Mr. Effingham Wilson, of the Royal Exchange, which took place on Tuesday morning last, at the age of eighty-five. jNIr. Wilson has been favourably known for upwards of fifty years in the Gity as an enterprising man, and his establishment has, diu-ing that long period, been famed for the issue of useful works on the theory and practice of commerce and banking. The mercantile world owe something to the memory of one whose earnest endeavours had always been dii-ected to the enlightenment of his fellow-citizens, by laying before them solid commercial knowledge, so essential to eveiy one engaged in carrying out gigantic commercial and banking operations in this vast metropolis." 46 3^iograpl)ical ^kttcl) of From " THE MORKING ADVERTISER," Saturday, June 13th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — "We have to record the death of one of the oldest and most respected members of the publishing trade, in the person of Mr. Effingham Wilson, of the Royal Exchange, which took place on Tuesday morning last, at the age of eighty-five. Mr. Wilson had been favourably known for upwards of fifty years in the City as an enterprising man, and his establishment has, during that long period, been famed for the issue of useful works on the theory and practice of commerce and banking. The mercantile world owe something to the memory of one whose earnest endeavours had always been directed to the enlightenment of his fellow-citizens, by laying before them solid commercial knowledge, so essential to every one engaged in carrying out gigantic commercial and banking operations in this vast metropolis." — Copied from " The City Press," without altera- tion. tj^c Eate i£ffing!)am mihon. 47 Prom " THE PALL MALL GAZSTTE," Saturday, June 13th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " The Citi/ Press records the death of Mr. Effingham Wilson, of the Eoyal Exchange, which took place on Tuesday morning last, at the age of eighty-five. It says : — ' Mr. Wilson had been favourably kno^vn for upwards of fifty years in the City as an enterprising man, and his estab- lishment has, during that long period, been famed for the issue of useful works on the theory and practice of commerce and banking. The mercantile world owe something to the memory of one whose earnest endeavours had always been dii^ected to the enlightenment of his fellow-citizens, by laying before them solid com- mercial knowledge, so essential to every one engaged in carrying out gigantic commercial and banking operations in this vast metropolis.' " 48 l3iogva))I)ical ^Jtctc)^ of From "THE PUBLISHERS' CIRCULAR," Monday, June 15 th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " On Tuesday, the 9tli inst., died Mr. Effingham Wilson, bookseller and publisher, of the Royal Exchange, aged eighty-five years. At his death Mr. Wilson must undoubtedly have been the father of the London trade, as Mr. Thomas BroAvn, late of the house of Longmans & Co., who might have had an equal claim to the title, has retii-ed from business. Nearly half a century ago Mr. Wilson was known as an active and enterprising publisher of general literature and tastefully illustrated books, binder the shadow of the old Royal Exchange, to which position he remained constant in its renovated existence. Of late years Mr. Wilson's line of publication became more subject to the influence of the locality, and he was the medium through whom the works of the mercantile, banking, and insu- rance magnates of the City — ^the Hankeys, Goschens, &c. — were made public. He well deserves the tribute thus paid to his memory t^e Sate lEffingl^am iUiUon, 49 by the Cit^ Press: — 'Mr. Wilson liad been favourably known for upwards of fifty years in the City as an enterprising man, and his estab- lishment has, during that long period, been famed for the issue of useful works on the theory and practice of commerce and banking. The mercantile world owe something to the memory of one whose earnest endeavours had always been dii-ected to the enlightenment of his fellow-citizens, by laying before them solid com- mercial knowledge, so essential to every one engaged in carrying out gigantic commercial and banking operations in tliis vast metropolis.'" From "THE GLOBE," Tuesday, June 16th, 1868. Funeral of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " The funeral of Mr. Effingham Wilson, publisher, of the Royal Exchange, took place yesterday, and, although conducted in a quiet, unpretending manner, many will feel the loss of one who formed a link between this and the last genera- tion of no ordinary character and interest. For 50 33iograp|)tcal <^fectt]^ of fifty years Mr, Wilson has been known as an upright and energetic man, and has borne an honoured name to the tomb, at the advanced age of eighty-five years. Mr. Wilson published many of the most important commercial works which have appeared in this country dui'ing the last half centiuy, and it is no exaggeration to say that his name was known throughout England. Some thirty or forty