'The Undertaker, Mr. Bathurst, is a Physician of the University of Cambridge, of about eight years' standing, and will perform the work in such a manner as may satisfy the publick. No advice of mine will be wanting, but advice will be all that I propose to contribute unless it should be thought worth while that I should write a preface, which if desired I will do and put my name to it. The terms which I am commissioned to offer are these:

‘1. A guinea and half shall be paid for each sheet of the copy. 2. The authour will receive a Guinea and half a week from the date of the Contract.

'3. As it is certain that many books will be necessary, the Authour will at the end of the work take the books furnished him in part of payment at prime Cost, which will be a considerable reduction of the price of the Copy; or if it seems as you thought yesterday no reduction, he will allow out of the last payment fifty pounds for the use of the Books and return them.

'4. In two months after his first demand of books shall be supplied, he purposes to write three Sheets a week and to continue the same quantity to the end of the work, unless he shall be hindered by want of Books. He does not however expect to be always able to write according to the order of the Alphabet but as his Books shall happen to supply him, and therefore cannot send any part to the press till the whole is nearly finished.

'5. He undertakes as usual the Correction.

'I am, Sir, Your most humble servant,

'March 22nd.

'To Mr. Strahan.'

'SAM. JOHNSON.'

6

'PROPOSAL.

THERE is nothing more apparently wanting to the English Literature, than a Geographical Dictionary, which, though its use is almost every day necessary, not only to Men of Study, but of Trade or publick employment, yet has been hitherto, not only unperformed, but almost unattempted among us. Bohun's Dictionary, the only one which has any pretension to regard, owes that pretension only to its bulk; for it is in all parts contemptibly defective and is therefore deservedly forgotten. In Collier's Dictionary, what Geography there is, can scarcely be found among the crowd of other subjects, and when it is found, is of no great importance. The books of Eachard and Salmon, though useful

for

for the ends proposed by them, are too small to be considered as anticipations of this work, which is intended to consist of two volumes of the same size and print with Harris's Dictionary, in which will be comprised the following particulars :

"The situation of every Country with its Provinces and dependencies according to its present state, and latest observation.

'The description of all remarkable Cities, Towns, Castles, Fortresses, and places observable for their situation, products or other particulars.

'An account of the considerable Rivers, their Springs, Branches, Course, Outlets, how far navigable, the Produce and Qualities of their waters.

'The course of Voyages, giving directions to sailors for navigating from one place of the World to another, with particular attention to the Traffic of these Kingdoms.

'An account of all the principal Ports and Harbours of the known World, in which will be laid down the Pilotage, Bearings, depth of water, danger from Sands or Rocks, firmness or uncertainty of Anchorage, and degree of safety from particular Winds.

'An exact account of the Commodities of each Country, both natural and artificial.

'A description of the remarkable Animals in every Country, whether Beasts, Birds or Fishes.

'An account of the Buildings, whether ancient or modern, and of Ruins or other remains of Antiquity.

'Remarks upon the soil, air, and waters of particular Places, their several qualities and effects, the accidents to which every Region is exposed, as Earthquakes and Hurricanes, and the diseases peculiar to the Inhabitants or incident to strangers at their arrival.

'The political State of the World, the Government of Countries, - and the Magistracy of Cities, with their particular Laws, or Privileges. 'The most probable and authentic Calculations of the number of Inhabitants of each place.

'The military state of Countries, their Forces, manner of making War, Weapons, and naval Power.

'The Commercial State, extent of their Trade, Number and strength of their Colonies, quantity of Shipping.

'The pretensions of Princes with their Alliances, Relations and Genealogies.

'The

'The customs of Nations with regard to Trade, and receptions of strangers, their domestic Customs, as Rites of Marriage and Burial. Their particular Laws. Their habits, recreations and amusements.

'The religious Opinions of all Nations.

'These and many other heads of observation will be collected, not merely from the Dictionaries now extant in many Languages, but from the best Surveys, Local Histories, Voyages, and particular accounts*, among which care will be taken to select those of the best authority, as the basis of the Work, and to extract from them such observations as may best promote Knowledge and gratify Enquiry, so that it is to be hoped, there will be few remarkable places in the known World, of which the Politician, the Merchant, the Sailor, or the Man of Curiosity may not find a useful and pleasing account, of the credit of which the Reader may always judge, as the Authours from whom it is taken will be regularly quoted, a caution which if some, who have attempted such general works, had observed, their labours would have deserved, and found more favour from the Publick.'

