Yours ever,
       T. Carlyle

CXIII.  Emerson to Carlyle

Concord, 15 July, 1846

My Dear Carlyle,—­I received by the last steamer your letter with the copy of the covenant with Wiley and Putnam, which seems unexceptionable.  I like the English side of those men very well; that is, Putnam seems eager to stand well and rightly with his fellow-men.  Wiley at New York it was who provoked me, last winter, to write him an angry letter when he declared his intention to reprint our new matter without paying for it.  When he thought better of it, and came to terms, I had not got so far as to be affectionate, and have never yet resumed the correspondence I had with him a year ago, about my own books.  I hope you found my letter to them, though I do not remember which, properly cross.  I believe I only enumerated difficulties.  I have talked with Little and Brown about their editions of Chartism, and Past and Present; they have made no new sales of the books since they were printed on by the pirates, and say that the books lie still on their shelves, as also do a few copies of the London and Boston edition of French Revolution. I prayed them immediately to dispose of these things by auction, or at their trade sales, at whatever prices would sell them, and leave the market open for W. & P.; which they promise to do.

To Munroe I went, and learn that he has bought the stereotype-plates of the New York pirate edition of Sartor, and means to print it immediately.  He is willing to stop if W. & P. will buy of him his plates at their cost.  I wrote so to them, but they say no.  And I have not spoken again with Munroe.  I was in town yesterday, and carried the copy of the Covenant to E.P.  Clark, and read him your message.  His Bank occupies him entirely just now, for his President is gone to Europe, and Clark’s duties are the more onerous.  But finding that the new responsibilities delegated to him are light and tolerable, and, at any rate, involve no retrospection, he very cheerfully signified his readiness to serve you, and I graciously forbore all allusions to my heap of booksellers’ accounts which he has had in keeping now —­for years, I believe.  He told me that he hopes at no distant day to have a house of his own,—­he and his wife are always at board,—­and, whenever that happens, he intends to devote a chamber in it to his “Illustrations of Mr. Carlyle’s Writings,” which, I believe, I have told you before, are a very large and extraordinary collection of prints, pictures, books, and manuscripts.  I sent you the promised Daguerrotype with all unwillingness, by the steamer, I think of 16 June.  On 1 August, Margaret Fuller goes to England and the Continent; and I shall not fail to write to you by her, and you must not fail to give a good and faithful interview to this wise, sincere, accomplished, and most entertaining of women.  I wish to bespeak Jane Carlyle’s friendliest ear to one of the noblest of women.  We shall send you no other such.