Contributions in aid of the Society will be thankfully received by Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, Bart., Treasurer, and Rev. Ebenezer Prout, at the Mission House, Blomfield-street, Finsbury, London; by Mr. W. F. Watson, 52, Princes-street, Edinburgh; J. Risk, Esq., 108, Fife-place, Glasgow; and by Rev. John Hands, Society House, 32, Lower Abbey-street, Dublin. Post-Office Orders should be in favour of Rev. Ebenezer Prout, and payable at the General Post Office. LONDON: REED AND PARDON, PRINTERS, PATERNOSTER ROW. Note-Rev. Robert Introduction - Humphreys' "Diary and Correspondence" of Dr. Doddridge - Remarks— No. I. THE following Papers consist of a selection which the present writer made two or three years ago, from the unpublished MSS. of the Doddridge family. Many of our readers will be aware that, on the death of Mrs. Doddridge, the whole family papers passed into the possession of John Doddridge Humphreys, Esq., great-grandson of the saintly Nonconformist of Northampton. On succeeding to these MSS., Mr. Humphreys prepared the larger portion for the press; and accordingly, beside four volumes of "Sermons," the "Diary and Correspondence" of Dr. Doddridge appeared in five goodly octavos. This work was received, as might have been anticipated, with very great favour; but the Editor was universally pronounced unworthy of the author of the "Family Expositor," and "Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul." D On examination, every page was found to be garnished with annotating "bombast" and "vulgarity;" so much so, that a gifted reviewer has recently VOL. XXX. declared it to be "the most eminent instance in modern times of editorial incompetency." Nor is this all. Having had unreserved opportunity afforded us, we discovered, on collating the original MSS., that Mr. Humphreys had performed the same part towards his distinguished relative's "Correspondence" and "Diary," as the Viscount Mahon has convicted Jared Sparks of doing in respect of Washington. In hardly a single instance did we find a faithful adherence to the MSS., and this not with reference merely to the orthography, but in the entire style and texture of the letters. On the death of Humphreys the MSS. and Family Papers and Relics were pub licly sold; and the whole collection was purchased by Mr. Hamilton, Bookseller, London. His earnest desire was to have disposed of the MSS. in one lot; but no such purchaser appearing, the collection was dispersed. The Letters and Poems which are *See Note, p. 572. |