This letter must have been written about the year 1753, for Bathurst is described as a physician of about eight years' standing. He took his degree as Bachelor of Medicine at Peterhouse, Cambridge, in 1745, and did not, it should seem, proceed to the higher degree. In 1757 he was at the Havannah, where he died (ante, i. 280, n. 2). He was Johnson's beloved friend, of whom 'he hardly ever spoke without tears in his eyes' (ante, i. 220, n. 2). The Proposal, I have no doubt, was either written, or at all events revised, by Johnson. It is quite in his style. It may be assumed that it is in Bathurst's handwriting.

That this is done will appear from the authours' names exactly quoted.

II.

An apologetical letter about some work that was passing through the press; undated, but probably written about the years 1753-5'. 'DEAR SIR,

'What you

1

tell me I am ashamed never to have thought on

'In the possession of Mr. Frederick Barker.

—I wish

-I wish I had known it sooner-Send me back the last sheet; and the last copy for correction. If you will promise me henceforward to print a sheet a day, I will promise you to endeavour that you shall have every day a sheet to print, beginning next Tuesday.

'To Mr. Strahan.'

'I am Sir, Your most, &c.

'SAM. JOHNSON.'

In all likelihood Johnson is writing about the Dictionary. The absence of a date, as I have already said, is strong evidence that the letter was written comparatively early. As the first edition of the Dictionary was in folio a sheet consisted of four pages. Johnson writing on April 3, 1753, says, 'I began the second vol. of my Dictionary, room being left in the first for Preface, Grammar, and History, none of them yet begun' (ante, i. 296). As the book was published on April 15, 1755 (ante, i. 335, n. 3), the printing must have gone on very rapidly, when a start was once made. By copy he means his manuscript for printing.

III, IV.

Two undated letters about printing the Dictionary.'.

'DEAR SIR,

'I must desire you to add to your other civilities this one, to go to Mr. Millar and represent to him the manner of going on, and inform him that I know not how to manage. I pay three and twenty shillings a week to my assistants, in each instance having much assistance from them, but they tell me they shall be able to pull better in method, as indeed I intend they shall. The Point is to get two Guineas.

'Sir, Your humble servant,

(Address on back.) To Mr. Strahan.'

'SIR,

'SAM. JOHNSON.'

'I have often suspected that it is as you say, and have told Mr. Dodsley of it. It proceeds from the haste of the amanuensis.

In the possession of Mr. John Waller, 2, Artesian Road, Westbourne Grove.

to

to get to the end of his day's work. I have desired the passages to be clipped close, and then perhaps for two or three leaves it is done. But since poor Stuart's time I could never get that part of the work into regularity, and perhaps never shall. I will try to take some more care but can promise nothing; when I am told there is a sheet or two I order it away. You will find it sometimes close; when I make up any myself, which never happens but when I have nobody with me, I generally clip it close, but one cannot always be on the watch.

'I am Sir, Your most, &c.

'SAM. JOHNSON.'

These letters refer to the printing of the Dictionary, of which Dodsley and Millar were two among the proprietors, and Strahan the printer. Francis Stuart or Stewart was one of Johnson's amanuenses (ante, i. 216). In 1779 Johnson paid his sister a guinea for an old pocket-book of her brother's (ante, iii. 475), and wrote on April 8, 1780 (ante, iii. 478) :—‘The memory of her brother is yet fresh in my mind; he was an ingenious and worthy man.' In February 1784 he gave her another guinea for a letter relating to himself that he had found in the pocket-book (ante, iv. 302). A writer in the Gent. Mag. for 1799, p. 1171, who had been employed in Strahan's printing-works, says that 'Stewart was useful to Johnson in the explanation of low cant phrases; all words relating to gambling and card-playing, such as All-Fours, Catch-honours [not in Johnson's Dictionary], Cribbage [merely defined as A game at cards], were said to be Stewart's corrected by the Doctor.' He adds that after the printing had gone on some time the proprietors of the Dictionary paid Johnson through Mr. Strahan at the rate of a guinea for every sheet of MS. copy delivered. The copy was written upon quarto post, and in two columns each page. Johnson wrote in his own hand the words and their explanation, and generally two or three words in each column, leaving a space between each for the authorities, which were pasted on as they were collected by the different amanuenses employed: and in this mode the MS. was so regular that the sheets of MS. which made a sheet of print could be very exactly ascertained.' The same writer states that Stewart in a night ramble in Edinburgh with some of his drinking companions met with the mob conducting Captain Porteous to be hanged; they were next day examined

about