This distinguished poet and novelist is now some sixty years
old--hale, fresh, and vigorous, with his imagination as bright, and
his conceptions as clear and graphic, as ever. I have now before me a
dozen or fifteen volumes of his poetry, including his latest--"Halidon
Hill"--one of the most heroically-touching poems of modern times--and
somewhere about eighty volumes of his prose: his letters, were they
collected, would amount to fifty volumes more. Some authors, though
not in this land, have been even more prolific; but their progeny were
ill-formed at their birth, and could never walk alone; whereas the
mental offspring of our illustrious countryman came healthy and
vigorous into the world, and promise long to continue. To vary the
metaphor--the tree of some other men's fancy bears fruit at the rate
of a pint of apples to a peck of crabs; whereas the tree of the great
magician bears the sweetest fruit--large and red-cheeked--fair to look
upon, and right pleasant to the taste. I shall conclude with the words
of Sir Walter, which no man can contradict, and which many can attest:
"I never refused a literary person of merit such services in smoothing
his way to the public as were in my power; and I had the
advantage--rather an uncommon one with our irritable race--to enjoy
general favour, without incurring permanent ill-will, so far as is
known to me, among any of my contemporaries."

* * * * *


A CHRISTMAS CAROL.--IN HONOUR OF MAGA. (BLACKWOOD.)

SUNG BY THE CONTRIBUTORS.