Page:Robert Carter- his life and work. 1807-1889 (IA robertcarterhis00coch).pdf/75

Rh more assurance climbed to a prominent position in the world.

The cousins were always very happy to meet on Mr. Robert Carter’s repeated visits to Scotland. It would be hard to say which felt the most grateful to the other. One ministered to the intellectual life of his boy cousin, the other smoothed the declining years of him who had befriended him in youth.

Mr. Carter writes of this trip to Europe and its results:—

“In Edinburgh and London I formed valuable friendships, and procured books which were of great service to me. On my way home I read Merle d’Aubigné’s History of the Reformation, in three volumes. I was so delighted with it that I said to my wife, ‘This will pay for our trip to Europe.’ Immediately upon landing I put it into the hands of the stereotyper, and the work created great interest. After some time a rival edition in small print, double columns, was issued in Philadelphia, I then printed an edition in three volumes, half bound in cloth, for one dollar. For many months the presses were going night and day, and so close was the race that on thirty thousand sets the net gain was only two cents for the three volumes. But it was delightful work, and though there was no gain from the book itself, yet I was brought favorably before the public, and my sales of other books were greatly increased. I published at this time Chalmers’s Lectures on Romans, Sermons, Essays, etc. The stereotype plates of Horne’s Introduction were sold at a trade sale. I bought them for $3,300. This was my greatest undertaking at that time. The day after the sale I met Mr. John Campbell, the paper dealer, and he asked me how I was going to pay for the plates of Horne. I told him I must borrow