Illustrations of the Author of Waverley : being Notices and
Anecdotes of Real Charact,rs, Scenes and Incidents. By Robert Chambers.
Third edition. (W. and R. Chambers.)—This work was first published in 1822, and a second edition, considerably enlarged, appeared about three years later. We question whether the author's son has acted wisely in reproducing a book which served a temporary purpose. In 1829, Scott brought out his well-known edition of the novels in 48 volumes, with Introductory Notices to each tale, and in these notices he relates very freely the source of his plots and describes several of the characters that suggested his fictitious personages. In some instances the two accounts agree, in others the differences are considerable, and readers will prefer gaining their information at first-hand. Chambers was very young when be collected his illustrations, and his statements, if not always accurate, are more satisfactory than his comments. He terms Dominic, Sampson a ridiculous caricature, shows that the exact order of events is not followed in the account of the Porteous mob, and says that in the legend of Montrose Scott has confounded and misrepresented history. The novelist is even guilty of placing the attempted murder of Lord Menteith after the battle of Inverlochy. "Now this circumstance took place on the 6th September, 1611, a few days after the battle of Tipper- muir, whereas the battle of Inverlochy happened on the 1st February, 1645, five months after." Dr. Chambers wrote some histories ; but he never wrote a work of imagination, unless we except the "Vestiges of Creation," and it would seem that he was incapable of understanding the position of a poet and romance-writer. The editor might have added a few notes with advantage. For instance, Chambers writes that Helen Walker, the original of Jeanie Deans, died in the spring of 1787 (Scott says in 1701), and that her remains lie in the church- yard of Irongray, without a stone to mark the place where they are deposited. This was true in 1825; bat in the present edition it would have been well to state that in 1831 Scott raised a tomb to her memory, and wrote for it an inscription.
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