years ago his business was of a more general character, includ- ing novels and poems, and it is worthy of note that he was the very first publisher of our Poet Laureate, Mr. Tennyson." Prom *'THE HORKTET," Wednesday, June 17th, 1868. Effingham Wilson. — " Death has recently stricken down one of the oldest and most respected citizens of London. On Tuesday last, at his daughter's residence in Mildmay Park, at the ripe age of eighty-five, peacefully retii-ed from the world Mr. Effingham Wilson, of the Poyal Exchange. For sixty years he had been a busy worker in the City, making his corner shop at the Royal Exchange celebrated as the birthplace of many useful and instinictive works on commercial and banking affairs. Nurtured at the old Conservative bookshop in Cornhill, which some seventy years ago was known by the sign of ' The Bible, Crown, and Constitu- tion,' he, when a young man, started in business for himself in the same spot that still bears his name. Twenty years before the fire occurred which consumed the old Exchange, as well as his shop, he began his active career ; and there are few who remember his kindly acts and his comely features but will regret that he has gone for ever. He had seen extraordinary chano-es, both in the extent and the manner of conducting business, but his ready mind caught at each improvement as it presented itself, and the result is that at the present time the firm of Effingham Wilson is known throughout the world as one of the foremost houses in the publishing trade. The old publisher's son, who is in the full prime of life, has caught his father's energy, and still carries on the busi- ness." E 2 52 35iograp]bical ^fectcf) of From *'THE MONEY MARKET REVIEW," Saturday, June 20tli, 1868. The Late Effingham Wilson. — " The oldest if not the chief of the commercial publishers and stationers of the City — Effingham Wilson — after a career of no ordinary duration, varied by several incidents of no ordinary character, has recently depai-ted from amongst us, at the ripe age of eighty-five. Mr. Wilson, we believe, was descended from an old Yorkshire family, and was originally destined for the medical profession. Whilst yet a youth, however, he gave up that profession, and came to seek his fortune in London, where, after some time spent in a house in Paternoster Row, he set up as a publisher and stationer. Of late years his establishment has been best known as the principal house for the issue of mercantile works. In the early portion of his long career, however, Mr. Wilson took an active part in politics, on the extreme Liberal side. He was the publisher of some of the earlier works of Jeremy Bentham. He was the publisher also of Wade's celebrated 'Black Book,' in which the pensions and jobberies of the Court tf)e late 1£ffing]^am Wihon, 53 and aristocracy of that day were ruthlessly exposed to the indignation of the country. The book, though costly, had an enormous sale, and created an immense sensation, and there is no doubt it contributed much to arouse that spirit which ultimately carried the Reform Bill of 1832. How are times changed since then ! John Wade, the author of that book, is now in the receipt of a pension from the Crown, and the instrument in procuring that pension for him was the son of his old publisher 1 It may also be mentioned that Mr. Wilson was the first publisher of Alfred Tennyson, and of the works of Thomas Campbell in a complete form. Effingham Wilson was a man of strong impulses, great moral com^age, and unswerving determination, of all which his conflict with the leading journal many years ago was a memo- rable example. The journal in question punished him for years by sedulously ignoring both him and his publications, but he never condescended to complain. At a later period, when the hatchet was biuied between them, Mr. Wilson's publications were noticed with the same impar- tiality as those of other publishers. A feature 54 13io$rap]bical .^Itetc]^ of of the late Mr. Wilson's character was a generous inclination to helj) those who needed help, either in politics, in literature, or in business ; and there may be many now li-\dng who can testify to the value of the ser^dces he has rendered to them. He was one of the occupants of the Royal Exchange when it was burnt down, and on that occasion his property was uninsured. At this time he found many more cordial friends and admirers than he had supposed that he possessed. The fire took place in 1838, now thirty years ago, and Mr. Wilson returned to the Exchange so soon as it was rebuilt." From "THE HACKNEY AND KINGS- LAND GAZETTE," Saturday, June 20tli, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " Mr. Effingham Wilson, the well-known publisher at the Royal Exchange, died last week at the age of eighty-five. For half a century he was an enterprising City publisher, and launched forth books which fear or prejudice deterred many others from doing." ti)e late l=ffingl;am miHon. 