Page:A history of booksellers, the old and the new.djvu/114

84 84 THE LONGMAN FAMIL K Private, more especially in New England. The nephew probably followed up the colonial trade of his uncle and master, for at the first commencement of hostilities in that country he had a very large sum engaged in that particular business, and, to the honour of the succeeding colonists, several of his correspon- dents behaved very handsomely in liquidating their debts in full, even subsequent to amicable arrange- ments and to the peace of 1783. As in the case of the founder of the house, the folio Cyclopedia, still the only one in the field, occupied the chief attention of the firm. Already in 1746 it had reached a fifth edition ; " and whilst," adds Alexander Chalmers, "a sixth edition was in question the proprietors thought that the work might admit of a supplement in two additional folio volumes. This supplement, which Avas published in the joint names of Mr. Scott and Dr. Hill, though containing a number of valuable articles, was far from being uniformly conspicuous for its exact judgment and due selection, a small part of it only being executed by Mr. Scott, Dr. Hill's task having been discharged with his usual rapidity." There the matter stood for some years, when the proprietors determined to convert the whole into one work. Several editions were tried and found wanting, and finally Dr. John Calder, the friend of Dr. Percy, was engaged, but provisionally only, for the duty. He drew up an elaborate programme, con- taining no less than twenty-six propositions. The agreement, as it illustrates, in some degree, the relative positions of authors and publishers, may be quoted. Dr. Calder agreed to prepare a new edition ot Chambers' s Cyclopaedia to be completed in two years. He received 50 as a retaining fee upon signing the