then only that I became acquainted with him. In 1859 he undertook the
last great work of his life, the editorship of _The Cornhill Magazine_,
a periodical set on foot by Mr. George Smith, of the house of Smith and
Elder, with an amount of energy greater than has generally been bestowed
upon such enterprises. It will be well remembered still how much _The
Cornhill_ was talked about and thought of before it first appeared, and
how much of that thinking and talking was due to the fact that Mr.
Thackeray was to edit it. _Macmillan's_, I think, was the first of the
shilling magazines, having preceded _The Cornhill_ by a month, and it
would ill become me, who have been a humble servant to each of them, to
give to either any preference. But it must be acknowledged that a great
deal was expected from _The Cornhill_, and I think it will be confessed
that it was the general opinion that a great deal was given by it.
Thackeray had become big enough to give a special _éclat_ to any
literary exploit to which he attached himself. Since the days of _The
Constitutional_ he had fought his way up the ladder and knew how to take
his stand there with an assurance of success. When it became known to
the world of readers that a new magazine was to appear under Thackeray's
editorship, the world of readers was quite sure that there would be a
large sale. Of the first number over one hundred and ten thousand were
sold, and of the second and third over one hundred thousand. It is in
the nature of such things that the sale should fall off when the novelty
is over. People believe that a new delight has come, a new joy for ever,
and then find that the joy is not quite so perfect or enduring as they
had expected. But the commencement of such enterprises may be taken as a
measure of what will follow. The magazine, either by Thackeray's name or
by its intrinsic merits,--probably by both,--achieved a great success.
My acquaintance with him grew from my having been one of his staff from
the first.