55 From " THE ATHEN^UM," Saturday, Jvine 27th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " City papers announce the death of Mr. Effingham Wilson, pubHsher, of the Koyal Exchange. Mr. Wilson will be remembered in literary history as the first publisher of Alfred Tennyson." From " THE EVENIISTG STAB," Saturday, June 27th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " City papers annoimce the death of Mr. Effingham Wilson, publisher, of the Royal Exchange. Mr. Wilson will be remembered in literary history as the first publisher of Alfred Tennyson." — Copied from " The Athen^um." From " THE SUNDAY TIMES," Saturday, June 27th, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " Mr. Effingham Wilson, who died the other day, was 56 SSiograpl^ifal c^fedcj^ of one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of London publishers. He was eighty-five years of age. Fifty years ago he commenced business, and was a gTeat publisher of very miscellaneous works, including novels, poems, pamphlets, and books on commerce. Among other things it may be recorded here that he was Alfred Tennyson's first publisher." From "THE CENSOR," Saturday, June 27th, 1868. '' The death of Mr. Effingham Wilson, the publisher, is annoimced. It is a curious fact, well worth noting, that although this gentleman was known as a 2)ublisher of works on political economy and productions of a generally dry and prosaic character, he gave to the world both Tennyson's and Bro^aiing's first volumes of poems. Surely it was a singular chance that assigned to jNIr. Wilson the honour of intro- ducing to the world two such poets ! " t^e 2au lEffingj^am mihon. 57 From "THE BOOKSELLER," Wednesday, July 1st, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " At the residence of his daughter, 38, Mildmay Park, aged eighty-five, Mr. Effingham Wilson, the well-known bookseller and publisher of the Royal Exchange, died on the 9 th of June. Mr. Wilson was born in 1783, at Ravensworth, near Richmond, Yorkshii-e, but, when quite young, he determined to seek his fortune in London, to which city he wended his way about 1802, and entered the service of Mr. Aspern, who, in the December of that year, succeeded to the business of the deceased Mr. Sewell. Aspern published the ' European Magazine,' and adopted the sign of the Bible and Crown to testify his loyalty ; but it is said that of the Bible he knew little more than the outside. From Aspem's Mr. Wilson went to Mr. Thomas Hurst, and remained with him till commencing business on his own ac- count, first in Paternoster Row, and afterwards at the south-eastern corner of the Royal Exchange. At the time he commenced business, England E 3 58 35iograp]^ical B'^ttcl) of was engaged in the most tremendous war of modern times. Bonaparte was triumphant every- where but at sea. Toryism was rampant at home, and any one who spoke, or wi'ote, or published against the doings of the Government, was set down as a traitor. It required some degree of courage in a young beginner to associate with the Liberal Men of the day. Of all the works he published, the one which attracted most atten- tion was ' The Black Book.' During the agitation caused by the Reform movement of 1830-1832, this book was constantly quoted by one party and condemned by the other. The abuses it exposed had considerable influence ujDon the country at large. Mr. Howitt's ' Popular His- tory of Priestcraft ' was another book which brought much abuse upon the publisher; but Mr. Wilson published many other works of a less exceptional character. He was the first publisher of the Poet Laureate's works, in 1830 ; and, at different times, brought out Wade's ' History of the Middle and Working Classes,' the same author's useful ' History of England, Chronologically Arranged,' Mr. J. Y. Akerman's ' Roman Coins,' Mr. Cowden Clarke's ' Riches tjbe late iEflfingljam miHon, 59 of Chaucer,' Hazlitt's ' Life of Napoleon,' 'Fitzgeorge' (George IV.), and 'Arthur Co- ningsby,' Winkle's ' Cathedrals of Great Bri- tain,' and Mrs. Austin's charming ' Story without an End.' More recently he published some excellent school books ; and one of his latest issues was a treatise on the ' Theory of Foreign Exchanges,' by the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen. In the fire which broke out on January 10th, 1838, and destroyed the Royal Exchange, it was Mr. Wilson's misfortune to lose nearly all his stock. There was a geniality and kindliness of disposition about Mr. Wilson that endeared him to a large circle of friends. He was also full of anecdotes of past celebrities. He was blessed with excellent health, and was happy in his family, — a large one, fifteen chil- dren. His third son, who was with his father for twenty-five years, still continues the business under the old name." 60 l$(ograp|i(cal 56etc|). From " THB GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE," July, 1868. Death of Mr. Effingham Wilson. — " Ano- ther death of the month is that of Mr. Effing- ham Wilson, the eminent publisher of the Koyal Exchange, at the age of 85. He formed one of the last of the literary links between this gene- ration and the last, and was well known in City circles and in the world of literature as an upright, energetic, and honourable man. He published many most important commercial works, and also a variety of pamphlets relating to questions of trade, currency, civil reform, &c. Some thirty or forty years ago, however, his business was of a more miscellaneous character, including many novels and poems ; and it is perhaps worthy of note here to record that he was the very first publisher under whose aus- pices the public made the acquaintance of Alfred Tennyson." NOTICES, 1844. When Mr. Effingham Wilson returned to the Royal Exchange, after the rebuilding in 1844, the following comments, welcoming his rein- statement, appeared in the papei-s the names of which are attached. The first work issued by Mr. Wilson, after his return, was the occasion taken by the Press thus cordially to herald his re-occupation of his old position. These Notices, belonging to a past time as they do, are added only because it is believed that they are calculated to honour, in an in- creased degree, the memory of Mr. Wilson. NOTICES OE THE PEESS. 1844. "THE BRITANNIA." " We are glad to welcome this publisher back to his old place of business, after a seven years' absence. His house has issued many valuable commercial works, and for that reason he could not be established in a more appropriate site than the great mart of commerce, the Royal Exchange. He seems, like the building itself, to have risen, phoenix-like, from the flames." "BELL'S WEEKLY MESSENGER." " We wish success to Mr. Effingham Wilson, who was burnt out by the fire of 1838, and who has now returned to his old locality." 64 iSiograpl^ical ^feftc]^ of "THE MORNING ADVERTISER." " It is gi^atifying to notice that tlie well-knoMTi words, in former times, ' Published by Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange,' are once more appended to the foot of a title-page. After an absence of nearly seven years, he has returned to his old loca- lity in London's ' Burse,' whence, previous to the fire that destroyed the last edifice, he issued so many interesting and valuable works, and where he had been established ujd wards of thii'ty years. Doubtless, in that new habitation, increased success will attend his labours, and recompense him for losses suffered by him in common with so many others in the destructive fire of 1838." " THE LITERARY GAZETTE." " With the opening of the new Royal Exchange, Mr. Effingham Wilson has re-opened his pub- lishing business by its side, as if he were part and parcel of the edifice. It was therefore both appropriate and apropos in him to signalize his beginning again with the present neat volume." tj^e Sate icffingjb'im 2ail$on, 65 " THE ATLAS." *' Mr. Effingham Wilson, the publisher of this volume, was driven from the spot where he had been established for thirty years by the fire in 1838, which destroyed the entire erection ; and he is now about to return to his old locality. We tinist that before long Mr. Wilson may recover the severe losses which that calamitous event occasioned." " THE WEEKLY DISPATCH." " Mr. Effingham Wilson has, we perceive, returned to his old locality, after an absence of nearly seven years — a situation in which we hope he will recover some of those extensive losses he sustained by the failure of his publish- ing agents, in the American panic of 1836-37; the burning doAvn of the Exchange in 1838, and his loss by that event ; and by his absence from a post where he had been established for thii'ty years." 66 913iogvap})icaI 3^ttt\) of " THE SPECTATOR." " The Royal Exchange is not the only place where the late opening will cause the grass- hopper — the Gresham crest — to flourish ; for Mr. Effingham Wilson returns to his old locality." « THE WEEKLY CHRONICLE." " Mr. Effingham Wilson, we see, has returned to his old quarters (from which he was burnt out) in the Exchange, after an absence of years, during which it has been rebuilding, and, very appropriately, the very first book he publishes is an account of the building he is newly lodged in, and of its predecessors which have been destroyed." tj^c 2ate ?Efifing|^am Sailson. 67 " THE EXAMINER." " We are glad to be able to congratulate Mr. Wilson on his reinstatement, in the corner of a building which has risen in the place of that wherein he was established for so many years, and in which he printed a number of use- ful reform publications in days when reform was less fashionable than it has been since." •' THE MORNING CHRONICLE." " A neat little volume has just been published by Effingham Wilson, who, we are glad to see, has returned to the Royal Exchange, and which appears very opportunely to gratify public curio- sity respecting the annals of the Palace of London Merchants." i^' RARE BOOK COLLECTION THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL Z325 15 1868 J jm:'^^. X> V :-sr >,>: V V t'y^m ^4J:^ iW^i^^ :^^-i^^ .:v- , ^^11